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Chicago Tribune
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Biblioracle: The Institute of Museum and Library Service may lose funding. Here's why that's important.
A couple of weeks ago, for the first time in her life, Mrs. Biblioracle got a library card. The impetus for the choice was a tip from her book club that you can listen to audiobooks for free (something possible through services like Libby and Overdrive), but once a member, she was introduced to additional benefits, including free access to the New York Times, which meant we no longer had to fight over the Wordle. Of course, there are numerous other benefits, including admission to county parks and some local museums. You can check out a computer if yours is on the fritz. You can book a meeting room or get any book you can think of through interlibrary loan. Also, telescopes. You can check out a honking big telescope. The reason why Mrs. Biblioracle did not previously have a library card should be obvious: Her partner (me) has enough books in the house to stock a small, but robust library. By virtue of a previous academic appointment, I maintain access to an institutional academic library covering my needs. Even though Mrs. Biblioracle and I have not been directly interacting with our public library all that much, we remain staunch supporters and believers in libraries as vital parts of a functioning, shared, thriving society. Unfortunately, there is a significant threat to not just libraries but public museums in the currently proposed federal budget, which aims to almost zero-out something called the Institute of Museum and Library Service. The IMLS had already been a casualty of the Department of Government Efficiency cuts back in March, cuts which were halted at least temporarily after state attorneys general sued and temporary restraining orders were issued. But the proposed 2026 budget obviates those suits, reducing IMLS funding from $313 million to $6 million. The number of things that the IMLS does is almost impossible to list. They give grants that make institutions such as zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, and, of course, libraries capable of providing programming to the public. In some cases, these grants are the difference between being able to keep the doors open and not existing. The IMLS is also home to the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, which provides for the training and development of library professionals and working archivists. In recent years, the IMLS has also been at the forefront of investigating the 'digital divide' and increasing access to broadband services for poor and rural communities. They provide a literal line to the online world. While $313 million may seem like a lot, this amount is literally spread across all 50 states and more than 150,000 libraries and museums. As Kelly Jensen points out, writing at Book Riot, this amount is 0.005% of the overall federal budget. I'm going to confess that until recently, I had no idea the IMLS existed because why would I? This is one of the innumerable governmental bodies that churns away doing stuff Congress has decided is worth funding, allowing for things like visits from authors to libraries or new exhibits at museums to happen. It's impossible to know which institutions might be threatened with closure, but every institution's operations would undoubtedly be degraded. This budget proposal is exactly that, a proposal. I hope it doesn't come to fruition, and it's a reminder to maybe be a bit more aware of how different interconnected systems work to provide services and opportunities I've come to take for granted. As Joni Mitchell once said, 'Don't it always seem to go, you don't know what you got 'til it's gone.' John Warner is the author of books including 'More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI.' You can find him at Book recommendations from the Biblioracle John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you've read. 1. 'The One and Only Ivan' by Katherine Applegate 2. 'Mad Honey' by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan 3. 'Uprooted' by Naomi Novik 4. 'In This Grave Hour' by Jacqueline Winspear 5. 'Life Sentences' by Billy O'CallaghanAlways pleased to find a good occasion to recommend this book by Chicago writer Kathleen Rooney: 'Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk.' 1. 'Honor' by Thrity Umrigar 2. 'The Sellout' by Paul Beatty 3. 'James' by Percival Everett 4. 'Heat and Light' by Jennifer Haigh 5. 'High Dive' by Jonathan LeeI think 'Chain-Gang All-Stars' by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah will be an exciting read for Kathleen. 1. 'Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road' by Neil Peart 2. 'My Effin' Life' by Geddy Lee 3. 'The Wide, Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook' by Hampton Sides 4. 'In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the U.S.S. Jennette' by Hampton Sides 5. 'The Watchmaker's Daughter: The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie ten Boom' by Larry LoftisI've got just the book for Cliff, a story of seafaring and history: 'Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II' by Robert Kurson. Get a reading from the Biblioracle Send a list of the last five books you've read and your hometown to biblioracle@
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Why can't you borrow that e-book anymore? Trump's order hits US libraries hard
