Libraries are cutting back on staff and services after Trump's order to dismantle small agency [View all]
Source: The Independent
Sunday 18 May 2025 05:31 BST
Libraries across the United States are cutting back on e-books, audiobooks and loan programs after the Trump administration suspended millions of dollars in federal grants as it tries to dissolve the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Federal judges have issued temporary orders to block the Trump administration from taking any further steps toward gutting the agency. But the unexpected slashing of grants has delivered a significant blow to many libraries, which are reshuffling budgets and looking at different ways to raise money.
Maine has laid off a fifth of its staff and temporarily closed its state library after not receiving the remainder of its annual funding. Libraries in Mississippi have indefinitely stopped offering a popular e-book service, and the South Dakota state library has suspended its interlibrary loan program.
E-book and audiobook programs are especially vulnerable to budget cuts, even though those offerings have exploded in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. “I think everyone should know the cost of providing digital sources is too expensive for most libraries," said Cindy Hohl, president of the American Library Association. “It’s a continuous and growing need.” Library officials caught off guard by Trump's cuts. President Donald Trump issued an executive order March 14 to dismantle the IMLS before firing nearly all of its employees.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/maine-donald-trump-libraries-united-states-south-dakota-b2753130.html
The continued dumbing down of America to be replaced with RW loon "information".
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