Save the Institute of Museum & Library Services (UPDATED 5/1)

Updates

May 1, 2025: A federal judge has agreed to temporarily block the Trump administration from further actions to dismantle the IMLS, ruling that the administration likely does not have legal authority to close the agency.

March 31, 2025: After a meeting with DOGE, the entire staff of the IMLS - roughly 70 people - has been put on administrative leave for the next 90 days.

On Friday, March 14th, Trump signed an executive order that calls for there elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the nation’s only federal agency for America’s libraries. Americans have loved and relied on public, school and academic libraries for generations. By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, this EO is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer:

• Early literacy development and grade-level reading programs
• Summer reading programs for kids 
• High-speed internet access
• Employment assistance for job seekers 
• Braille and talking books for people with visual impairments
• Homework and research resources for students and faculty
• Veterans’ telehealth spaces equipped with technology and staff support
• STEM programs, simulation equipment and training for workforce development
• Small business support for budding entrepreneurs

To dismiss some 75 committed workers and mission of an agency that advances opportunity and learning is to dismiss the aspirations and everyday needs of millions of Americans. And those who will feel that loss most keenly live in rural communities. Call on your representatives to show up for America’s libraries and urge the White House to maintain the IMLS’s modest federal funding.

Materials provided by the American Library Association