Latest news with #IMLS
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump's cultural overhaul throttles local arts, humanities programs nationwide
For 60 years, Boston's Museum of African American History has transported people to the past, letting visitors to a 200-year-old meeting house see where abolitionists like Frederick Douglass spoke and walk through halls where young Black soldiers once rallied to fight in the Civil War. But recently, the museum's history programs for schoolchildren were put at risk after the Trump administration canceled its federal grant, saying in a letter that the funding 'no longer serves the interest of the United States.' 'I will forever remember that line,' the museum's director, Dr. Noelle Trent, told CNN.'We were very much embedded into key moments of this country's history. How is that not of interest to the United States and the American people?' The museum had won a $500,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, one of the agencies at the center of President Donald Trump's cultural overhaul, to build its capacity to support school trips and educational programs. Now, the museum is planning for a future without the funds, Trent said. In Washington, Trump has forged ahead with efforts to exert control over which cultural pursuits the government backs, from taking the reins of the Kennedy Center to targeting 'improper ideology' at the Smithsonian. But his administration's push to align federal support with his cultural agenda – and combat what he sees as 'woke' ideology and 'anti-American propaganda'– has extended beyond the nation's capital. It has left museums like the Museum of African American History in Boston as well as libraries, archival projects, arts programs, and film festivals reeling after the IMLS and the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities canceled tens of millions of dollars in federal grants. Trump, who has promised to scale back the size of the federal government, has asked Congress to eliminate the agencies. If Congress grants his request, it will amount to an unprecedented gutting of federal support for arts and humanities. The National Endowment for the Arts helps fund everything from free music and theater programs to film festivals and literary magazines. The National Endowment for the Humanities supports research, historic sites, book programs, and museum exhibits. And the IMLS, which Trump deemed 'unnecessary' bureaucracy in March and ordered 'eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law,' pays for job training programs, interlibrary loans, and free e-book and audiobook services for libraries in rural areas. Several lawsuits across the country are challenging how the Trump administration is gutting or overhauling the grant programs at IMLS, NEA and NEH. The challengers have prevailed in some of the cases, but the administration is seeking to reverse the rulings against it. The African American history museum in Boston received a letter from IMLS on Wednesday indicating that the agency will adhere to a court order earlier this month from a federal judge in Rhode Island requiring it to reinstate grants. However, the reinstatement of the grant is contingent on an appeal, which is pending, the letter said. Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has touted some of the cuts on social media, declaring that NEH grants will be 'merit-based and awarded to non-DEI, pro-America causes' going forward. A lawsuit filed by the American Historical Association and other groups alleges that two DOGE employees 'demanded lists of open NEH grants and then indiscriminately terminated the vast majority of the grants.' Conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation have long argued that arts and humanities programs shouldn't receive taxpayer money because they have enough financial support from private sources. The Trump administration has already started to redirect federal funding towards cultural initiatives the president backs. A portion of canceled NEH funds will help pay for The National Garden of Heroes, a sculpture garden Trump first floated in 2020. Slated to be completed in time for the nation's 250th anniversary next year, it will feature '250 great individuals from America's past,' according to a release. 'We're going to be honoring our heroes, honoring the greatest people from our country. We're not going to be tearing down. We're going to be building up,' Trump said in February. The IMLS, NEA and NEH did not respond to a request for comment on this story. As the Trump administration shifts its priorities, arts advocates say programming for children is at risk. In Nebraska, String Sprouts, a 'no-to-low-cost' music education program hosted by the Omaha Conservatory of Music, had received an NEA grant for a decade. Now, the group may be forced to scale back the number of classes it offers, according to Neidy Hess, the conservatory communication's manager. In New York, Opera on Tap's Playground Opera program, which immerses students in low-income communities in production and performance, will also have to be dialed back without federal support, co-founder and general director Anne Hiatt told CNN. Meanwhile, the South Dakota Humanities Council lost $950,000, or 73% of its total budget. While it will be able to continue some programming, it may have to stop its Young Reader Program, which provides free books to third-graders, said the council's executive director, Christina Oey. Oey's group is one of the 56 councils across the country that saw their general operating and support grants slashed in April. She said the National Garden of Heroes project won't have the same kind of reach as the programs and events councils put on, particularly in rural communities. 'Yes, a monument is educational. It can provide learning opportunities, but you have to travel to that. I mean, I can attest to that in South Dakota: Mount Rushmore is five and a half hours away from me, right?' she said. 'If you fund the humanities, you also fund programming that can change, that can travel, that can be in your community.' While South Dakota Humanities Council has received some emergency funding from the Mellon Foundation, a private foundation for the arts and humanities, some councils that are more reliant on federal funds say they could close if Congress grants Trump's proposal to gut the NEH. National History Day, a nonprofit that hosts a nationwide competition for students in grades 6-12 to present their own historical research projects, may not have as many participants without federal support, executive director Cathy Gorn said. 'Kids, when they study history effectively, they learn empathy, and we really need a whole lot more of that in this country, in this world,' Gorn said. 