IMLS Funding
On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Every year, the Missouri State Library receives funding from IMLS to provide various resources to libraries across the state. Maplewood Public Library has benefitted from these funds through a number of grants and subsidies. See below for how Maplewood Public Library cardholders have benefitted from these funds, and what the loss of funding would mean for you.
While we have utilized IMLS funds for a handful of programs (Summer Reading programs in the past, and most recently "Adulting 101"), a much larger amount has been spent on technology: new computers for staff and visitors, additional wireless access points to improve WiFi throughout the building, and STEAM tablets for kids. These items would not have been purchased without funding from IMLS, and our ability to provide new and upgraded technology for library visitors in the future will be greatly reduced with the loss of IMLS funding.
IMLS funding also contributes to the ongoing costs we face for our courier service, Missouri Evergreen, and OCLC interlibrary loan. Maplewood Public Library receives delivery of materials requested from other libraries five days a week thanks in large part to funding provided by IMLS. While this resource sharing across the state is always a valuable resource, as many of you know, this past year Maplewood Public Library would not have been able to operate without it. Due to construction, all of our materials have been in storage and our patrons relied 100% on receiving materials from neighboring libraries. Additionally, the move to Missouri Evergreen in October opened up our resource sharing possibilities by giving us access to nearly 80 libraries and millions of items across the entire state. If our patrons are still unable to locate the materials they need, OCLC Interlibrary Loan allows us to search for materials across the entire country. We are committed to providing our patrons with what they need, and IMLS funding is vital to our ability to do this. These are not services we can stop providing, so without the subsidies from IMLS, funds typically spent on programs, physical materials, and eBooks will have to be diverted to cover these costs.
To learn more about the executive order and IMLS, see additional resources are below:
-Read President Trump's full executive order here.
-A breakdown of how IMLS funds are distributed and how they are used across the country can be found here.
-The American Library Association's statement in response to the executive order can be found here.
-KMOV interview with Richmond Heights Memorial Library Director, Kathleen Gallagher, regarding the loss of IMLS funding can be viewed here.
-A letter to the editor from the Law Library Association of St. Louis's Director, Gail Wechsler, was published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch and can be read here. (If you do not have a subscription to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, you can access articles for free through NewsBank using your Maplewood Public Library card.)
-A call to action from the Maplewood Public Library Board of Trustees can be found here.
