On March 14, the Trump administration announced via an Executive Order that the only federal agency dedicated to public libraries and museums, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) would be dismantled. Since that time, employees have been laid off and federal funding has been revoked and reinstated nationwide. The Trump-appointed acting director of the agency, Keith Sonderling, made clear that the purpose of the agency going forward would be state propaganda.
The ripples of these federal decisions have made their way to the state level, with state libraries laying off employees and cuts to public library services at the local level impacted. Two lawsuits (Rhode Island v. Trump and The American Library Association v. Sonderling) were filed against the cuts, both of which remain in the federal courts. A full timeline and look at the impact of the IMLS dismantling can be viewed here.
The targeting of IMLS did not stop there. The federal budget for fiscal year 2026 (FY 2026), as proposed by Trump, makes clear that the agency would be sunset going forward. The minuscule IMLS budget comprises about .003% of the full federal budget, but the impact of the agency’s closure would do untold damage to public libraries nationwide. Among the services to feel the impact are interlibrary loan services–already impacted by South Dakota and Iowa; digital resources such as ebooks; and databases which provide access to research and information across numerous subjects and topics–already being cut in Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, and Mississippi, thanks to the impact of current IMLS funding changes.
One of the next steps for the FY2026 budget was markup in the House of Representatives. The Appropriations subcommittee with responsibility for the IMLS, the Labor-HHS-Education subcommittee, was to meet last week to markup the Trump bill, but it has been pushed back.
Kicking that meeting back coincided with the abrupt shutdown of the House of Representatives by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. While Congress takes a recess in August, due to the ongoing situation related to the Epstein Files and the push for transparency about what information exists, Johnson made the decision to shut down the House a week early. This kicked the budget markup process down the road, with a projected first week of September calendar date for the subcommittee markup meeting. The date has yet to be announced.
Literary Activism
News you can use plus tips and tools for the fight against censorship and other bookish activism!
The FY2026 budget needs to be passed before September 30, and already, many believe we may be facing a government shutdown. That September 30 date is crucial for the IMLS, as its future hinges on whether or not the budget passes–and whether or not the passage of the FY2026 budget restores funding for the agency. Whatever happens with the agency will impact what, if anything, comes of either lawsuit over the abrupt dismantling of the IMLS.
Although the abrupt House shutdown and rescheduling of hearings related to the FY2026 IMLS budget are cause for concern, they are also opportunities to take further action in support of saving the agency. There are two crucial streams of action to take.
Demand Restoration of the IMLS Budget for FY2026
Because the House Appropriations Committee has not yet marked up the FY2026 bill, many of the steps outlined below are those which were previously shared in early July. Several good questions arose about whether or not it is appropriate to contact Representatives who do not serve you–because of their role on this subcommittee and because of the urgency of this matter, contacting the members of the Labor-HHS-Education subcommittee is not inappropriate. Be frank about why you are contacting them (i.e., their role on this particular committee) and be aware that you will likely not hear a response from them as they prioritize their own constituents. But before you reach out to members of the Subcommittee, reach out to your own Representative and urge them to demand their colleagues include restoration of IMLS funding in their markup. Put the pressure in every place possible.
Once each member of the Subcommittee has been contacted, pass those messages along to members of the broader House Appropriations Committee. A full list of members is available here with the states they represent listed with them. Begin with your state representatives to keep the lift low, especially knowing your specific state House Representative may not be assigned to this committee (i.e., you live in Illinois and are represented by Sean Casten, but he isn’t on this committee; Representative Lauren Underwood is). You can then reach out to additional members of the committee, as time and energy permit.
What should you say when you reach out to members on the Subcommittee and Committee? Keep your message direct, evidence-based, and as short as possible. Here are some effective messaging ideas–choose one of these to focus on or mix and match among them all:
- Indicate the need for full funding for the IMLS, the only institution dedicated to public libraries and museums nationwide. Mention that fully funding the agency amounts to .005% of the federal budget this past year, but as has been demonstrated in study after study, the return on investment for public libraries is unbeatable. For every $1 invested in public libraries, there is a return of at least $4.50.
- Articulate what the funds do for public libraries. You can mention what your personal library funds with IMLS dollars if you’re familiar, or you can use this roundup of links dating back to the initial Executive Order targeting the agency to find information from local, regional, and national news sources. As of writing, there are 16 pages of examples of what those funds are used for.
