Library Funding Is In Danger
The Ayer Library asks for your support in safeguarding federal and state funding for our libraries across the state and nationwide.
On Friday, March 14, President Trump issued an executive order requiring the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)—the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services—to be reduced to the “maximum extent consistent with applicable law”. On Monday, March 31, IMLS staff were placed on administrative leave and beginning April 1 were given termination notices, despite having responsibility for executing “mandates that cannot be paused, reduced, or eliminated without violating Congressional intent and federal statute”. In 2024, the IMLS distributed approximately $266.7 million in grants to libraries and museums.
This and other executive orders targeting various federal funding streams could cut as much as $16 billion of the Massachusetts state budget—including $106 million in K-12 education grant funding—jeopardizing state-level library funding through potentially unavoidable cuts to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), which distributes IMLS funding.
Collectively, federal and state cuts would place the burden of preserving the current level of library service on Ayer taxpayers. Funding for the IMLS and MBLC supports Internet service, e-content access, free databases, ILL delivery, Summer Reading programs, preservation assistance, professional development, and critical annual State Aid funding that helps Ayer Library manage unanticipated budget needs, unexpected facilities maintenance, and supplementary services.
As a member of the CW MARS network, Ayer Library is one of over 165 libraries whose patrons saved $210 million by borrowing nearly 13 million physical and digital items instead of buying those materials outright—Ayer patrons alone saved over $1.5 million on almost 100,000 items. The IMLS funding that helps make that return possible costs taxpayers just $.87 per person per year. Meanwhile, libraries and museums are economic engines reducing economic disparities and driving consumer spending: in Massachusetts every $1 invested in libraries produces on average a $4 return, while nationwide museums add $50 billion in GDP and $12 billion in tax revenue.
To stay up-to-date on this evolving situation, visit libraries.state.ma.us/federal-funding-at-risk. And consider contacting your federal and state representatives to share the impact libraries have had on your life.
Gratefully,
The Leadership of the Ayer Library