Trump administration cuts federal funding for libraries

The Jefferson Exchange

Pictured is a message on the lobby wall at the Medford Public Library in downtown Medford, Oregon. "When I step into this library, I cannot understand why I ever step out of it." The quote is from Marie de Sevigne (1626 - 1696).(Jackson County Library District)

The State of Oregon, alongside 19 other states, is seeking a temporary restraining order against the current administration’s March 31, 2025 action placing nearly all Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) staff on administrative leave. The motion is supported by written testimony from Oregon’s State Librarian, Wendy Cornelisen, detailing the effects of the IMLS shutdown on the State Library of Oregon and local libraries in Oregon.

Joining the Exchange is Kari May, the Director of Jackson County Library Services. JCLS serves the county's 220,000 residents through 15 branch locations.

Kari May, Director of Jackson County Library Services, joins Jefferson Exchange Host, Mike Green, in the JPR studio on June 26, 2025.(JPR Senior Producer, Natalie Golay)

This federal action follows from Executive Order 14238, which proposed eliminating the “non-statutory components and functions” of seven federal agencies, including IMLS. The IMLS action threatens $2.6 million in funding that the State Library relies on for a quarter of its annual budget.

Funds from IMLS support a number of critical services used by libraries across Oregon including:

Two-thirds of the Library Support and Development Services division staff, who advise and support the 1,600 academic, public school, and special libraries and Tribal Nations around the state. These staff also coordinate the programs listed below.

Free access for all Oregonians to electronic articles from magazines, newspapers, academic journals, and more through the Statewide Database Licensing Program.

Northwest Digital Heritage, a site that collects over one million digitized photographs, letters, documents, and more from over 250 libraries, museums, and other institutions around the Pacific Northwest.

Competitive grant programs for libraries that have funded projects as diverse as bookmobiles, teen internships in libraries, loanable laptops for low-income students, makerspaces, and digital skills training.

Statewide and regional programs such as the Oregon Battle of the Books, Oregon School Library Information System (OSLIS), Library2Go, and half of the Sage Library System courier system serving over 75 libraries across 15 counties in Eastern Oregon.

Answerland, the state’s 24/7 online chat reference service that connects people with questions to librarians with answers.

Free professional development opportunities for library staff, volunteers, and board members.

The above programs and many more are paid in whole or part by Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds, statutorily administered by IMLS. The LSTA was enacted by Congress as part of the Museum and Library Services Act in 1996. It includes annual grants to all 50 states through IMLS’s Grants to States program.

In addition to threatening current fiscal year projects, IMLS’s uncertain status means that the State Library is unable to make financial commitments for next fiscal year. The agency has not yet received its FFY 2025 award letter from IMLS. Confirmation of the 2025 award is necessary to fund staff, ongoing services, contracts with vendors, and the 2025 competitive grant cycle that is in process now. Congress authorized FFY 2025 funding for IMLS in continuing resolution HR 1968, which became law on March 15, 2025.

Oregon is joined in the motion for the temporary restraining order by Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. The request was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island. The State is represented by the Oregon Department of Justice.