'And so, losing this opportunity is a real crisis for American education. For Trent, the museum director in Boston, the impact of the Trump administration is more than federal funding cuts. She said corporate support started drying up after the president took office, a trend she blames partly on his efforts to quash diversity, equity and inclusion programs. When asked why taxpayer dollars should go to museums like the one she leads, Trent said they make communities unique and leave a positive impact on visitors. 'There are places all across this great country, that have really great programs, that have qualitatively changed to peoples lives,' she explained. On a recent trip to the museum, seventh grader Excel Alabi found herself moved by the stories about young people around her age fighting to end slavery in the Civil War. 'They were fighting for us. I think that's really beautiful,' she told CNN. 'When I was starting school, it was just like 'People are going to war to fight for rights.' I didn't know that it was teenagers trying to fight for their families too.' 'It's important for kids to learn history because it's just such a big impact on what we've been through,' she added. 'I think we should face those tough subjects because those tough subjects are the reason why we're here.' CNN's Tierney Sneed and Emily Condon contributed to this report.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled officials fear federal cuts
The Alabama Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled Consumer Advisory Committee met on May 20. The members discussed federal funding cuts and potential dismantling of the service that serves about 7,000 impaired Alabamians. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled (ALBPD) serves about 7,000 Alabamians with free audio and books in braille. BPD officials fear that could all go away if the Trump administration continues to make funding cuts to the National Library Service. The ALBPD is part of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS received federal funding, which is funded federally, meaning the state does not give any funds to the accessibility sect of APLS. In March, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order in March to dissolve the small agency. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Kelyn Ralya, the interim director of the Alabama Public Library Service, told members of the BPD Consumer Advisory Committee Tuesday that the agency cut its staffing from 77 employees to 12 this spring. 'That's quite a cut there,' Ralya said. 'Some of the folks that we know are still there, and so we at least have a good contact there.' Beyond national leadership changes, Rhonda Napier, the regional librarian, said she is most worried about federal funding cuts. Ralya told the committee that federal grants were split into two distributions this year. She said they received the first part and are supposed to receive the second half soon. Twenty-one states sued the Trump administration in March in an attempt to delay funding cuts to IMLS and other smaller agencies. A federal judge stalled the dismantling of the agencies through the lawsuit on May 7, according to NPR. 'I do believe that department has been dismantled, or that's what they're going for,' Ralya said. 'I'm not sure if it's like that, as in, the funding goes to another source. We just don't know that yet.' Without grants from IMLS, Napier said, the ALBPD would disappear. 'Which means all of this goes away,' Napier said in an interview after the meeting, gesturing to long rows of shelves that have books in braille and audiobook tapes. Napier said the service sends out tapes and book readers to its patrons for free, just like going to an in-person library with physical books. Each tape can hold up to eight books and plugs into the readers via USB port, which she said is a more modern version of a cassette tape. The library has a diverse selection of genres, from children's books to textbooks on statistics. She said there are services that will translate books into braille, but it isn't free like the library. She said the same of audiobook services like Audible and Spotify. 'All of it is paid for. This is a completely free service,' she said. 'Audible, obviously, you have to pay for it, you have to download their software and install it. None of that occurs here.' Ralya also talked about the recent firing of the Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, along with the assistant director and the director of the copyright office. Todd Blanche, who represented Donald Trump during his 2024 criminal trial, replaced Hayden. 'That is very disturbing,' Penny Moss, vice chair of the committee said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Engadget
20-05-2025
- Business
- Engadget
US libraries cut ebook and audiobook lending programs following Trump executive order
In the latest episode of How to Dismantle Public Services in 12 Easy Steps , a Trump executive order targeting libraries has real-world consequences. The AP reported over the weekend that libraries across the country are cutting programs that offer ebooks, audiobooks and other loan programs. These initiatives exploded in popularity following the pandemic, with over 660 million people globally borrowing them in 2023 — a 19 percent annual increase. The cuts and slashing of grants followed a Trump executive order issued on March 14 targeting the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). His appointee to helm the agency, Keith E. Sonderling, quickly signaled that he was there to do the president's bidding. He placed the IMLS's entire staff on administrative leave, sent termination notices to most of them, canceled grants and contracts and fired everyone on the National Museum and Library Services Board. Federal judges have temporarily blocked the administration from further gutting the IMLS. But while lawsuits from 21 states and the American Library Association make their way through the courts, the agency's federal funding remains frozen. And libraries are scrambling to adjust. If you've ever used your library to borrow an ebook or audiobook through an app like Libby or Hoopla, there's a good chance federal funding made that possible. Libraries purchase digital leases for ebooks and audiobooks from publishers, enabling them to lend titles to patrons. The leases typically cost much more than physical copies and must be renewed after a set period or number of checkouts. With library digital borrowing surging, those federal funds went a long way toward keeping the programs afloat. Mississippi has indefinitely suspended its Hoopla-based lending program. The IMLS was created in 1996 by a Republican-controlled US Congress. The agency has an annual budget of under $300 million, with nearly half of that amount allocated to state libraries, which, in turn, help fund local libraries' digital lending programs. "The small library systems are not able to pay for the ebooks themselves," Rebecca Wendt, California's state library director, told the AP .
