On March 14, President Trump issued an executive order that seven federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services, be eliminated to the maximum extent of the law.
On March 20, the director of IMLS was replaced by Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling, and on March 31, the staff of IMLS was placed on administrative leave. The Institute of Museum and Library Services, an agency created by Congress, administers the federal funds appropriated by Congress through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) to libraries across the country via grants. Without staff to administer these grants, it is uncertain whether the money that has already been appropriated will reach its intended recipients.
What does this mean for our library? In Maine, the LSTA funding approved by Congress is distributed to the Maine State Library, who use the money for programs and services that support libraries across the state. At Harrison Village Library, our gigabit internet connection, used for both the wifi and local network, is fully funded by this program. Van delivery service, which brings our patrons inter-library loans from libraries across the state, is partially subsidized with this money, as is CloudLibrary, our platform for downloadable books and audio books. The cost of these services would be prohibitive for our small rural library to provide on our own.
If you would like to help keep this funding coming for our library, please reach out to Library Director Kathleen Kramer.