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President Trump has revealed a book about, or about, that he has not been a library fan since his first term.
In addition to trying to cut funding, he created enthusiastic stories around the story time of a drag queen hosted in several libraries, supporting books at school facilities.
Like many of the Trump 2.0 agenda, it turned out to be just a warm-up. Last month, Trump thwarted the museum and library service labs or federal organizations supporting the country’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums, mainly through a fantastic team not his government efficiency, but not his actual government agency, and destroyed Congress-approved grants.
California is especially difficult, along with two other states that mentioned diversity and equity in their grant applications. But so are you and me. For decades, libraries have been more than just a place to check books for free. They have evolved into a network of important services and destinations that provide internet access to those who cannot afford it. Literacy classes for children and adults. Home-based programs for vulnerable groups such as seniors. Really, the list of things the local library has to offer is too long for this space.
But mostly, they offer this – to be a great equalizer between what you have and what you don’t have. Therefore, cutting back on their work is just as much an attack on the university and the free press, a separate arrow aimed at the heart of democracy.
“The library is not icing on the cake. They are not cherry blossoms above,” John Sabo, city librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library, told me. “They are really, really essential.”
So, what exactly did Trump do? In 1996, Congress created IMLS to handle library and museum grant systems. In 2024, approximately 600 grants amounted to around $270 million. Peanuts, but important peanuts – especially for country and tribal libraries that work on shoelaces budgets.
In March, Doge left the entire IMLS staff (and then rehired some). I tried to contact the agency for this story, but the person in the media seemed to be out there anymore and the email couldn’t be answered.
Then, in early April, the institution sent a letter cancelling these 2024 grants (which will be implemented after the fiscal year ending in June) – the library was already using the funds, but it argued that the way the money is being used “unfortunately inconsistent with IMLS priorities.”
Cindy Hall, president of the American Library, a nonprofit that promotes and advocates libraries, said these priorities at this time include planning a summer reading program for young children, and preventing older children from learning while schools are out. Some of these programs offer lunch to children who may otherwise be hungry.
“It’s always a safe space for everyone, but especially during the summer when students aren’t in school,” Hall said. “It’s harmful to hear that American literacy services are seen as waste, and librarians are going to push it back because when you look at the data and look at the research, Americans love their libraries overwhelmingly.”
Rebecca Went, assistant state librarian at the California State Library, told me that cancelling the grant was an immediate loss of about $3 million for California. The state library is awarded $15.7 million a year, owing about 21% of that. Federal grants are usually given to state libraries and drive them out to local facilities. Money represents up to 6% of the local budget, she said.
“They’re going to have to scramble now at the end of the budget year to figure out how they’re going to fill the gap,” Went said.
The same goes for the state. Went said the state library portion of the funds is directly supporting 34 staff members, but in addition to covering programs that include free services to provide Braille books to the blind, they also support 34 staff members.
Los Angeles is providing dedicated funding to libraries thanks to voters. In 2011, I passed the Measure L. This has secured the city libraries money to keep them open after budget crunch threatened to reduce time.
But even here, Szabo said the federal government’s loss of money is causing surprises. When the grant was cut, LA was using a $166,000 award for the program, including creating space for neural velocity children and their families within several branches. Another part of the grant was directed towards programs that would help older people learn about science.
Now those programs are in the air.
“Would we stop that completely? Will we move on? What will we do?” Sabo wondered.
In the midst of that uncertainty, the news got worse. Applications for next year’s grants, scheduled to begin in July, were sent in mid-April. Grants are sliced in half in most states. But California hadn’t even been offered an application, Went told me. There is great uncertainty, but for now it appears that the federal government is completely freezing Golden State Library.
“There should be no reason to declare California unqualified for grant funding,” Went said. “However, we have omitted from notifications we made to 47 other states last week, and notified them of their allocations for the next fiscal year.”
With both Los Angeles and California facing budget crunches, it is uncertain at best how federal fund losses will be dealt with. But more than that, Hohl sees federal government actions as another attack on the structure of American society, seeking to fill our history and diversity by controlling information. When she was to ban books, she said, “When you saw it.” [banned] Every year’s book list, it is the same title and shows a very clear picture. If they happen to be Black, Indigenous, People of Color, or representatives of the LGBTQIA+ community, they are repeated targets and titles that have been attacked. ”
Hohl said her organization has filed federal lawsuits against IMLS, Doge and others, and has filed federal lawsuits to stop the cut. The lawsuit argues that Trump cannot cut them on his own, as funds are mandated by Congress.
“They targeted the wrong profession,” Hall said. “If we were quiet and we were going to stand behind, they didn’t know us. We’re going to stand up to the constitutional rights of all Americans. We’re going to stand up for the First Amendment. We’re standing up to ensure that libraries don’t close.
Whether or not the legal effort was successful, the attack on the library will not end. True information has become an enemy of the conditions of the Magazine, and said that the once-dead librarian is a “guardian of intellectual freedom” and is ready for a long, big battle.
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