Los Angeles Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Libraries are cutting back on staff and services after Trump's order to dismantle small agency
Libraries across the United States are cutting back on ebooks, audiobooks and loan programs after the Trump administration suspended millions of dollars in federal grants as it tries to dissolve the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Federal judges have issued temporary orders to block the Trump administration from taking any further steps toward gutting the agency. But the unexpected slashing of grants has delivered a significant blow to many libraries, which are reshuffling budgets and looking at different ways to raise money. Maine has laid off a fifth of its staff and temporarily closed its state library after not receiving the remainder of its annual funding. Libraries in Mississippi have indefinitely stopped offering a popular ebook service, and the South Dakota state library has suspended its interlibrary loan program. Ebook and audiobook programs are especially vulnerable to budget cuts, even though those offerings have exploded in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. 'I think everyone should know the cost of providing digital sources is too expensive for most libraries,' said Cindy Hohl, president of the American Library Assn. 'It's a continuous and growing need.' President Trump issued an executive order March 14 to dismantle the IMLS before firing nearly all of its employees. One month later, the Maine State Library announced it was issuing layoff notices for workers funded through an IMLS grant program. 'It came as quite a surprise to all of us,' said Spencer Davis, a library generalist at the Maine State Library who is one of eight employees who were laid off May 8 because of the suspended funding. In April, California, Washington and Connecticut were the only three states to receive letters stating the remainder of their funding for the year was canceled, Hohl said. For others, the money hasn't been distributed yet. The three states all filed formal objections with the IMLS. Rebecca Wendt, California state library director, said she was never told why California's funding was terminated while the other remaining states did not receive the same notice. 'We are mystified,' Wendt said. The agency did not respond to an email seeking comment. Most libraries are funded by city and county governments, but receive a smaller portion of their budget from their state libraries, which receive federal dollars every year to help pay for summer reading programs, interlibrary loan services and digital books. Libraries in rural areas rely on federal grants more than those in cities. Many states use the funding to pay for ebooks and audiobooks, which are increasingly popular, and costly, offerings. In 2023, more than 660 million people globally borrowed ebooks, audiobooks and digital magazines, up from 19% in 2022, according to OverDrive, the main distributor of digital content for libraries and schools. In Mississippi, the state library helped fund its statewide ebook program. For a few days, Erin Busbea was the bearer of bad news for readers at her Mississippi library: Hoopla, a popular app to check out ebooks and audiobooks, had been suspended indefinitely in Lowndes and DeSoto counties due to the funding freeze. 'People have been calling and asking, 'Why can't I access my books on Hoopla?'' said Busbea, library director of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System in Columbus, a majority-Black city northeast of Jackson. The library system also had to pause parts of its interlibrary loan system allowing readers to borrow books from other states when they aren't available locally. 'For most libraries that were using federal dollars, they had to curtail those activities,' said Hulen Bivins, the Mississippi Library Commission executive director. The funding freeze came after the agency's roughly 70 staff members were placed on administrative leave in March. Attorneys general in 21 states and the American Library Assn. have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration for seeking to dismantle the agency. The institute's annual budget is below $300 million and distributes less than half of that to state libraries across the country. In California, the state library was notified that about 20%, or $3 million, of its $15-million grant had been terminated. 'The small library systems are not able to pay for the ebooks themselves,' said Wendt, the California state librarian. In South Dakota, the state's interlibrary loan program is on hold, according to Nancy Van Der Weide, a spokesperson for the South Dakota Department of Education. The institute, founded in 1996 by a Republican-controlled Congress, also supports a national library training program named after former first lady Laura Bush that seeks to recruit and train librarians from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds. A spokesperson for Bush did not return a request seeking comment. 'Library funding is never robust. It's always a point of discussion. It's always something you need to advocate for,' said Liz Doucett, library director at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Maine. 'It's adding to just general anxiety.' Lathan writes for the Associated Press.