- Emphasize that with the recent passage of the deeply unpopular and harmful budget and tax bill, libraries will become even more crucial to helping people find new jobs, access information about healthcare and food, connect to technology that they may no longer be able to afford, and find verifiable facts via trusted tools and professionals. These tools and services are precisely what IMLS grants address. Use the information and links in this story from EveryLibrary to support your assertions.
- Learn whether or not members of either the Subcommittee and/or greater Committee signed onto the “Dear Appropriator” letter distributed by the American Library Association. This is worth pointing to as proof of promise to support libraries in the next fiscal year and/or worth pointing to as a point of disappointment and query.
- Remind representatives that the Government Appropriations Office, a nonpartisan watchdog group, has already determined that the administration overstepped their legal powers in gutting the IMLS; feel free to also mention there are two ongoing lawsuits against the dismantling of the agency.
The American Library Association has a tool available that looks to make some of this work easy. You can get more specific in the provided call script with the numbers and information above.
Right now the focus is on the House, as the budget sits on their calendar, but there is no harm in sending similar messages via phone and email to your representatives in the Senate.
Demand Reauthorization of the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018
A key and crucial piece of legislation related to the IMLS needs reauthorization this year as well. The Museum and Library Services Act of 2018 is the mechanism by which existing programs are reauthorized and new ones can be developed and supported by the IMLS (you may also hear it referred to or referenced as the Library Services and Technology Act or LSTA). Its 6-year authorization cycle ends at the end of this fiscal year, September 30.
Only Congress can reauthorize this Act, and if they don’t, the IMLS will no longer be active, regardless of happens with the budget. In other words, even if the budget for the IMLS is reinstated, if Congress doesn’t act to renew the , the agency will no longer have any obligations. The LSTA is what coordinates federal programming related to libraries and provides the crucial Grants to States program.
Call and email your Senate and House representatives to act on reauthorizing this crucial piece of legislation before it’s too late.
We have seen that pressure forced the current administration of IMLS to release funds they otherwise planned to withhold. We have seen that both cases against the gutting of the IMLS have been successful in court (even with jurisdictional setbacks). People in America support, trust, and depend upon libraries; what we have seen over the last four years of targeted attacks are coming not because of a turn away from such support. It’s come because fighting for libraries has not been as necessary. While the time for championing libraries has been perennial, there is no better time to begin–or to get even louder–than right now.
Once you’ve reached out to the House about the FY2026 budget and both the House and Senate about reauthorizing the LSTA, what can you do to make an impact?
- Tell your friends, family, and neighbors about what the Fiscal Year 2026 budget looks like, including the plans to shutter the only agency that funds public libraries and public museums. Encourage them to get on the phone and get into inboxes.
- Post about what’s happening on social media. You have a tremendous wealth of links and stories to point to, as well as a timeline showcasing how this attack on the IMLS is targeted and purposeful.
- Write a letter to your own public library board about how much you support their work. Point to specific examples, such as the library’s summer reading clubs and how they have encouraged you and/or your family to explore what the library has to offer. These positive messages, delivered to the governing/administrative bodies of your library, matter significantly. Most people only reach out to complain.
- While you’re writing letters, send a short letter to a local or regional paper about the value of the public library. Use the links and information above to back up your statement, along with examples from your own library. Mention that the cuts to IMLS will have a tremendous local impact. Here’s a good example letter.
- Reach out to your state-level legislators and tell them the importance of supporting, championing, and funding libraries. We have seen that even with the loss of IMLS funds, state-level funding exists and/or has been increased. State-level support is not enough to ward off the reality of what an IMLS closure would do, especially in small and rural libraries, but telling your representatives that they’re doing good work when you see it helps encourage more good work.
- Correct mis- and dis- information as you see it. One of the biggest sources of poor information still circulating months after the Executive Order is that Libby and access to digital resources through it will be shuttered. This is not true. Libby is a private company, and libraries subscribe to their services, not the federal government. Many states use IMLS funding to help provide access to Libby, so yes, in some places Libby access is being challenged. But that doesn’t have to do with Libby–it’s a problem resulting from a lack of IMLS funding.
Want more actions you can take right now? You’ll find several options at EveryLibrary’s Save IMLS website, as well as find more information and action items on the American Library Association’s #FundLibraries page.
