The level-headed librarian with the heart of gold is an old-fashioned stereotype, but doing the right thing continues to be important to the thoroughly modern members of the Allegheny County Library Association.

The latest evidence of this is a decision by the organization, which includes 44 suburban libraries, to undertake the difficult task of revising the formula that determines how much money each facility receives from the Allegheny County Regional Asset District's 1 percent sales tax.

Until now, the association, which received $5.6 million in RAD funding for 2009, has distributed higher levels of support to libraries that received more funding from their municipalities. About 18 months ago, the organization decided that method shortchanged some members, particularly those in the most financially distressed towns.

Executive Director Marilyn Jenkins said the association felt strongly that RAD funds should be distributed in an equitable manner that recognizes the tax is paid by all county residents and that the member libraries range from tiny facilities with just two staff members to massive Northland Public Library, which is second in size only to nonmember Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

With the help of a consulting firm, a committee of librarians and library officials has been working on revisions. Members will receive projections based on three funding formulas in the next week, and they are expected to take a final vote on June 23.

All of the statistical models start with a flat allocation that is the same for every library. After that minimum, the formulas factor in population of the communities served by the library, usage both by local residents and people from outside the district, and the level of fiscal distress, which includes real estate values, income levels and whether a town is under state financial oversight through Act 47.

The libraries considered distressed in the association's analysis include Braddock, Clairton, Homestead, McKeesport, Swissvale, Wilkinsburg and Allegheny Valley.

Because total RAD funding to the library association is not likely to increase, some libraries will get less RAD money due to the change in formula, even as others see higher allocations. That makes it all the more commendable that the association is committed to a fair allocation system, particularly as libraries across Pennsylvania face the prospect of fewer dollars from the state as well.