Sources of Revenue for the Knox County Governmental Library are the Library Litigation tax, user-fee cards and passes, copy machine revenues, and revenues from online services.

Chapter 50, 1955 Knox County Private Acts, created a Library Litigation tax to be imposed on each case in Knox County trial level courts, General Sessions Courts, and Probate Court. Due to increasing expenses of the library and the fluctuation of collections, the rates of the litigation tax were increased twice by Private Acts of the Legislature. In 1992 the Knox County Commission, under "Home Rule," again increased the tax rates to their current level: $2.25 per court case for trial level and probate courts, and $1.25 per court case for general sessions courts.

Due to the inadequacy of the Library Litigation tax revenue, the Knox County Governmental Library Commission created user-fee cards, to be purchased annually, and daily pass rates that went into effect in July 1988. For information on current rates see Library Membership.

Other revenues are from copy machine proceeds and online services.
For more details, see Library Services