Our library offers numerous programs funded by federal grants. It would mean that we could no longer offer those programs and services. We would have to reduce staff and services for the population that most needs help. In our medium-sized, urban city, the public library is a safe place where people can just be, or where they can find help. The public library is an afterschool space for kids to do their homework. Our family learning centers rely on grant funding and would have to close. The loss of IMLS funding would have a profound impact on the library's ability to serve the public. Once gone, we know from experience that it takes years to rebuild that capacity and reconnect with our patrons. I cannot overstate the negative effects that losing this funding will have on millions of Americans who use public libraries as a place for family activity, entertainment and exploration, discovery of critical resources, and simply as a place where they can connect with other people.

—Public library, CA

Because we are a small, rural district, we heavily rely upon the online database and digital ebook and audiobook subscriptions provided by our state library. Without the support of the state library, our school cannot afford to provide research databases or digital books for our patrons. Our high school's debate and forensics teams will particularly be hobbled by a loss of database access. Our debate and forensics teams have won numerous state championships and consistently place as one of the top teams in the state. Access to our state-provided databases is crucial for their success. It is unfair that our students will suffer. Information is for everyone and should be provided freely and equitably. In addition, the regional library systems in our state provide crucial services to our libraries. They provide free professional development, consulting services, technology services, grants, rotating book collections, and much more. Without their services, many small town libraries and their patrons will suffer. These library systems were responsible for connecting rural libraries with the Internet and trained staff on computers and have continued to assist libraries in creating websites and running automation system. Interlibrary loan (ILL) is a lifeline for those who live in rural communities. Small libraries do not have the budget or space to house large collections, so interlibrary loan is key in providing patrons with free access to information they want and need. Without IMLS funding, ILL access will dry up, leaving rural patrons in an information desert.

—School library, KS

My library would essentially lose its ability to function in a capacity that allows us to be relevant and viable to our community. As a small, rural library that serves a population of about 6,500 people, the Grants to States program forms the foundation of many of the vital services that we offer to our community, which allow them to enrich their lives and become better informed and responsible citizens in our country.

This is one area where the federal government has an obligation to the states so that they can provide universal access to information and services that allow all citizens the ability to pursue independent inquiry to become better informed of and active in their civic duties to their fellow countrymen.

We would lose our ability to offer high-speed internet in an area that does not have universal access to commercial high-speed internet, a service that was used almost 10,000 times last calendar year; participation in a consortium to expand our patron's access to more titles than we could ever hold would become cost-prohibitive; access to research databases, online learning platforms, and historical research databases would disappear because almost all of them are currently funded through Grants to States funding; we would have to significantly reduce our summer reading program offerings, which is partially funded through an IMLS grant, which attracts a quarter of our local school district's student population and is our most-attended program of the year.

I would have to make significant cuts to library services, operation hours, staffing levels (which are already minimal), and educational programming that are currently being subsidized by the State Library of Ohio, and thus IMLS, in order to perform very basic maintenance on my physical library. And as has been proven over the years across many different fields, a reduction in open hours and resources leads to a vicious downward spiral in usage until we are forced to close.

—Public library, OH

I was hoping to secure a Laura Bush Foundation Grant to support much-needed updates to my school library. As a Title I district, we face significant funding challenges, and our current collection is outdated and does not adequately meet the academic and personal needs of our students. Without this grant, it will be significantly more difficult to provide our students with access to current, diverse, and engaging books and learning materials. Additionally, our budget for digital resources is extremely limited. We rely heavily on the databases provided by the State of New Jersey, and without them, our students would face considerable barriers in accessing reliable, high-quality information essential for research and learning. This loss is huge for me and so many other school libraries, especially those that serve Title I communities.

—School library, NJ

As a school librarian I will lose access to communications and professional development offered to me. As a board member on a rural public library board, access to summer reading curriculum, Interlibrary loans, research databases through Power Library.

—School library, PA

[At our] small rural library, we rely heavily on Interlibrary loan (ILL) services to provide books for our eight book clubs. Without the grant funds from IMLS, the state of NH will be unable to fund ILL. We are unsure if or how we would be able to continue our book clubs. I am the ILL Library Assistant; the majority of my work time is spent on processing Interlibrary loans. I worry for the future and what a reduction in services will mean for my job. If losing Interlibrary loan means losing our book clubs, both our number of checkouts and our patron statistics will suffer. In addition to ILL services, the IMLS grant in NH covers our digital borrowing platform Libby. This will be a huge loss for our patrons, who will lose the ability to borrow audiobooks, ebooks, and magazines for free with their library card. To be honest, the future of library services in NH feels bleak right now.

—Public library, NH

Our Laura Bush Planning grant for $150,000 for 2024-2026 is likely to cease without funding. It would have developed a model five-year strategic plan to restore school librarians to Philadelphia's 218 public schools—only 5 of which currently have any librarians.

—Philadelphia Alliance to Restore School Librarians

Our library would close, and two dozen people would be unemployed.

—Public library, KS

We were awarded a $6,000 LSTA grant in December 2024 to pay for a year of service for our circulating Wi-Fi hotspot collection. This collection is very popular in our small rural town, where almost 20% of the total population does not have access to broadband internet at home. We never got the check from the award, and now I don't think we ever will. Without that grant money, our library can't afford to pay for those hotspots at all.

—Public library, AL

We might lose access to our online databases (National Geographic, Kanopy, etc.) if we can't replace the funding elsewhere.

—Public library, HI

I was fired [on] Monday, along with all the other digital navigators. Program is now shut down.

—University research library, AZ

Our circulation software is entirely IMLS funded. Many of our digital databases are funded through IMLS. We are not allowed to discuss the bills and shutdowns in our library or on the library's social media for fear of being perceived as "political."

—Public library, GA

Our library is small, and we rely on inter loans and ebooks. These will be drastically cut.

—Public Library, NH

We would lose E-Rate funding for our Internet, raising the annual cost. We would no longer have the statewide library catalog for resource sharing and finding materials for our patrons. Residents would no longer have access to the Library of Accessible Books, which provides braille and special audiobook readers. Veterans would lose centralized resources. Professional development offerings would be cut. Our state's service center, which provides large print, book discussion sets, STEM resources, and children's programming materials, would lose funding. And various digital resources—reference, e-books, and employment services—that are currently free to our patrons would be wiped out. Our library would not have the funds to replace all of this, so our patrons would lose big in the end.

—Public library, CT

We rely on access to our statewide databases for student research projects. We could not afford the subscription fees with our limited budget.

—School library, MA

My library is able to offer so much besides just books. They offer games, instruments, computer equipment, movies and more to be checked out! Without the proper funding, the general community won’t be able to have access to these wonderful items.

—Public library, MI

Our state provides us access to a wide variety of databases and services through BadgerLink. Our schools do not receive enough funding and do not have the finances to purchase these databases individually without the IMLS funds.

—School library, WI

The Library of Virginia in 2024 received $9.7 million in funding from IMLS, accounting for 16% of its budget. The money is used to support public and school libraries throughout the Commonwealth, including Find It Virginia, the licensed access to dozens of databases used by people at home, work or at school or public libraries. For our library, specifically, that would mean we would either lose or be forced to pick up the cost of a number of resources, including Universal Class, Gale Legal Forms, Brainfuse, EBSCO MasterFile and more. If we decide to pick up the cost for some of these, that will mean we will need to drop other subscriptions.

—Public library, VA