Overview
- Ohio Auditor Keith Faber’s office released the library’s 2024 financial audit on Sept. 16, documenting a June 2024 payment‑redirect scheme triggered by a fake vendor request to change banking details.
- Auditors concluded the library lacked adequate internal controls to detect fictitious vendors at the time of the transfer.
- The library was made whole through a $350,000 insurance payout, $46,405 forgiven by the legitimate vendor, and about $133,840 recovered from the fraudster’s account that was repaid to the insurer.
- Following the incident, the library instituted multiple vendor‑verification steps and required staff to complete the state’s Ohio Persistent Cyber Improvement cybersecurity training.
- The report notes the library’s heavy reliance on public funding, with a 2026 request citing 40% from the Ohio Public Library Fund, potential $2 million state‑budget reductions in 2026–2027, and $43.5 million from property tax levies within an $83 million budget.