Many patrons have reached out to us with questions and concerns about the recent Executive Order targeting the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Your support means so much! We share your concern about the impact of these changes. We are paying close attention and will share more information as it becomes available.
Here is what we know.
On Friday, March 14, the Senate passed, and the president signed, a continuing resolution for fiscal year 2025 which provides funding for IMLS through September 2025.
However, later in the day, President Trump issued an Executive Order intended to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services as well as six other agencies. The Executive Order directed the Office of Management and Budget to reject any budget requests from IMLS other than funds needed to shut down the agency. According to the American Library Association, this Executive Order usurps the intent of Congress’s decision to provide funding for IMLS, which President Trump agreed to in signing that law.
On Thursday, March 20, Deputy Secretary of Labor, Keith Sonderling was sworn in as Acting Director of IMLS after being appointed by President Trump.
On Monday, March 31, the entire IMLS staff, around 75 individuals, were placed on paid administrative leave, effective immediately. According to the American Federation of Government Employees, the union representing IMLS staff, “Employees were required to turn in all government property before exiting the building, and email accounts are being disabled today. Museums and libraries will no longer be able to contact IMLS staff for updates about the funding they rely upon.”
What is the IMLS?
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is a small federal agency dedicated to funding library and museum services. Its mission is to advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development.
According to the American Library Association, “Library funding draws less than 0.003% of the annual federal budget yet has an enormous impact in communities nationwide. From technology classes for jobseekers to services for people with disabilities, from library delivery to older Americans to summer reading programs for families, IMLS funding makes a real concrete difference in the lives of Americans.”
IMLS administers grants that support training and innovative community learning programs in libraries across the US. In rural and tribal communities, IMLS helps fund public access to eBooks, databases, internet access, and more. IMLS provides funding that ranges from 1/3 to half of each State Library Agency’s annual budget, including the Washington State Library. In Washington State, the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library, which provides statewide library services for Washington residents who are unable to read standard print materials due to blindness, visual impairment, physical disability, or reading disability, relies heavily on IMLS funding.
The status of previously awarded grant funding is uncertain. The IMLS union representatives stated, “Without staff to administer the programs, it is likely that most grants will be terminated.”
Learn more about IMLS funded projects on their dashboard.
What does this mean for NCW Libraries?
95% of NCW Libraries funding comes from local property taxes. However, NCW Libraries receives substantial benefits from IMLS funding through subsidized database access (like LinkedIn Learning), research, grants, and grant funded projects. IMLS funding provides significant professional development and training resources for our staff. NCW Libraries already operates our 30 library locations on a tight budget. Losing this funding may result in difficult decisions about resources that have been funded through IMLS or the Washington State Library.
How to Help
Call or send messages to your Senators and Representatives, urging them to overturn the Executive Order and protect IMLS funding.
Join your local NCW Libraries Friends of the Library Group.
More Resources
FAQ: Executive Order Targeting IMLS | ALA
IMLS staff put on administrative leave : NPR
Agency funding libraries and museums puts all employees on leave ahead of major cuts
Washington libraries concerned over Trump’s executive order | king5.com
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