To the Editor:

As a concerned citizen of the community and a member of the New York Mills Public Library board, I wanted to pass on some disturbing information. Our local library along with libraries throughout Minnesota have been notified that, by executive order issued on March 31, 2025, the Trump administration has essentially shuttered the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) which is the largest source of federal funding for public, school, academic and special libraries. All IMLS staff members were placed on administrative leave. They will receive their salary for 90 days but are not allowed on IMLS property and their staff email has been disabled. As a result, no grant funding will be processed and grants already in the works will be stopped. Furthermore, the Office of Budget and Management has been ordered to reject any budget requests from IMLS other than funds needed to shut down the agency.

Does this mean that the IMLS has been eliminated? Not yet, but its future is definitely unclear, and judging by what has already happened, it seems to be the intent of the administration to eliminate the agency. If our libraries do not receive federal funding, or if that funding is slashed, you can certainly expect library services to be adversely affected. Federal funding is used by the State Library Service for interlibrary loans, various resources used by learners from grade school and beyond, and the Minnesota Digital Library which includes 60,000 items depicting the history of all 87 Minnesota counties.

If you want the library to continue providing the services to which you have become accustomed, call the White House, your federal and state legislators, and state officials urging them to intercede on behalf of Minnesota’s libraries. Don’t be intimidated. These elected representative work for us and it’s our job to let them know what our wishes and expectations are.

Alice Martin

New York Mills, Minn.