From ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office April 1, 2025
Yesterday, we got breaking news that nearly all staff at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) was placed on administrative leave and, as a result, all processing of grants has been suspended.1 Within weeks, libraries across the country will experience the impact of this loss of funds. It's urgent that you call your members of Congress right away and urge them to intercede on behalf of your library.
Even if you called your elected officials last week, call them again. This news means that library services are at risk of being shut down in the communities who need it most.
Whether in the neighborhood, at school, on a military base, or elsewhere, libraries mean opportunity for everyone in our communities. By cutting off federal support for libraries, the Trump administration is cutting off opportunity for the American people – economically, culturally, professionally, and socially.
Please know: It's not over yet. ALA is behind our libraries and library workers one hundred percent, and we thank you for fighting alongside us.
For more, see our email from last week below:
After a short recess, all Congressmembers are now back in D.C., and that means it’s time for us to act. We need all library supporters to call their members of Congress and urge them to protect federal funding for libraries by preventing the dismantling of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Less than a week after President Trump issued an Executive Order intended to eliminate IMLS, the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the administration kicked off its attempt to wind down the agency’s functions. The White House named a new interim director from outside the agency, who has indicated his intent to operate “in lockstep with this Administration” in its efforts to gut this critical independent agency.
This was clearly intended as the first shot across the bow at America’s 125,000 libraries. But public outcry seems to have forced them to at least slow their plans—our tactics are working. Go one step further than sending a letter to Congress: Give them a call, and make sure they listen to you. Our action page gives you all the steps you need to have your say, including a suggested sample script for your call.
Phone calls only take a couple minutes and send a strong message to elected officials that their constituents care enough to take time out of their day to make their voices heard. It’s extremely important in the immediate aftermath of the Administration’s takeover of IMLS that Congress receives a flood of calls opposing its dismantling.
I challenge you to not only make a call to all of your members of Congress using our easy-to-use action page, but also to share this call to action with three people you know who love libraries as much as you do. Help us keep this momentum going.
Thank you for showing up for our libraries,
Larra Clark
Deputy Director, Public Policy and Advocacy
P.S. Want a refresher about the Executive Order and IMLS? Check out our FAQ.
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1 "Trump Administration Moves to Shutter Library Agency." (The New York Times, 3/31/2025).
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