Institute of Museum and Library Services Archives

How the 2025 Government Shutdown Will Impact Libraries

By Lisa Varga | October 1, 2025

While compromise appears elusive, Capitol Hill insiders of every persuasion expect the Trump administration to take unprecedented actions during the shutdown. These may include mass reductions in force, shuttering federal offices, and ending disfavored programs. Last week, the administration directed agencies to prepare lists of employees to fire. We have already seen repeated efforts by … Continue reading How the 2025 Government Shutdown Will Impact Libraries →

Checking In on Federal Library Funding

By Kevin Maher | July 15, 2025

Regular appropriations Most years, to avert a government shutdown, Congress passes 12 separate spending bills (or a temporary continuing resolution that continues the prior year’s budget) by the start of the next fiscal year on October 1. This work historically starts after the president submits a budget request, which appropriators typically largely reject. As expected, … Continue reading Checking In on Federal Library Funding →

Five Months into the Trump Presidency

By Hannah Weinberg | June 18, 2025

Here are several updates on the attacks against libraries across the US and the ways in which library supporters are pushing back. Hayden fired On May 8, Hayden learned in a two-sentence email from the Trump administration that she had been fired from her position as Librarian of Congress. On June 8, in Hayden’s first interview … Continue reading Five Months into the Trump Presidency →

Judge Denies Preliminary Injunction in IMLS Lawsuit

June 7, 2025

A federal judge has declined to block the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The ruling, issued today in ALA v. Sonderling, will allow the administration’s cuts at the independent agency while the case proceeds. The case was brought by Democracy Forward and Gair Gallo Eberhard LLP on behalf … Continue reading Judge Denies Preliminary Injunction in IMLS Lawsuit →

Springing Forward for Library Funding

By Lisa Varga | June 3, 2025

At the American Library Association’s (ALA) Public Policy and Advocacy Office, we have heard one message from library advocates come through loud and clear: Tell us what we can do! This year, ALA’s annual Fund Libraries campaign has drawn thousands of advocates nationwide, signing Dear Appropriator letters that call on their elected officials to provide … Continue reading Springing Forward for Library Funding →

The Next Chapter

By Leslie Burger | June 2, 2025

If you haven’t visited Philadelphia recently (or ever), you will be amazed by all it has to offer as a walkable conference city. Its huge convention center—at more than 2 million square feet—is adjacent to many of ALA’s 35 conference hotels. And the historic Reading Terminal Market, just next door, is a bustling public market … Continue reading The Next Chapter →

Federal Court Halts Dismantling of IMLS in ALA Lawsuit

May 2, 2025

ALA’s full statement regarding the court’s temporary restraining order reads as follows: Today, the US District Court for the District of Columbia granted a temporary restraining order to block the Trump administration’s dismantling of IMLS. The decision was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by ALA and AFSCME, represented by Democracy Forward and Gair Gallo Eberhard LLP. IMLS … Continue reading Federal Court Halts Dismantling of IMLS in ALA Lawsuit →

Collage of government directives and MLIS acting director Keith Sonderling

100 Days into the Trump Administration

By Hannah Weinberg | April 30, 2025

In response, the American Library Association (ALA), along with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. On April 30, a federal court hearing will rule on ALA’s motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the further dismantling of IMLS. Meanwhile, censorship attempts persist, IMLS staffers … Continue reading 100 Days into the Trump Administration →

ALA, AFSCME File Lawsuit against Trump Administration

April 8, 2025

The full statement reads as follows: ALA, the largest library association in the world, and AFSCME, the largest union representing museum and library workers, are challenging the Trump administration’s gutting of IMLS—a nonpartisan and independent agency dedicated to supporting and funding libraries and museums and the crucial community services they provide in every state across the country. The … Continue reading ALA, AFSCME File Lawsuit against Trump Administration →

White House Attacks Libraries

By Alan S. Inouye | March 19, 2025

Underneath the Trump administration’s bureaucratic language is the clear intent to take away states’ funding to support their libraries. The president cannot fully eliminate IMLS without congressional approval, but his order takes every possible step in that direction. The order calls for the elimination of IMLS, by limiting budget requests from the agency to only the … Continue reading White House Attacks Libraries →

Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Libraries

By Hannah Weinberg | March 19, 2025

While the legality of many of these actions is still being decided by the courts, librarians, archivists, and other information professionals have been working through the confusion to preserve access to information. Below are several examples of the challenges libraries have faced over the past two months and the ways in which librarians and advocates have … Continue reading Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Libraries →

ALA Responds to White House Assault on IMLS

March 16, 2025

ALA’s statement reads as follows: Americans have loved and relied on public, school, and academic libraries for generations. By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer: … Continue reading ALA Responds to White House Assault on IMLS →

Latest Library Links

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R. L. Maizes and Ali Solomon share a series of cartoons that depict true horrors for book lovers. These hilarious but hair-raising situations include lending a book to a friend who cares for it improperly, the terrible measures you might have to take to avoid spoilers, and the horrifying combination of a toddler, a heavily sauced pasta, and a first edition.

Electric Lit, Oct. 31
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Nikki DeMarco writes: “I spent a lot of years thinking I wasn’t a real reader. The amount of time I spent, and the way I actually read, never seemed to match what counted as ‘real.’ When I became a librarian, I started hearing the same stories echoed back from my students at my new school. Over and over, people framed their reading life as a failure, because it didn’t look like the neat, linear version we’ve all been sold. That’s when I realized I had to spread the word: The problem isn’t with the readers. It’s with the rules.”

Book Riot, Oct. 31
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Sarah Asch writes: “A new state law, Senate Bill 13, prohibits school library materials with profane content or indecent content from campuses. It puts the onus on school staff to make sure materials are in compliance. For help, school staff are turning to ChatGPT. But it’s unclear what standards ChatGPT is using to make the determination of which books would violate the law. There have also been examples of school districts closing their libraries temporarily until staff can better assess what books they have on the shelves.”

Texas Standard, Nov. 3
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Athena Stavrou writes: “Home to more than 170 million items, including Magna Carta, the British Library is one of the world’s largest and most impressive book collections. However, in October 2023, a major cyberattack plunged it into chaos, shutting down its digital systems and resulting in the leaking of staff details onto the dark web. Two years on, staff—who are striking due to a pay dispute—have said the disruption is still creating chaos and considerably increasing their workload.”

The Independent (London), Nov. 1; The Guardian, Nov. 22, 2023
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Kayli Pascal-Martinez writes: “The State of Hawaii launched the Kōkua Food Drive in response to the ongoing federal shutdown and disruptions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The weeklong food collection campaign began Monday, in partnership with the Hawaii State Public Library System, to support food banks across the islands. From November 3–7, residents are encouraged to bring any canned goods and other nonperishable food items to their local public library during regular business hours.” Cincinnati and Hamilton County (Ohio) Public Library is offering free meals to kids and teens and other food resources.

KITV-TV (Honolulu), Nov. 3; Hawaii State Public Library System, Nov. 3; Cincinnati and Hamilton County (Ohio) Public Library, Oct. 30
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Mark McBride writes: “The recent National Information Standards Organization Open Discovery Initiative Survey Report on Generative AI and Web-Scale Discovery reads like a weathervane for higher education. The question it leaves us with is both urgent and unsettling: Do academic library leaders possess a strategy for responding to artificial intelligence in the library technology and publishing ecosystem? At first glance, the data is reassuring. Libraries and publishers identify similar hopes for generative AI: improved visibility of content, more accurate recommendations, and time saved for staff. Yet, beneath this surface consensus, the report uncovers deep fractures.”

The Scholarly Kitchen, Oct. 30; National Information Standards Organization, Aug. 5
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Amanda Galliton writes: “As school librarians, we often feel pressure to integrate the latest apps, devices, or digital tools into our lessons. Technology absolutely has a powerful place in our work, but sometimes constraints—budget, access, or bandwidth—limit what we can do. Sometimes students simply need a break from screens. That’s where no-tech activities come in: low-prep, student-centered, and often wildly effective. Here are several tried-and-true activities I have used with middle schoolers that are adaptable for any grade.”

Knowledge Quest, Oct. 31

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