Trump Administration Moves to Shutter Library Agency
The move came two weeks after President Trump issued an executive order naming the independent agency as one of seven that should be 'eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.' On March 20, Keith E. Sonderling, the deputy secretary of labor, was sworn in as acting director, replacing Cyndee Landrum, a career library professional.
Shortly after being appointed, Mr. Sonderling visited the agency with a team that included at least one staff member of the Department of Government Efficiency, who set up offices and obtained access to the agency's computer systems. On Monday afternoon, after the team made several additional visits, the agency's roughly 70 employees were informed by supervisors that they were being put on administrative leave for 90 days, and were not permitted to access the agency's premises or systems.
'This action is not punitive but rather is taken to facilitate the work and operations of the agency,' Antoine L. Dotson, the agency's director of human resources, said in a letter obtained by The New York Times.
The future of grant programs was not immediately clear. But the American Federation of Government Employees, the union representing staff members, said in a statement that in the absence of staff all work processing applications for 2025 grants 'has ended.'
'Without staff to administer the programs, it is likely that most grants will be terminated,' it said.
The agency, created in 1996 and reauthorized most recently in 2018 in legislation signed by Mr. Trump, has an annual budget of nearly $290 million, larger than either the National Endowment for the Arts or the National Endowment for the Humanities. It provides funding to libraries and museums in every state and territory, with the bulk going to support essential but unglamorous functions like database systems and collections management.
Its largest program, known as Grants to States, delivers roughly $160 million annually to state library agencies, which covers one-third to one-half of their budgets, according the Chief Officers of State Library Associations, an independent group representing library officials.
Mr. Trump's executive order prompted widespread mobilization by library and museum advocates, who issued multiple statements defending the agency and questioning the legality of moves against it. A bipartisan group of senators, including the Democrats Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, sent a letter calling on Mr. Sonderling to continue the agency's mission.
In a statement on Monday, Cindy Hohl, the president of the American Library Association, criticized the staff cuts.
'Congress created I.M.L.S. by law, with bipartisan support, and Republican and Democratic Presidents signed those laws, including President Trump in 2018,' she said. 'Any significant reductions the I.M.L.S.' small and talented work force would undermine the agency's ability to carry out that law, which provides crucial supports to help libraries across America serve their communities.'
In his executive order, Mr. Trump directed the agency to release a plan for reducing its activities within a week. But so far, no plan has been announced.
After visiting the agency earlier this month, Mr. Sonderling issued a statement promising to move the agency 'in lock step with this administration to enhance and foster innovation.'
'We will revitalize I.M.L.S. and restore focus on patriotism, ensuring we preserve our country's core values, promote American exceptionalism and cultivate love of country in future generations,' Mr. Sonderling said.
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