What one person may consider worthless could be highly valued by another and when it comes to libraries, I consider them treasures. 

 

The current administration is planning to eliminate a federal agency in its 2026 budget and if enacted it will have a negative impact on all local libraries.  The name of the federal agency is the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS).  It serves all states and has a "Grants to States Programs" which is how Massachusetts and every other state in the union has received federal funding for libraries.

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According to the American Alliance of Museums, the appropriation for the IMLS in the 2025 federal budget was 0.0046% (or 0.000046) of the entire federal budget.  All of us should know by now that the federal budget is in the trillions of dollars and therefore, the elimination of the IMLS is just a drop in the bucket.

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However, for every dollar invested in libraries, the institutions return an estimated five dollars in services.  Libraries in Massachusetts work together to create a system of sharing that not only saves money but gives everyone access to more than 59 million physical items.

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Last year, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) appropriated 61% of the funds it received from IMLS to fund databases for students and library patrons.  About 60% of database usage comes from schools.  Library databases provide every Massachusetts resident with trustworthy online content covering topics such as science, health, history, biographies and more.  Last year, there were over 9 million full-text downloads from research databases, an increase of 12% in just one year.

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Maureen Amyot, Director of the MBLC, told members of the House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability at the Statehouse recently, "The only fiscal responsible path for the MBLC is to plan for no federal funding."  On June 30th, access to a large number of popular resources - including the Boston Globe Archive, Gale's General OneFile (magazine and journal articles), HeritageQuest Online (genealogy research), Petersen's Career and Test Prep, and many other scientific, historical, legal, and medical databases ended.

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"The federal impact (of eliminating the IMLS) cannot be overstated.  In Massachusetts, over 1,600 school, public, academic and special libraries from across the state benefit from federal IMLS funding.  Millions of people rely on federally funded library service," Amyot stated.  She believes that the impact of decreasing the number of databases from 34 to 4 will be felt the most once the school year starts.

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"Providing free and equitable access to library services make public libraries the cornerstone of a free democratic society," Amyot eexpressed.  "Libraries change people's lives.  That's why these reduction in critical library services hurt.  But we're in this for the long game and in the year ahead we'll  continue to work with local, state and federal partners to stabilize library funding and services."

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I bring the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services to your attention to help provide a better understanding of the consequences that will come if it is enacted.  If you value libraries the way I do, I ask that you take the time to contact our senators and representatives in congress and tell them that you oppose the elimination of the IMLS.  It is essential that libraries receive federal funding.

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For more in-depth information, copy and past https://libraries.state.ma.us/federal-funding-at-risk in your computer's web browser.

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Thank you!

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