Getting beyond the pain: understanding and dealing with declining library funding.

Purpose - Aims to investigate the suggestion that the library-funding crisis is real and that it is far more serious if one looks at it as a national and international phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach - Surveys recent library literature to ascertain the current health of library budgets. Specific examples are used. Findings - The changed focus in funding libraries reflects a change in civic values and institutional approaches to funding. Rather than rely on past strategies that once worked, new initiatives need to be developed. Originality/value - Suggests five ways in which libraries can position themselves for better funding support in light of current public values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]