Local Libraries face Budget Cuts after Executive Order Calls to Defund the IMLS
By Saron Hatsey
As book bans rise and reading levels drop, many students are beginning to turn to libraries to fulfill their reading needs. However, libraries, museums, and other publicly available resources for education are being threatened by recent budget cuts.
Despite only making up 0.003% of the federal budget, an executive order was passed cutting the funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law”. While federal judges have temporarily stopped the president from completely dismantling the organization, budget cuts still remain at large, posing risk for many local libraries.
We’re already seeing the detrimental effects of the recent cuts in states like Washington, which was faced with a 3.9 million dollar grant cut from its libraries and museums, leaving many scrambling. One of the most heavily impacted libraries was the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL), which provides reading material for those who can read standard print material. Ultimately, 12 workers at the WTBBL faced layoffs due to federal funding cuts, heavily impacting the proficiency of its services.
Washington wasn’t the only state impacted by this sudden budget cut from the federal government. California and Connecticut faced similar budget cuts from their local libraries and museums. Moreover, The Maine State Library had to lay off 13 of its workers after being cut off from over 1.5 million dollars in funding.
So, will this impact you? It depends. Most large libraries are locally funded through city taxes. The largest libraries, like the New York City public library, receive only 0.5% of their total funding from federal agencies like the IMLS. However, this doesn’t mean that the budget cuts are irrelevant. Many smaller, rural areas rely on federal funding heavily. Quality education is significantly harder to access in these regions and will therefore have a much greater impact on these communities. Additionally, the IMLS funds many projects that work to improve access to reading and education, like the WTBBL, STEAM camps, and early childhood literacy support. Removing the funding for these projects would greatly impact our most at-risk youth.
Libraries are a pinnacle of equitable access to education and their removal will be gravely detrimental to America's youth. It’s important we fight issues like these and work to keep our libraries afloat. This can be through simple acts like visiting your local library more or keeping up with organizations like the ALA to stay informed. Any support, no matter how small, can keep the places that nurture our learning, our communities, and our future thriving.
