On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Through the IMLS Grants to States program, the Missouri State Library receives funds every year that they distribute to Missouri libraries through grants and other programs. Rock Hill Public Library and our community have benefitted from these funds in a number of ways.
In the past four years, we have received over $45,000 in grants for new public and staff computers, STEM kits, the library StoryWalk, and Summer Reading programs. These items and programs would have been much more difficult to obtain without the IMLS funding, and our ability to update library technology for the future will be greatly reduced if IMLS funding is permanently lost.
IMLS funding also contributes significantly to two other programs (among many) that benefit Rock Hill Public Library patrons and libraries across the state. In October, we joined the Missouri Evergreen Consortium (MEC), a resource sharing consortium that allows us to share materials with 80+ libraries around the state. As a small library, the ability to provide our community with access to materials we otherwise wouldn’t have in our collection is incredibly important – for libraries in more rural areas, it’s necessary. MEC receives a significant portion of their budget from the IMLS Grants to States program. The elimination of IMLS would also throttle the courier service used to transport those shared materials throughout the state, potentially reducing days of delivery service or removing them entirely for those small rural libraries. We are committed to providing Rock Hill patrons what they need, and IMLS funding is integral to our ability to do this. Without IMLS subsidies, funds typically spent on programs, physical materials, and ebooks may have to be diverted to cover these costs.
On March 31, 2025, Staff at IMLS were sent home on 90-day administrative leave. Without staff, active, already-allocated funds are frozen, affecting grants right now.
To learn more about the executive order, here are some additional resources:
A breakdown of how IMLS funds are distributed
American Library Association’s Frequently Asked Questions about the Executive Order
The Rock Hill Public Library Board of Trustees stands with Missouri libraries and museums, as well as those across the country. If you wish to stand with us in supporting our libraries, see below for steps you can take:
Let your legislators know you support libraries and IMLS funding HERE or HERE
Get the word out! Share information on social media, write a letter to the editor in your local newspaper, and talk about the issue with friends and family. You can even share a story for ALA’s story collection about the impact of federal funding on your community.
