Recent federal funding cuts have raised some concerns about the future operations of the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives and some public libraries across the Commonwealth.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in early March to eliminate seven federal entities “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law,” including the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Two weeks later, the entire IMLS staff was placed on administrative leave.
IMLS’ $304 million budget represents less than 0.01% of the federal budget. According to IMLS data, the KDLA – which supports library services across Kentucky – received over $2.7 million from the federal agency in the most recent fiscal year on record. Those funds make up nearly a quarter of KDLA’s operating budget.
Tammy Blackwell is the director of the Marshall County Public Library and a past chair of the Kentucky Public Library Association. She said losing those federal funds could negatively impact the state agency’s future.
“We are unsure if this means that [KDLA] would have to let some staff go, [or] cut services. It’s still very unclear at this point, but it definitely will impact that institution,” Blackwell said.
Under the federal Library Services and Technology Act, IMLS awards grant funds to state library agencies like the KDLA. Those funds are then used to support initiatives related to increasing access to electronic networks, expanding access to educational resources and improving services to underserved urban and rural communities.
With those annual federal appropriations, the KDLA supports initiatives like summer reading programs, Interlibrary Loan and the Kentucky Talking Book Library – a service for people who can’t read traditional print materials due to visual, physical or reading disabilities. Remaining federal funds are used for subgrants that help Kentucky libraries meet some of the KDLA’s other strategic goals.
Blackwell said while there aren't many funding concerns for the current fiscal year, there are more uncertainties for grants in the next one starting on July 1.
Mark Adler, the Kentucky Library Association advocacy committee co-chair and director of the Paris-Bourbon County Library, said cuts to the Kentucky Talking Book Library would impact over 3,000 Kentucky residents.
“Eighty-seven percent of the users have said that they wouldn’t have access to those materials if it weren’t for the Talking Book Library,” Adler said.
He said that KDLA and IMLS funding provides discounts for Kentucky libraries, especially for the Kentucky Virtual Library – a consortium of over 300 Kentucky libraries, school districts, hospitals and other institutions that provides databases, an interlibrary loan service and the Kentucky Digital Library.
“I mean, the discount is steep… we’re saving millions and millions of dollars,” Adler said. “If some libraries were asked to pay more, they would drop out… And you see a domino effect start to happen at that point.”
Marshall County Public Library recently received a KDLA grant funded by IMLS dollars to create LibMD kits, which contain health-related books and medical supplies like blood pressure cuffs that library patrons can check out. Blackwell said without federal funding, it may be difficult for libraries to pursue similar projects in the future.
“I worked with local healthcare providers to gather good information, good solid information to help people in our community who have recently been diagnosed with either diabetes or high blood pressure or have some anxiety issues,” Blackwell said. “[IMLS funding] was able to fund that project that we would not have the money in our budget to do [so].”
Blackwell said non-taxing library districts, such as the Ballard-Carlisle County Public Library, are more likely to see issues with staying open.
“Those smaller libraries in Kentucky that are not set up as taxing districts rely heavily on grants, and without that funding, they may honestly have to close the doors,” Blackwell said.
Attorneys general from 21 states, including Illinois, filed a lawsuit earlier this month challenging the Trump Administration’s decision to dismantle IMLS, which they argue violates the Constitution and federal laws related to spending. The American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees also filed a lawsuit to halt the elimination of IMLS. Both of these court challenges are ongoing.