Fast Company
19-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
What libraries are getting rid of after Trump's order to dismantle the IMLS
Libraries across the United States are cutting back on e-books, audiobooks and loan programs after the Trump administration suspended millions of dollars in federal grants as it tries to dissolve the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Federal judges have issued temporary orders to block the Trump administration from taking any further steps toward gutting the agency. But the unexpected slashing of grants has delivered a significant blow to many libraries, which are reshuffling budgets and looking at different ways to raise money. Maine has laid off a fifth of its staff and temporarily closed its state library after not receiving the remainder of its annual funding. Libraries in Mississippi have indefinitely stopped offering a popular e-book service, and the South Dakota state library has suspended its interlibrary loan program. E-book and audiobook programs are especially vulnerable to budget cuts, even though those offerings have exploded in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. 'I think everyone should know the cost of providing digital sources is too expensive for most libraries,' said Cindy Hohl, president of the American Library Association. 'It's a continuous and growing need.' Library officials caught off guard by Trump's cuts President Donald Trump issued an executive order March 14 to dismantle the IMLS before firing nearly all of its employees. One month later, the Maine State Library announced it was issuing layoff notices for workers funded through an IMLS grant program. 'It came as quite a surprise to all of us,' said Spencer Davis, a library generalist at the Maine State Library who is one of eight employees who were laid off May 8 because of the suspended funding. In April, California, Washington and Connecticut were the only three states to receive letters stating the remainder of their funding for the year was canceled, Hohl said. For others, the money hasn't been distributed yet. The three states all filed formal objections with the IMLS. Rebecca Wendt, California state library director, said she was never told why California's funding was terminated while the other remaining states did not receive the same notice. 'We are mystified,' Wendt said. The agency did not respond to an email seeking comment. Popular digital offerings on the chopping block Most libraries are funded by city and county governments, but receive a smaller portion of their budget from their state libraries, which receive federal dollars every year to help pay for summer reading programs, interlibrary loan services and digital books. Libraries in rural areas rely on federal grants more than those in cities. Many states use the funding to pay for e-books and audiobooks, which are increasingly popular, and costly, offerings. In 2023, more than 660 million people globally borrowed e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines, up from 19% in 2022, according to OverDrive, the main distributor of digital content for libraries and schools. In Mississippi, the state library helped fund its statewide e-book program. For a few days, Erin Busbea was the bearer of bad news for readers at her Mississippi library: Hoopla, a popular app to check out e-books and audiobooks had been suspended indefinitely in Lowndes and DeSoto counties due to the funding freeze. 'People have been calling and asking, 'Why can't I access my books on Hoopla?'' said Busbea, library director of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System in Columbus, a majority-Black city northeast of Jackson. The library system also had to pause parts of its interlibrary loan system allowing readers to borrow books from other states when they aren't available locally. 'For most libraries that were using federal dollars, they had to curtail those activities,' said Hulen Bivins, the Mississippi Library Commission executive director. States are fighting the funding freeze The funding freeze came after the agency's roughly 70 staff members were placed on administrative leave in March. Attorneys general in 21 states and the American Library Association have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration for seeking to dismantle the agency. The institute's annual budget is below $300 million and distributes less than half of that to state libraries across the country. In California, the state library was notified that about 20%, or $3 million, of its $15 million grant had been terminated. 'The small library systems are not able to pay for the e-books themselves,' said Wendt, the California state librarian. In South Dakota, the state's interlibrary loan program is on hold, according to Nancy Van Der Weide, a spokesperson for the South Dakota Department of Education. The institute, founded in 1996 by a Republican-controlled Congress, also supports a national library training program named after former first lady Laura Bush that seeks to recruit and train librarians from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds. A spokesperson for Bush did not return a request seeking comment. 'Library funding is never robust. It's always a point of discussion. It's always something you need to advocate for,' said Liz Doucett, library director at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Maine. 'It's adding to just general anxiety.'
