#library funding

[lakecountylibrary]

🔥 The beacons are lit; the library calls for aid

UPDATES FROM APRIL 1 AND MAY 5: https://www.tumblr.com/lakecountylibrary/782730356592967680/federal-court-halts-dismantling-of-imls-in-ala

UPDATE FROM JUNE 16: Government Accountability Office finds withholding IMLS funds is illegal (Library Journal) It is still important to call Congress and ask them to fund libraries in the 2026 budget.

The Trump administration has issued an executive order aimed at dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services - the ONLY federal agency for America's libraries.

Using just 0.003% of the federal budget, the IMLS funds services at libraries across the country; services like Braille and talking books for the visually impaired, high-speed internet access, and early literacy programs.

Libraries are known for doing more with less, but even we can't work with nothing.

How You Can Help:

🔥 Call your congressperson!

Use the app of your choice or look 'em up here: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

Pro tip: If your phone anxiety is high, call at night and leave a voicemail. You can even write yourself a script in advance and read it off. Heck, read them this post if you want to.

Phones a total no-go? The American Library Association has a form for you: https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=23577

🔥Tell your friends!

Tell strangers, for that matter. People in line at the check out, your elderly neighbor, the mail carrier - no one is safe from your library advocacy. Libraries are for everyone and we need all the help we can get.

...Wait, why do we need this IMLS thing again?

The ALA says it best in their official statement and lists some ways libraries across the country use IMLS funding:

An executive order issued by the Trump administration on Friday night, March 14, calls for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Li

But if you want a really specific answer, here at LCPL we use IMLS funding to provide our amazing interlibrary loan service. If we can't purchase an item you request (out of print books, for example) this service lets us borrow it from another library and check it out to you.

IMLS also funds the statewide Indiana Digital Library and Evergreen Indiana, which gives patrons of smaller Indiana libraries access to collections just as large and varied as the big libraries' collections.

As usual, cutting this funding will hurt rural communities the most - but every library user will feel it one way or another. Let's let Congress know that's unacceptable.

[libraryjournal]

The Cost of Losing IMLS Funding

From the loss of Hoopla, databases, and Wi-Fi hotspots to the closing of rural branches, librarians document the devastating effect of the e

From the loss of Hoopla, databases, and Wi-Fi hotspots to the closing of rural branches, these stories document the devastating effect of the Trump administration’s policy decisions on public and school libraries across the country.

[spankerella]

I am genuinely happy for NYC. I love that city. I have a good friend who lives in Queens. I'm being for real and not making a Spiderman joke. She's on Tumblr too. I have another that lives in Kew Gardens, also in Queens also not Spiderman, don't know about Tumblr status, but he did play Frankenfurter in a live Rocky Horror cast when I knew him better. Yes, lives in Queens used to play Frank. The jokes write themselves. We had this discussion when he moved there.

[morallygreymmc]

visit your local library!

they need your support <3

[the-nosferatu-library]

So you know how we're an unconventional library, right?

Unfortunately, with how things are going, we might end up without the good old physical libraries. Why? Because of Trump, of course.

One of his Executive Orders is defunding the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

We cannot let that happen and need your help.

Sign this petition and share this as much as you can.

PETITION: Stop Trump's E.O. Attacks on Federal Funding for Libraries

In a new executive order, President Trump has targeted the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the federal agency charged with

Big thank you to Mythe from the Research team for bringing this to our attention.

[always-coffee]

NYC libraries to get budget funding back — and reopen on Sundays

In November, the mayor's budget cuts forced libraries to close on Sundays. The issue has been a thorn in his side ever since.

Good news!

[danniswrites]

Library Petition! on change.org Libraries need funding! Is your library listed on worldcat.org? If it isn't, maybe your library system can't afford to be a member of OCLC, the nations database of catalogued books and documents. OCLC saves a librarian's time, which is sparse, and saves your taxpayer money!

For those of us who can't afford to buy books, or as many as we want, the local library is a godsend. With a free library card, we can access many books in electronic form from Galileo.org or other online sources. Ebooks on every subject you can name, electronic versions of your favorite magazines, all of this is free for every person with a library card.

Government funding has always been low for libraries, and pay low for their workers. When I worked in libraries, I was a government employee and had great benefits, though pay was a lot lower than I would have made at a similar job for a private company. Now, government employees might suddenly have to take a day or a week off WITHOUT PAY because of government furloughs. Back in the 90's, most library workers I knew had to have roommates because their full-time jobs didn't pay enough for them to live by themselves. It's worse, now. Please sign this petition. Libraries and the people who work in them are important. Your taxes pay their salaries and buy the books and databases in them. If you enjoy libraries, please let your government representatives know you think they are important!

Things you can learn in your local library:

Value of antiques you might have in your attic Manuals to repair your car Enjoy reading a popular magazine Newly-released bestsellers Classics If the library you visit doesn't have the physical book you want, you might be able to order it via Interlibrary Loan for a small fee. Local files of interest, including resources for family history researchers that aren't on the Internet yet!

Did you know there are many interesting things that aren't scanned and therefore, aren't on the Internet?

Many of these resources for researchers and family history researchers are crumbling to dust. Literally. Library workers are the ones to save this material for our posterity! The average library worker is very busy, so things like scanning materials in the archives aren't a high priority.

If research is important to you, please sign this petition! Write to your local senator and representative, and tell them how vital your research is and how it benefits people. https://www.change.org/p/require-federal-funding-for-libraries-oclc-subscriptions-and-basic-needs?recruiter=1340264102&recruited_by_id=5086dc10-21d9-11ef-bc0c-4fdea37820d7&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard_share_modal&utm_medium=facebook Video was made with Canva and Clipchamp #libraries, #government employees, #archives, #history, #databases, #OCLC, #cataloging, #basic library needs, #government, #funding, #petition

[libraryadvocates]

Senators introduce bipartisan Museum and Library Services Act of 2017 - District Dispatch

Acknowledging the vital role of libraries across the nation, a group of senators introduced the bipartisan Museum and Library Services Act of 2017.

Hey library fans!

The 2019 funding cycle hasn’t quite started yet (look for updates in February 2018!) but here’s another way that you can help support federal library funding.

The Museum and Library Services Act of 2017 (S. 2271) has been introduced by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). The 2017 MLSA reauthorizes the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), showing congressional support for the federal agency. IMLS administers funding through the Library Services Technology Act (LSTA), the only federal program that exclusively covers services and funding for libraries. The LSTA provides more than $183 million for libraries through the Grants to States program, the National Leadership Grants for Libraries, the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, and Native American Library Services.

If passed, MLSA would send a strong message from Congress recognizing the important role libraries play in every community across the country.

Please call your Senators and ask them to show their support of libraries by cosponsoring MLSA.

For more information, check out the latest District Dispatch post, take a look at the press release, or read about the history of MLSA.