Libraries across the United States are slashing staff, suspending interlibrary loan programs, and cutting access to e-books and audiobooks after the Trump administration abruptly suspended millions of dollars in federal grants by moving to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The executive order, signed by President Donald Trump on March 14, seeks to dissolve the IMLS and led to the dismissal of nearly all of its staff. The move has had an immediate and far-reaching impact, forcing state libraries to reassess their budgets and halt key services. While federal judges have issued temporary orders to block the dismantling of the agency, the suspension of funding has already taken a toll. Maine laid off a fifth of its library staff and temporarily closed its state library after the federal funds failed to arrive. Mississippi's libraries suspended the Hoopla e-book service, and South Dakota has paused its statewide interlibrary loan program. 'It came as quite a surprise to all of us,' said Spencer Davis, a library generalist at the Maine State Library and one of eight employees laid off on May 8. Davis's job was funded through an IMLS grant. The grants are typically funneled through state libraries to support summer reading programs, digital lending services , and book-sharing networks between libraries—resources particularly crucial in rural communities that lack large local budgets. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Term plan with 99.17% Claim Settlement Ratio for FY24! ICICI Pru Life Insurance Plan Get Quote Undo '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.' In Mississippi, the funding shortfall has directly affected readers in places like Lowndes and DeSoto counties. 'People have been calling and asking, 'Why can't I access my books on Hoopla?'' said Erin Busbea, library director of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System. 'For most libraries that were using federal dollars, they had to curtail those activities," added Hulen Bivins, executive director of the Mississippi Library Commission. California, Washington, and Connecticut were the only states formally notified that their remaining funding for the year had been canceled. All three states have filed objections with the agency. 'We are mystified,' said Rebecca Wendt, California's state librarian. 'The small library systems are not able to pay for the e-books themselves.' The impact is being felt nationally. In 2023, more than 660 million people borrowed e-books, audiobooks, and digital magazines globally—up 19% from the previous year, according to OverDrive, the main distributor of digital content for libraries. The freeze also puts on hold other federal initiatives supported by the IMLS, including the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, aimed at training a diverse generation of library professionals. Attorneys general from 21 states and the American Library Association have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, aiming to prevent the full dismantling of the agency. Still, uncertainty prevails. '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.' The IMLS, created in 1996 by a Republican-led Congress, distributes less than $150 million annually to state libraries. Its sudden defunding has left many institutions scrambling for answers—and for dollars.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Local library worries what federal cuts could mean for their community
HINTON, WV (WVNS) — According to the American Library Association, the Institute for Museum and Library Services has cut many grants from its Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program and the National Leadership Grants program. Princeton Public Library offering fun, educational opportunities These cuts could spell trouble for small local libraries which were already feeling the pressure from a potential bill that would allow librarians to face charges for distributing 'obscene' materials. Kris Kellan, Library Director for Summers County Public Library, said these cuts are really going to hurt her community. 'Roughly, we're only looking at maybe forty-five hundred dollars. For a small library, that's my entire book budget for kids. That's my entire special programs budget. So, something has to be cut to make this up, and where are we gonna make these cuts from?' said Kellan. Kellan said they may have to cut different services or cut employees hours. If things get too bad, they will also cut employees themselves. Kellan said she is worried for the future of her library. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Libraries and museums in limbo across Texas
Museums and libraries across Texas could lose crucial funding under a Trump administration plan to shut down the agency that supports them. Why it matters: Cultural institutions rely on federal money to meet their mission. Driving the news: In a March executive order, President Trump named the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) as one of seven agencies that should be "eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law." On Monday, the agency put its entire staff on administrative leave for 90 days after a meeting with DOGE staff, per NPR. Follow the money: The agency disbursed $12.5 million in fiscal year 2024 to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, which supports public and school libraries and provides reading services for people with disabilities. That makes up a third of the state agency's total budget. Zoom in: Since 2022, the IMLS has approved almost $3.8 million in grants combined for the University of North Texas, Texas Woman's University, the city of Arlington, the Fort Worth Public Library and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. UNT's most recent grants, issued last year, included research into how libraries can offer more immigrant-inclusive services and efforts to train more health sciences librarians. The intrigue: The IMLS' Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, which funded projects supporting the library and archival workforce, also appears to be in limbo because of Trump's order. The program was established in 2003 in honor of the former first lady and North Texan. Zoom in: Tara Zimmerman, an assistant professor at TWU, was awarded a three-year grant in 2023 to develop a national curriculum that would teach elementary students critical thinking skills about the information they consume online. One lesson centered around the popular "Baby Shark" music video and what students observed while watching it. The grant included reimbursements to TWU for Zimmerman's and her research assistant's salaries, along with other research costs. Threat level: Zimmerman isn't sure how she will be paid for her work. She also hasn't been able to contact the IMLS office. "I never imagined I'd see our government act so harmfully toward its own people against their best interest," Zimmerman tells Axios.
