Concerned But Committed: Small And Rural Libraries Are Feeling The Impact Of A Defunded IMLS

Abstract

Since the release of the March 14 executive order calling for the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), libraries across the country have been managing the immediate fallout while also considering the long-term effects of losing federal funding. The Blackmur Memorial Library, with a service population of 3,360, posted on its Facebook page: "The Mississippi Library Commission has announced that due to the Federal Government's layoffs and budget cuts for [IMLS], the funding for Blackmur Memorial Library's access to the Hoopla digital media service has been halted as of Tuesday, April 1, 2025. The Arkansas legislature passed Act 903 this year, giving Gov. Sanders "full authority to replace the entire Arkansas State Library Board, which oversees the disbursement of state aid to public libraries," says Graham. [...]with the likelihood for partisan politicking on the board, Graham and others in the state share the concern that "funding decisions could become more subjective, especially for libraries that offer broad collections or programming that reflect the full diversity of their communities."

Since the release of the March 14 executive order calling for the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), libraries across the country have been managing the immediate fallout while also considering the long-term effects of losing federal funding. IMLS's Grants to States program uses a nonpartisan, population-based formula through which it distributed more than $180 million in FY24. State library offices generally serve as the fiscal agent for these grants as the designated LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) agency, designing in-state opportunities for libraries to apply for funds through both competitive and noncompetitive awards.

For small and rural libraries without multiple revenue streams, a future without IMLS is particularly uncertain. Kate Laughlin, executive director of the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL), says that education about how IMLS funds come to libraries has been crucial. "We all hear about IMLS and LSTA," she says, "but we are focusing on letting libraries know how the statewide block grant system works," including the various timelines that organize fund distribution and spending expectations. "Our small libraries, which in fiscal year 2022 made up 77 percent of all public libraries in the country, need access to the buying power [that these grants provide]; they may not have the Friends of the Library, or a foundation, or other community resources to call upon in the way that larger and urban library systems will have," Laughlin says.

She shares the story of the Burnsville Public Library, WV, with a total annual budget of $48,000 including staffing. If the library no longer received federal monies administered through the West Virginia State Library, not only would the community lose access to state-provided databases, a shared ebook catalog, or a summer reading program, but the library would "need to shut their doors as they would have no funding for internet access or an ILS."

Following the executive order, libraries in Mississippi saw a near-instant halt to certain state-provided library services. The Blackmur Memorial Library, with a service population of 3,360, posted on its Facebook page: "The Mississippi Library Commission has announced that due to the Federal Government's layoffs and budget cuts for [IMLS], the funding for Blackmur Memorial Library's access to the Hoopla digital media service has been halted as of Tuesday, April 1, 2025. We are unsure if or when funding will be restored or access to this service will resume." The Mississippi Library Commission has received approximately $2.1 million in recent years through the Grants to States program.

Resource Sharing At Risk

Federal funding distributed through states is often used to support interlibrary loan (ILL) and other resource-sharing services that are invaluable to small and rural libraries with very small collections. Shirley Taylor, director of the Le Mars Public Library, IA, tells LJ that losing access to Iowa Shares, the statewide courier system, would have a serious impact on her library's bottom line. "Our budget would need to absorb postage costs in lieu of delivery," she states, and making up the cost for this and additional services would result in "an estimated $10,000-$15,000 hit to our budget." It's most likely that reductions in collections spending would be needed to ease the gap, she says.

Statewide courier and ILL services are also threatened in Maine, along with books by mail and talking books programs. These services provide exceptional value there, where there are no county library systems, "just individual libraries started by local residents…that are funded at the local level," according to Amy Stone, director at the Bridgton Public Library, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit library serving a population of 5,283. "Maine is the oldest, poorest, and most rural state per capita," Stone notes; relying on local funding means some small areas struggle to provide any municipal services, let alone stand up their own library. The Maine State Library (MSL) reports that over 670,000 ILL books were delivered in 2023 via the courier.

The Sage Library System in Oregon connects 77 libraries in the central and eastern regions of the state, providing a combined catalog of public and academic collections with ILL, courier, and home delivery services to communities that don't benefit from the large systems in other parts of the state. The Dalles Public Library director Jeff Wavrunek told the Columbia Gorge News that losing funding for the Sage system means "students, homeschoolers, families, and fixed-income seniors will have access to substantially fewer library materials." The Sage program "is now reliant on emergency fundraising and needs about $80,000 just to get through the next fiscal year if IMLS is defunct," according to the article.

