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Weekly News Digest
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March 25, 2025 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today.
CLICK HERE to view more Weekly News Digest items.
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Statements Continue Condemning the Trump Administration's Proposed Gutting of IMLS
The following are additional reactions to the Trump administration’s March 14 executive order threatening to defund IMLS that NewsBreaks began tracking in Library Community Rallies to Save IMLS and More Reactions to the Executive Order Targeting IMLS.On March 19, IFLA announced, “IFLA Calls for the Reversal of Cuts to IMLS, Archives, Restrictions on Freedom of Research in the United States.” It notes, “We echo the position of the American Library Association in deploring the cuts announced to IMLS, which plays such a valuable role in supporting libraries to realise their potential, as well as offering a model globally. The cuts will not just hurt the employees of IMLS, but the millions who rely on libraries to enjoy their rights and fulfil their potential.” PEN America shared on March 21, “Gutting Federal Library and Museum Funding Agency Will Undermine the Freedoms to Read and Learn.” Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms managing director of U.S. free expression programs at the organization, says in part, “From access to Braille books for the blind to high speed internet access to those in need, our libraries provide core services for our communities. By making it harder to access libraries, this move inhibits the ability of all people to exercise their freedom to read and learn. As an organization dedicated to books and literature, we call on Congress to ensure the IMLS remains strong, independent, and robustly funded.” On March 21, EveryLibrary posted “The Surprising Work of IMLS, the Institute for Museum and Library Services,” which lists five functions that wouldn’t necessarily be top of mind when discussing IMLS. Also on March 21, Kelly Jensen at Book Riot reported, “The Institute for Museum and Library Services Is Now a Propaganda Machine,” writing: We also know that Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith E. Sonderling was sworn in as the Acting Director of the agency. This new leadership came with another press release, posted to the IMLS website. It’s deeply concerning, and it points to what the future of the IMLS will look like under the direction of this administration. Read Jensen’s article to parse the new language coming from IMLS.
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Brandi Scardilli
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