Booksology IML targeting never stopped. As Trump proposed, the federal budget for fiscal year 2026 (2026) reveals that agencies will be in the sun down the future. The Minuscule IMLS budget consists of approximately .003% of the full federal budget, but the impact of institutional closures will invaluable damage to public libraries across the country. Some of the services that feel impacted are influenced by South Dakota and Iowa. Digital resources such as e-books. A database that provides access to research and information across many subjects and topics that have been cut in Massachusetts, Washington and Mississippi due to the impact of current IMLS funding changes.
One of the next steps in the 2026 budget was the House of Representatives markup. The Workers HHS Education Subcommittee, the IMLS responsible budget committee, was to mark up the Trump bill to meet last week, but was pushed back.
The kick that meeting was back coincided with the sudden closure of the House by House Speaker Mike Johnson. Although Congress took a break in August, Johnson has decided to close the home a week earlier, thanks to the ongoing circumstances related to the Epstein Files and the promotion of transparency about what information exists. This kicked the budget markup process in the future, and predicted the first week of September calendar days for the September markup meeting. The date has not been announced yet.
Literary Activities
You can use positive tips and tools for the fight against news you can use and activities like censorship and other books!
The 201026 budget needs to be passed by September 30th, and many believe it is already likely that they are facing government shutdowns. That September 30th date is important to IML. This is because future budgets will pass and whether the FY2026 budget passes will depend on whether agency funds will be restored. Whatever happens at the agency, it will affect either case, if any, of any lawsuit against the sudden dismantling of IMLS.
The sudden house closures and rescheduling rescheduling related to the 2026 IMLS budget are sources of concern, but they are also an opportunity to take further action to help save agents. There are two important steps of action.
FY2026 IMLS budget demand recovery
As the House Approvals Committee has not yet marked up the 2026 bill, many of the procedures outlined below are procedures shared previously in early July. Due to their role in this subcommittee and due to the urgency of this issue, some good questions have arisen as to whether it is appropriate to contact representatives who do not serve you. Frankly speaking about why you are reaching out to them (i.e. their role in this particular committee), when they prioritize their own members, you will not hear a response from them. But before reaching out to the subcommittee members, Reach out to your own representative I encourage colleagues to request that IMLS funding recovery be included in the markup. Put pressure anywhere possible.
Once you have contacted each member of the subcommittee, you will pass these messages on to the broader House Appropriations Committee members. The full list of members is available here in the states where they are listed with them. Start with your state representative, especially to know that representatives of your particular state legislators may not be assigned to this committee (i.e. you live in Illinois and are represented by Sean Kasten, but he is not on this committee, and Representative Lauren Underwood is). You can then contact additional members of the committee, as long as your time and energy allow.
What should you say when you reach out to subcommittee and members of the committee? Keep your message as short as possible, directly based on evidence. Here are some effective messaging ideas. Choose one of these to focus or match them all.
- It shows that fully funding is required from IMLS, the only institution specializing in public libraries and museums across the country. Although fully funding agents mentions that over the past year it amounts to .005% of the federal budget, public libraries’ return on investment is invincible, as evidenced in the post-study research. For every dollar invested in a public library, there is a return of at least $4.50.
- Make it clear what funds do for public libraries. If you are familiar with it, you can mention what your personal library funds in IMLS dollars. Alternatively, you can use this link summary, dating back to the first executive order targeting agencies, to find information from local, regional and national news sources. At the time of writing, there are 16 pages of examples of those funds being used.
- The recent passage of deeply unpopular and harmful budgets and tax bills will highlight that libraries will become even more important to help people find new jobs, access information about healthcare and food, and connect to technologies that may not be able to find verifiable facts through trusted tools and experts. These tools and services are exactly what IMLS gives addresses. This story information and links are used from EveryLibrary to support your claims.
- Learn whether you are a member of either a subcommittee and/or a member of the Great Committee signed in the “Dear Approved” letter distributed by the American Library Association. It is worth pointing out that this is evidence of the promise to support the library in the upcoming fiscal year and/or as a point of disappointment and questioning.
- The Government Budget Office, the Government Budget Office, reminds the representatives that it has already determined that the administration has stepped over its legal authority when gutting IML. Also feel free to mention that there are two continuing lawsuits against the dismantling of the agency.
The American Library Association has tools to make some of this work easier. The numbers and information above can be used to obtain more specifically in the provided call scripts.
The budget is now on the calendar, so although it is focused on the House of Representatives, there is no harm in sending similar messages to Senate representatives via phone and email.
Demand for re-authorization of the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018
Important important legislation related to IMLS will need to be re-approved this year as well. The Museums and Library Services Act of 2018 is a mechanism by which existing programs can be reapproved and new programs can be developed and supported by IMLS (also referred to as the Library Services and Technology Act or LSTA). The six-year approval cycle ends at the end of this fiscal year on September 30th.
Congress only This law can be reauthorized. Otherwise, regardless of budget, IML is no longer active. In other words, even if the IML budget is restored, the agency is no longer obligated unless Congress acts to renew it. The LSTA coordinates federal programming related to libraries and provides important grants to the state.
Before it’s too late, call and email Senate and House representatives based on re-approval of this important law.
We found that the current administration of IML forced the pressure to release funds that we had otherwise planned to withhold. We have seen both cases of IML eruptions have been successful in court (even with jurisdictional retreats). Americans support, trust and depend on libraries. What we saw during the target attacks over the past four years is coming, not because we left such support. Because fighting for the library wasn’t much necessary. The library advocacy time was perennial, but there’s no longer time to start or get bigger than it is now.
What can I do to make an impact if I contact my home about the 201026 budget and both the House and Senate on the reapproval of the LSTA?
- Tell friends, family and neighbors what the 2026 budget will look like, including plans to close the only institutions that fund public libraries and public museums. I encourage you to get on the phone and enter your inbox.
- Please post about what’s going on on social media. You have a timeline that points to this rich, rich links and stories, while also showing how this attack on IML is registered with the target and has purpose.
- Write a letter to your own Public Library Board about how much you support their work. Point out specific examples such as the library’s summer book club and how they encouraged you and your family to explore what the library has to offer. these positive Messages delivered to library governance/control institutions are important. Most people only reach out to complain.
- While you write, send a short letter to your local or local paper about the values of a public library. Use the above links and information to back up your statements, along with examples from your library. It mentions that cutting to IML has a major local effect. This is a good example.
- Reach out to state-level lawmakers to communicate the importance of supporting, advocacy and funding libraries. We found that state-level funds exist or/or are increasing despite losses in the IMLS fund. State-level support is not enough to drive away the reality of what the IMLS closure will doespecially in small and rural libraries, tell your representatives that it helps to promote better work and that you are doing a good job to your representatives.
- Make the mistakes and diss info right so that you see it. One of the biggest sources of poor information that continues to circulate months after the executive order is the closure of access to Libby and digital resources through it. This is not true. Libby is a private company, and the library is subscribed to the services, not the federal government. Yes, Libby Access is being challenged as many states use IMLS funds to help provide access to Libby. But that has nothing to do with Libby. This is a problem caused by IMLS’ lack of funding.
Do you want to see more actions you can take right now? There are several options on Everlibrary’s Save IMLS website, and more information and action items are available on the American Library Association’s #FundLibraries page.