Technology At Risk

With the higher buying power that most state libraries can offer over the limitations of a small, rural library budget, it's not surprising that many Grants to States projects develop and support a wide variety of technology initiatives. Clare Graham, regional director of the Mid-Arkansas Regional Library, predicts that without federal funds, there will be cuts to public Wi-Fi in libraries, computer and digital literacy programs, and digital resources such as statewide databases. "These are the areas that are most dependent on federal funding," she states, "and hardest to sustain through local funding alone."

Stone mentions an additional federal decision, President Trump's cancellation of the Digital Equity Act. The American Library Association (ALA) calls this program "a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a digitally equitable future for all." Stone had been excited for the program, "as we are seeing an increase in the number of people asking for help with the most basic of technology questions, and that funding was going to help us with our staff resources."

Similarly, the Guiding Ohio Online program is an LSTA-funded competitive grant that "helps Ohio public libraries, especially those in rural areas, address the digital divide by providing technology trainers in their communities." The Pickaway library was awarded a grant through the program, lessening the strain on its IT manager, according to Director Drew Wichterman. Now, the future of Guiding Ohio Online is uncertain.

State Level Woes

Jon Knepp, director of the Thompson Free Library, ME, says that it's not just programs on offer from state libraries that would be dire losses for rural populations, but state library staff themselves. "The Maine State Library recently had to cut its development department by over half," says Knepp. "This is the department that interacts with and helps libraries across the state directly. [For example,] new directors, often without any formal training, work with development staff to get up to speed on managerial, library-specific, and technology questions." Knepp serves as the Small and Rural Representative on the Maine Library Association board, and he's seen firsthand how some small and underfunded libraries "have been through four or five new directors in the last five years. Institutional memory is disappearing, and libraries are shutting down or circling the drain." Without the support of MSL's development team, these directors may not find the help they need.

The Arkansas legislature passed Act 903 this year, giving Gov. Sanders "full authority to replace the entire Arkansas State Library Board, which oversees the disbursement of state aid to public libraries," says Graham. "The overhaul was part of a broader effort…to exert greater control over library governance, funding, and even content." Now, with the likelihood for partisan politicking on the board, Graham and others in the state share the concern that "funding decisions could become more subjective, especially for libraries that offer broad collections or programming that reflect the full diversity of their communities."

HB 96, passed by the Ohio legislature in the 2025 session, includes a provision that the state's Public Library Fund (PLF) be changed from "a percentage of the state's general revenue fund to a fixed line-item appropriation," Wichterman tells LJ; this immediately resulted in a 4.5 percent budget cut for his library, which serves around 58,000.

"While this change provides a predictable funding source in the short term, it makes library funding far more vulnerable to future cuts in subsequent budget cycles," he says. "Historically, Ohio's public libraries were uniquely funded primarily with state support, supplemented by local levies. This model ensured that even small, rural, or economically disadvantaged communities could have a library." The Ohio Senate also added a provision to divert $10.3 million from the PLF to support the State Library of Ohio, the Library for the Blind, and regional library systems, he notes. "While these agencies are critical, their funding being pulled from the PLF directly reduces the money distributed to [smaller] libraries."

Grants and services that come to Pennsylvania's Library System of Bradford County through IMLS "are paramount to our ongoing ability to provide equitable service in any meaningful way," says system administrator Lea Chisum. "The burden [federal funding] has taken off of us is often the only thing keeping our smallest libraries still open." She notes that state funding "was decimated" during the 2008 recession, "and we are still not back to pre-cut levels."

Advocacy And Activism

Within weeks of the executive order, library advocacy efforts were in full swing across the country. On March 26, Taylor and other directors from small Iowa libraries met with staff from the offices of federal legislators; "after that meeting, I had several follow-up email exchanges with various staff members. I was pleasantly surprised at the interest and engagement the congressional staffers gave to this issue," she says. To raise awareness with patrons, especially regarding the impact on ILL services, the Le Mars library created "an insert that was placed into items received via ILL so the end user would realize what services were being affected. We shared the template with other libraries across the state." Taylor was pleased when patrons began reporting back to her, letting her know they had "sent emails and made calls in support of IMLS funding."

