On Friday, March 14, President Trump signed Executive Order 14238 that targeted federal funding to libraries and museums through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
IMLS is the single largest source of critical federal funding for libraries. IMLS’ entire program of service costs 87 cents per person (U.S. population July, 2024).
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) receives $3.6 million from IMLS’ Grants to States Program. The MBLC uses federal IMLS funds to provide statewide library services for everyone. The cut to IMLS will be felt across our entire state. Visit https://libraries.state.ma.us/federal-funding-at-risk for more information
In Massachusetts, IMLS funding is entrusted to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), which uses this funding to purchase databases which are accessible to every public and school library in the state. 60% of the use of these databases comes from school libraries. Last year, there were over 9 million full text downloads from these databases. If you have used Gale databases, ProQuest databases, or Britannica Online at the library or at school, you have benefited from IMLS funds. The MBLC also uses IMLS funding to support the Commonwealth Catalog (ComCat), which helps libraries share books across the entire state. Each month, 7,500 items are shared through this system.
Our library network, CW MARS, also benefits from IMLS funding. If you use Libby to borrow e-books or e-audiobooks, some of the annual fees for administering that platform are paid through IMLS funding. The loss of this funding would result in a smaller variety of available books, fewer copies of popular books, and even longer wait lines, which we know is already a pain point for our e-content readers.
Forbes Library has additionally benefitted from grants funded through the IMLS. Recently, the Library was awarded $7,500 for a preservation needs assessment for our Local History Collections that we will not receive due to these cuts. This assessment would have assisted us in preserving books, records, and items which exemplify Northampton’s rich and complex history including new acquisitions related to the Iron Horse Music Hall and oral histories from the early LGBTQ+ music scene. We have also applied or were preparing applications for grants to support the library’s Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum collections and exhibits and those are now very uncertain. This loss of grant funding prevents us from doing important work. In the past the IMLS grants have allowed us to improve our accessibility for patrons with disabilities and to develop new programming to support civic engagement.
Forbes Library is committed to serving our patrons to the best of our ability. However, as with so many things, intentions can only take us so far. If the MBLC and CW MARS lose funding for things such as databases, ComCat, e-books, and other benefits that are shared among Massachusetts libraries, Forbes Library will need to divert resources to address those needs locally, or select to lose those services entirely. This would result in us needing to make some hard choices about what services we can continue to provide. The situation is changing daily. Until we know what funding will be frozen, we can’t tell you with any certainty what services will be affected, but we can tell you that we will continue to serve the Northampton community with the dedication and values that you have come to rely on.
Elected Officials Respond
Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra has joined with 24 mayors and city officials across the state on a letter to Members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation in support of libraries. Additionally, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell joined a coalition of 19 other attorneys general in suing the Trump Administration to stop the dismantling of three federal agencies that provide services and funding supporting public libraries and museums, workers, and minority-owned businesses nationwide.
Make Your Voice Heard
If you want to make your voice heard, the most effective way to do that right now is to contact your representative. You can sign one of the petitions below, or you can contact your federal or state representatives directly.