Twenty-three of the county's 44 suburban libraries stand to lose part of their current Regional Asset District funding next year under a new plan that attempts to allocate the money more equitably.

The new formula, approved by members of the Allegheny County Library Association, would redistribute RAD contributions of $5.175 million, the same amount as this year.

The RAD board must approve the new formula before it takes effect.

The biggest winner in Tuesday's complicated vote of library representatives was the Carnegie Library of McKeesport, with a boost of $132,771 next year.

Mt. Lebanon was the biggest loser -- a decrease of $170,976.

Criteria such as population, activity, and whether the library was located in a state-declared "distressed" municipality were weighed to produce the new formula.

Under the new system, two distressed-area libraries will lose funding next year -- Monroeville, which also serves Pitcairn, would be cut $84,335, and Wilkinsburg faces a $54,402 reduction.

"I'm in a state of shock right now," said Joel Minnigh, director of the Wilkinsburg Public Library. "I realize we're an anomaly among libraries because we receive good support from the borough, but to lose that amount of money will be painful."

The library gets about $400,000 from the municipality.

Mr. Minnigh said he and representations from the other distressed facilities including Clairton, Braddock, Homestead, Swissvale and McKeesport lobbied to place a higher value on their status, but were denied.

Mt. Lebanon librarian Cynthia Richey said that many facilities were unprepared for the large shift in funding because details of the formulas were not reached until February.

She said fellow critics of the decision were "concerned that the net gain by the distressed libraries in this formula is less than $150,000 while the non-distressed libraries have a net gain of more than $400,000."

For example, Northland, serving Bradford Woods, Franklin Park, Marshall, McCandless and Ross would get an additional $60,332; Plum, $51,270; Lauri Ann West Library (Fox Chapel, O'Hara, Aspinwall, Blawnox, Indiana and Sharpsburg) $42,555; and Moon, $40,359.

However, the long-struggling Braddock Carnegie Library does stand to collect an additional $62,724.

"This new formula is a catastrophic loss for a lot of libraries," Ms. Richey said. "Libraries will have to reduce hours, cut staff, eliminate purchases of books and other materials."

Both Ms. Richey and Mr. Minnigh added that the new formula downplays local financial support and could shift dependence on funding to RAD, rather than encouraging municipal help.