In Maine, Stone recognizes the good fortune of having "full support for LSTA funding from all of our [federal] delegates.… What is interesting, and heartening, is that we have bipartisan support for libraries; they all recognize that LSTA funding from the federal government has a fantastic rate of return as an investment." Having met with all offices, including Sen. Susan Collins, the Senate Appropriations Chair, Stone has seen everyone "working really hard to protect IMLS and LSTA funding." (As of early September, ALA reports that the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has voted to maintain LSTA funding in the federal budget for FY26.)

During the Ohio Library Association's annual legislative day, Wichterman and his staff met with state legislators to emphasize the situation Pickaway County Library finds itself in owing to state budget changes as well as the federal landscape. "We are one of 48 of 251 libraries in Ohio that operate without a local levy, making it solely dependent on state funding," he says. He also traveled to Washington, DC, to discuss the issues Ohio's small and rural libraries would face because of the loss of federal funding. At the local level, Wichterman notes the value of speaking to community organizations such as Rotary clubs and Friends groups to discuss the impact of state and federal funding on the library. His efforts resulted in an independent "supportive protest" from community members following the first rounds of proposed cuts at the state level.

Coalition-building helped Graham and the Mid-Arkansas Regional Library; working with the Arkansas Library Association and Arkansas Right to Read initiative, she found an "amplified voice" for speaking up against challenges to intellectual freedom, and she expects this network will be useful as she continues to advocate for federal funding, "working closely with our board to ensure our messaging reflects the values and needs of our community," she says. "Our advocacy is rooted in the belief—shared by our Founding Fathers—that access to knowledge and the free exchange of ideas are essential to a healthy democracy."

ARSL supports the advocacy needs of both members and non-members. Libraries can request an advocacy consultation, a letter of support from ARSL, and the opportunity to network with other libraries. By partnering with the Urban Libraries Council (ULC), ARSL has been able to utilize resources such as paid lobbyists. "Within ARSL, we will line up library leaders who are constituents of a critical representative, and then schedule a meeting where the legislator, library leader, myself, and a member of ULC are all present. This demonstration of 'the bigs' helping 'the smalls' is really meaningful," Laughlin says. "The bigs know the threats are not as serious to them as they are to the small and rural organizations, and they want to help bolster our messaging."

Hope And Unease

Since the Executive Order, multiple lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration. Twenty-one state attorneys general were granted an injunction in their suit to cease the dismantling of IMLS in May; the presiding judge stated that not only does the President's executive order violate the Administrative Procedure Act, but it "disregards the fundamental constitutional role of each of the branches of our federal government," according to reporting by NPR. However, in the parallel case of ALA v. Sonderling, a federal judge declined to grant an injunction.

While legislative advocacy efforts continue amid a shifting and often confusing federal landscape, small and rural libraries are keeping focused on the value they give their communities. "I am feeling really proud of the quality and consistency of service we provide," says Stone. "We are seeing more new families moving into the community and coming into the library." With her "concerned but committed" outlook, Graham has a realistic view of what the loss of federal funding will mean. "Despite these challenges, we remain hopeful. Our community sees the library as essential, and that belief fuels our advocacy and resilience."

The Thompson Free Library is the town's only source for books, magazines, and DVDs, says Knepp. "We're also the town's print shop, tech support, community center, concert venue, access to the internet, and much more!" He is grateful for library advocates and tells LJ that yes, "there are a lot of headwinds, but also reasons to be hopeful."

Wichterman is in the process of reviewing Pickaway's budget and considering necessary changes. After three staff retirements, only one position will be replaced—"a decision directly motivated by the budget cuts." He is also considering cost-saving tactics such as reducing open hours, cutting back on materials purchases and database subscriptions, and limiting professional development for staff. "It's disappointing that some legislators believe cutting library funding will benefit Ohioans, when the exact opposite is true," he says.

Chisum says that it's lucky her rural county has been able to support its nine independent libraries for so long, but "we are increasingly having to consider, possibly, closure or merging of some of our most vulnerable libraries." She fears the ripple impact could affect library services for generations. Chisum also raises concern about the additional impacts of federal budget cuts to programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness. "As our current directors and leaders age and eye retirement, attracting new librarians without the promise of loan forgiveness after 10 years makes filling spots nearly impossible. Bringing in qualified librarians from out of the area is also nearly impossible with the pay and benefits we can offer, and supporting local interest in librarianship slips away without the promise of loan forgiveness."

While working in survival mode contending with the unknown, Chisum notes that time and personal capacity for advocacy and activism are limited. She also raises a crucial point: "If we persist and thrive through austerity, it sends the message that we do not need more. A belt can only be tightened so far before it becomes a noose."