ALA warns new IMLS acting director not to cut programs required by law

The American Library Association (ALA) sent a letter March 20 warning the new Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) acting director not to cut library programs required by federal law. The letter was sent in response to President Trump’s Executive Order of March 14, “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy," which takes aim at IMLS.

"We are concerned about the Executive Order’s impact on IMLS and the agency’s important programs and services that benefit millions of Americans in communities across the country," the letter stated. "In responding to the President’s order, we urge you to be mindful of that impact, the purposes undergirding Congress’ creation of IMLS, and the statutory obligations that Congress has imposed on IMLS."

The Executive Order directs the Director of IMLS to “submit a report to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget confirming full compliance with this order and explaining which components or functions of the [IMLS], if any, are statutorily required and to what extent” no later than March 21, 2025. The Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services appointed by President Trump, Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling, was sworn in today. Outlining the congressional mandate of the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018, which was signed by President Trump, ALA urged Sonderling to follow provisions of the MLSA and avoid violating federal law.

Opposing the executive order on multiple fronts, ALA mounted a grassroots advocacy campaign, Show Up #ForOurLibraries, which has generated more than 70,000 contacts to Congressmembers in the first five days after the Executive Order was issued. ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office is exploring possible policy and legal responses to the executive order.

Read the full letter to IMLS Acting Director Keith E. Sonderling (PDF)