US libraries warn they could be ‘cut off at the knees’ by Doge

WASHINGTON – Librarians are raising alarm over an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump last week that could dismantle the agency that serves as the primary federal funding source for libraries and museums across the US. 

The order lists the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) as one of several “unnecessary” agencies for review, with the explicit goal of cutting both operations and staffing in the name of government efficiency. 

Other agencies include those that support anti-homelessness, minority businesses and global media groups like Voice of America. 

In a public statement on March 15, the American Library Association warned the administration was “cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions” and said “those who will feel that loss most keenly live in rural communities”.

Rural libraries are more likely to depend on federal dollars to subsidise their budgets or on programmes that extend the reach of information to their communities. 

On the morning of March 20, Mr Keith Sonderling – who was recently confirmed as Mr Trump’s Deputy Secretary of Labour – was sworn in as the acting director of IMLS at the lobby of the agency’s office in Washington DC, accompanied by a security team and staff members from Mr Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).

Mr Sonderling met the agency leadership but did not interact with rank-and-file staff, according to a statement sent to Bloomberg from AFGE Local 3403, the union representing IMLS staff. 

“After departing the office, Sonderling sent an e-mail to staff emphasising the importance of libraries and museums in cultivating the next generation’s perception of American exceptionalism and patriotism” the statement read. “The union looks forward to working with him in good faith to continue IMLS’ mission with efficiency and innovation.”

Staff were not provided further clarity on their employment status, though the union expects most to be placed on administrative leave over the weekend or on March 24.

It added that it was “unclear whether funding for existing grantees will continue, and whether new grants will be available in the future”. 

A spokesperson for IMLS did not respond to a request for comment.

Rural libraries vulnerable

In Michigan, Mr Trump’s executive order threatens the very existence of the Michigan Electronic Library, an interlibrary loan system that plays a critical role in getting books to rural residents and that operates largely on federal funding. 

“Our libraries are about information sharing, and we have found systems that are very unique and that make knowledge accessible to anyone in the entire state of Michigan,” said Michigan Library Association executive director Deborah Mikula. “Why would we want to decimate that?”

While most public libraries get the majority of their funding from state and local government, access to federal dollars can make the difference in funding things like interlibrary loans, research databases and programmes for groups with disabilities. 

They also help fund additional services beyond books, including professional development programmes, new computer labs for communities that lack home internet, and even training programmes for librarians. 

In Tennessee, for example, which receives over US$3 million (S$4 million) each year from IMLS, the fund supports, among other things, programmes that provide reading and audio material for groups who may be visually challenged.

The federal dollars also provide statewide training for staff on topics like Stem, children’s services and public library management.

And in Massachusetts, part of a US$3.6 million grant to libraries is put towards skill development programmes to help job-seekers attract employers.

Established in 1996 under the Museum and Library Services Act, IMLS provides block grants and competitive grants for various programs – including research and leadership development – and for technology upgrades.

In fiscal year 2024, IMLS was appropriated US$266.7 million. 

The bulk of the funding, which is appropriated each year by Congress, is usually distributed to state library agencies, which determine how to split the money among various institutions, including public, school and academic libraries.

Rural and tribal libraries, which typically have fewer resources and smaller budgets, tend to rely more on federal funding, sometimes for basic operating services.

Tribal libraries in Michigan, for instance, collectively received about US$500,000 in IMLS grants in 2024 for both operations and community engagement programmes. 

In total, the state could see an annual loss of US$10 million distributed among hundreds of public, school and academic libraries as well as museums and historical organisations.

That may amount to “small potatoes” within the federal budget, said Ms Mikula, “but it’s significant when you look at the essential programmes that are being funded by those dollars and how innovative and efficient we are at using them”. 

In particular, Mr Trump’s order seeks to reduce the functions of IMLS to only what is required by law, though it remains to be seen how the administration will interpret the distinction.

A March 21 deadline looms over each agency to submit a report detailing their operations to the Office of Management and Budget.

It’s unclear how much of IMLS’s operations the Trump administration can legally dismantle. 

While Doge lacks the authority to review spending approved by Congress or defund federal agencies, the group has exercised broad powers to freeze and cancel funding at various departments. 

Plus, the agency’s budget through September 2026 had already been approved in the continuing resolution passed in Congress and signed by Mr Trump last week – just hours before he issued the executive order to dismantle IMLS. 

But advocates worry that even if the administration can’t claw back already-approved money, gutting the agency’s staff would delay the funding distribution. It could also stop any future funding. 

It’s not the first time that Mr Trump has tried to dismantle the agency.

During this first term, the president called repeatedly for the shuttering of IMLS and the slashing of its funding, but Congress kept its budget intact.

“We had congressional ambassadors that brought back (the funding), but we’re not sure how Congress is working right now,” Ms Mikula said.

IMLS has largely received bipartisan support in the past, including during Mr Trump’s first term when Congress reauthorised the Museum and Library Services Act in 2018 – and the president signed it into law.

The reauthorisation expires in September 2025, meaning the legislation will be up for reauthorisation again later in 2025.

On March 18, the Michigan Library Association issued a joint statement with groups representing museums, historical societies and various libraries urging Mr Trump to rescind his order and Congress to keep funding the agency. 

“We have been watching and we have been preparing,”Ms Mikula said. “This doesn’t feel like a shock to us, but it’s different this time.” BLOOMBERG