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Axios
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Trump's next targets: Museums and libraries, including MFAH and Houston Zoo
Museums and libraries in Texas could lose federal support under a Trump administration plan to shut down the agency that funds them. Why it matters: The cultural institutions rely on federal money to meet their mission. Catch up quick: In a March 14 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." Other agencies included in the order are the Minority Business Development Agency and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. The latest: The institute on Monday put its entire staff on administrative leave for 90 days after a meeting with DOGE staff, NPR reported. Follow the money: The IMLS' largest program, called Grants to States, disburses roughly $160 million annually to state library agencies, including $12.5 million in fiscal year 2024 to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC). The agency supports public and school libraries and provides reading services for people with disabilities. The federal grant makes up a third of the state agency's total budget. Per a grant request from the state agency reviewed by Axios, the 2024 money was earmarked to improve access for Texans to literacy and workforce readiness, as well as to help train librarians. Asked about the IMLS funding, TSLAC officials directed Axios to a fact sheet detailing uses of the money, showing the funds fully support the state's e-book program for small community libraries and the interlibrary loan (ILL) system. Zoom in: The Houston Zoo was the recipient in 2020 of a $250,000 grant to implement an interpretive plan for the Galápagos Islands exhibit that opened in 2023. What they're saying: "This agency provides essential funding and guidance for the vast collections of museums, including zoos, across America," Houston Zoo President Lee Ehmke wrote in a letter to federal lawmakers, shared with Axios. "Beyond education, museums are economic engines, providing jobs, driving tourism, and serving as community cornerstones. Museums cannot do this vital work without the support they receive from agencies like IMLS." Ehmke also pointed to a 2013 IMLS grant of $459,147 that supported research on Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV), helping move vaccine development forward. Other Houston institutions that have recently received grants from the IMLS include: The African American History Research Center at Houston Public Library ($100,000 in 2024) The Orange Show ($500,000 in 2022) The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (about $250,000 in 2021) Friction point: IMLS was established by Congress in 1996 and reauthorized in 2018 by Trump. The agency's governing board issued a letter that explained that IMLS' programs "cannot be paused, reduced, or eliminated without violating Congressional intent and federal statute." Meanwhile, public library advocates have launched a petition to oppose the shuttering of the agency and its services. Between the lines: The elimination of the IMLS could lead to "devastation for museums, libraries and archives everywhere," Gabriel Solis, executive director for the Texas After Violence Project, tells Axios.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
North Texas libraries face a new threat of federal cuts that extend well beyond books
Texas libraries, including several in the Metroplex, are facing possible federal funding cuts for programs that have delivered books to seniors, digitized historic records, boosted literacy and supported library access for people with disabilities. All employees of the federal Institute for Museum and Library Services were placed on administrative leave on Monday afternoon. The small agency, which employs about 70 people, provides funding to all 50 states, including Texas. The union representing the agency's workers said 2025 grant applications are no longer being processed, and that it's 'likely most grants will be terminated' due to a lack of staff. The IMLS awarded $266.7 million to libraries, museums and other related groups across the country in 2024. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission, an organization that supports more than 500 libraries across the state, received an over $12.5 million grant from the IMLS during the 2024 fiscal year. The federally allocated dollars made up 33% of TSLAC's annual budget. The 2024 IMLS grant was the sole source of funding for Texas' interlibrary loan program, which covered over $6.6 million used to transport materials between library systems for patrons. The federal funding was also the only source of the over $2.1 million used to provide e-book programs for the state's small libraries, which more than 200 libraries were eligible for. The TSLAC has been awarded over $60 million from the IMLS since 2020. The state commission uses the money to digitize archive materials, provide resources to universities and K-12 schools, help finance a variety of programs at local libraries, support library programs for people with visual and physical reading disabilities and fund workforce development and literacy programs. In 2022, the TSLAC was allotted over $11.7 million from the IMLS. That money directly supported 28 programs at libraries across the state, many of which are in North Texans' own backyards. Arlington's public library spent about $22,000 of the money on a pilot program to provide homebound senior citizens with library services. The Mansfield Public Library used $23,500 to start a mobile makerspace, which focused on STEM and nutrition education. The Bedford Public Library used almost $25,000 to create a food education program, starting a hydroponic garden and mobile kitchen it used to teach library patrons about nutrition. MetroShare Libraries, a consortium of 11 North Texas libraries, used over $73,000 to transport materials between partner libraries. The Rowlett Public Library got about $4,300 for a Wifi hotspot lending program; the 15 hotspots were checked out 151 times. 'Although the President cannot fully eliminate IMLS without Congressional approval, his order makes it clear that it is his goal to do so,' the Texas Library Association said in a statement on Monday. 'IMLS funding accounts for less than 0.003% of the annual federal budget but has an enormous impact on communities across our state and the country. Congress must understand how important IMLS is to our communities and that it is an essential investment in the quality of life of Texans.' In response to a request for comment on the imperilment of IMLS grants, a public information officer for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission sent the Star-Telegram a link to an infographic detailing the impact of the organization's 2024 grant. The commission's website lists dozens of libraries the organization plans to award grants to during the 2025 fiscal year. A press release from July announcing the new grant funding year, which ends on June 30, concluded by stating where the money is sourced from. 'The majority of funding for local awards comes from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in Washington, D.C.,' it read.
Axios
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Trump's next targets: Museums and libraries
The Trump administration is aiming to shut down a federal agency that distributes taxpayer money to museums and libraries — including in Texas. Why it matters: The cultural institutions rely on federal money to meet their mission. Catch up quick: In a March 14 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." Other agencies included in the order are the Minority Business Development Agency and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Follow the money: The IMLS' largest program, called Grants to States, disburses roughly $160 million annually to state library agencies, including $12.5 million in fiscal year 2024 to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC). The agency supports public and school libraries and provides reading services for people with disabilities. The federal grant makes up a third of the state agency's total budget. Per a grant request from the state agency reviewed by Axios, the 2024 money was earmarked to improve access for Texans to literacy and workforce readiness, as well as to help train librarians. Asked about the IMLS funding, TSLAC officials directed Axios to a fact sheet detailing uses of the money. Zoom in: In Austin, the Mexic-Arte Museum was the recipient in 2023 of a three-year grant worth $450,000 to hire an education coordinator and pay college student interns, whom it hires at $22 per hour. To date, the museum, whose budget is just north of $1.5 million, has been reimbursed $160,000, Paul Saldaña, president of the board of the museum, and Sylvia Orozco, the museum's executive director, tell Axios. What they're saying: "Given today's political climate and escalating tensions, I believe museums and libraries can play a critical role to help ... our communities re-establish common ground and learn to build bridges rather than breed contempt and/or division," Saldaña tells Axios. Zoom out: Other Austin institutions that have recently benefited from the IMLS include: The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at the University of Texas (which won a $150,000 grant in 2024) The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center ($115,000 in 2024) And the Texas After Violence Project ($750,000 in 2021), which records reflections, artworks, cultural ephemera and other materials from communities impacted by police brutality, mass incarceration and the death penalty, per its website. Friction point: IMLS was established by Congress in 1996 and reauthorized in 2018 by Trump. The agency's governing board issued a letter that explained that IMLS' programs "cannot be paused, reduced, or eliminated without violating Congressional intent and federal statute." Meanwhile, public library advocates have launched a petition to oppose the shuttering of the agency and its services. Between the lines: The elimination of the IMLS could lead to devastation for museums, libraries and archives everywhere," Gabriel Solis, executive director for the Texas After Violence Project, tells Axios.
