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Library Community Rallies to Save IMLS

On March 14, the Trump administration issued an executive order (EO) stating that “the non-statutory components and functions of [seven listed] governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law”; one of the entities is the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The head of each entity “shall submit a report to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget [OMB] confirming full compliance with this order and explaining which components or functions of the governmental entity, if any, are statutorily required and to what extent.”

RESOURCES FROM EVERYLIBRARY

EveryLibrary has the resources you need to make sense of this order. “We are extremely concerned that the wording of this E.O. could result in cuts to the core functions of IMLS. The Administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have used similar E.O.s to dismantle the other federal agencies,” the organization states. EveryLibrary created a portal, saveimls.org, with calls to action for the public, and a petition that already has more than 17,000 signatures.

EveryLibrary’s explainer, Understanding IMLS’s “Shall” and “May” Language, breaks down “which programs fall under which ‘functions and obligations’ sections” of the EO so info pros can understand what’s at stake.

“IMLS’s statutory obligations are vitally important to state libraries, Native and Hawaiian libraries, and so many grant recipients. Congress must help the library, archives, and museum sector weather this by ensuring OMB does not exceed the EO’s authority,” John Chrastka, EveryLibrary’s executive director, tells NewsBreaks.

ALA’S INITIATIVES

“Americans have loved and relied on public, school and academic libraries for generations. By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer,” ALA’s statement reads, in part. “We encourage U.S. Congressmembers, Senators and decision makers at every level of government to visit the libraries that serve their constituents and urge the White House to spare the modest federal funding for America’s libraries. And we call on all Americans who value reading, learning, and enrichment to reach out to their elected leaders and Show Up For Our Libraries at library and school meetings, town halls, and everywhere decisions are made about libraries.”

ALA’s I Love Libraries initiative published a post with calls to action for the public, including, “Our elected officials need to hear why we value our libraries. Share a story of how your library [has] helped you, and let them know that federal funding is essential for your library to continue providing the essential services that support our communities.”

MORE CALLS TO ACTION

The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) offers its own resources and call to action page, saying, “The sooner you are able to share this message, the greater the chances that we can flood elected officials’ phone lines and inboxes when it counts the most.”

On Bluesky, Alt Library of Congress posted a script anyone can use to contact their reps about the importance of IMLS. It’s designed for written communication, but you can tailor it to a phone call script.

IN THE NEWS

POLITICO and The Hill are both spreading the news about the harm the new EO could do. “Trump is already facing pushback for [attempting to eliminate] the agencies. Many of the agencies targeted in recent weeks have been created by and received appropriations from Congress, setting up Trump’s administration to push the bounds of executive power,” Politico shares. The Hill highlights the “challenges in the courts—federal judges in both Maryland and Northern California district courts issued orders … halting the mass dismissals” from federal agencies that could help protect the EO-affected agencies.

On March 14, Book Riot posted “Librarian Criminalization Bills Are Growing, But They’re Not New,” as part of Kelly Jensen’s book censorship news roundup. It’s not directly related to the EO, but it’s still a damaging part of the Project 2025 playbook that needs attention, and, in fact, as Jensen writes, “with the kind of reception and blasting that librarian criminalization bills are seeing on social media and in the broader media, it’s worth noting that none of these bills are new.”

On March 11, Katina issued “A Call for Harm Reduction Strategies” that is more relevant than ever after this new EO, saying, “The new US presidential administration has launched an unprecedented assault on research and higher education. This isn’t just collateral damage from wide-ranging realignment of budgets, which would be bad enough, but an orchestrated attack on academic freedom, research funding, and the institutional autonomy that underpins intellectual progress. Each of these will have immediate and downstream impacts on academic libraries.”

SAVING DATA

The Data Rescue Project posted on Bluesky, “We thought maybe the IMLS would be overlooked but because it’s so critical for libraries we went ahead and archived all of the data we could find with the help of @everylibrary.bsky.social But of course IMLS and now #libraries are now under attack.” Scroll down to see what the organization has logged in its Rescue Tracker.