On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that directly impacts libraries. The stated purpose of the EO is to “continue the reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary.” One of the entities explicitly named in the EO is the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the federal entity providing services and grants directly to libraries and museums. The Richmond Free Library Trustees strongly believe that libraries, which promote literacy, accurate information, and community engagement, are necessary.
Further, the IMLS comprises less than 0.0046% of the federal budget. Library funding is less than 0.003%. (sources: first NPR article linked below and ALA page linked below, respectively).
On Monday, March 31, all staff at the IMLS were placed on administrative leave. While funds have already been appropriated by Congress through the summer, this action immediately stops all processing and distribution of grant funding and other supports. Below is a list of some of the many impacts this has on Vermont libraries, including Richmond Free Library, as well as some informational resources giving you a picture of the federal implications.
If you have any questions, please reach out to the Richmond Free Library Trustees. We appreciate your ongoing support and encourage you to spread the word and speak up as you are able.
What does IMLS fund?
- Over 30% of the Vermont State Library budget
- Inter-state collaboration
- The ABLE Library, a service for users with reading disabilities, including audio and large print books, braille books and more.
What does the Vermont State Library do?
- Coordinate state and interstate programs like interlibrary loan and provide direct support to library staff
- Administer grants
- Provide ongoing education for library staff and compile weekly notices of other events and trainings applicable to libraries
- Collect and compile statistics from every VT library to inform state and federal initiatives
- Provide access to scholarly databases and online training for library users, digital ebooks and audiobooks via the Palace App (Libby is funded directly by libraries)
- Other unglamorous but important work in the background
Direct impacts for Richmond Free Library:
- Loss of interlibrary loan funding. This currently and directly covers almost 50% of our costs for offering you this service and much more if we factor in the VT Dept of Libraries administration. Cuts may result in longer waits for patrons wishing to borrow materials RFL does not own.
- Loss of free training for our staff.
- If the VT Department of Libraries is not fully funded by federal or state sources, we will need to dedicate more local resources to cover gaps.
Defunding and eliminating the IMLS also has a disproportionate impact on the many small libraries around the state and the country which have smaller budgets and collections, including libraries in neighboring towns you might visit as part of our Homecard network.
For more information, please visit the links below:
Vermont Digger Interview with State Librarian Catherine Delneo and Fletcher Free Library Director Mary Danko 4/4/25
Info sheet from the Vermont Department of Libraries with statistics
New York Times update on 3/31/25 (unlocked)
PBS News Hour Update
Read the Executive Order (EO) itself so you’re informed about its content and implications.
ALA (American Library Association) has a great FAQ page to help understand the implications of the EO: https://www.ala.org/faq-executive-order-targeting-imls
This article from American Libraries Magazine gives a breakdown of the EO.
The VLA has issued a response outlining how this order would impact the Vermont Department of Libraries and the services they provide and ultimately everyone in our communities.
NPR shared information about the EO here.
Vermont Public update about IMLS staff placed on administrative leave on March 31.