- the Michigan Electronic Library (MeL and MeLCat) – a centralized catalog and resource-sharing service (inter-library loan) created to lend and share materials among all types of libraries in Michigan
- MeL databases that are used extensively by our academic and school libraries
- travel stipends for library staff to attend professional development opportunities to stay current with trends that affect the profession
- funding for cohorts on financial sustainability, digital literacy, artificial intelligence, and public library management
- excellent training and educational opportunities for all library workers through participation in Niche Academy offerings
We strongly support continued funding and staffing and implore President Trump to rescind this Executive Order. Our goal is to ensure that the IMLS continues to fund worthy and essential library, museum, and archival programs that benefit Michigan communities well into the future.
In Fiscal Year 2024, the government spent $6.75 trillion, exceeding its revenue and resulting in a deficit. While the stated purpose of the EO is to reduce bureaucracy and waste, it is unreasonable to target the federal funding allocated to libraries and museums that represents just a tiny fraction – approximately 0.0043% in FY 2024 – of the federal budget. This minimal investment supports institutions that are vital to education, cultural preservation, and community enrichment.
While funding for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2025 (ending Sept. 2025) has been appropriated to the IMLS in the newly approved Continuing Resolution, we have no guarantees of funding for IMLS in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
It is time to take a stand and speak up today by calling, writing, emailing, visiting, or sending a letter to your federal elected officials. We encourage you to use one of the links below that have been set up by various national organizations.
Contact your legislators and tell them to continue fully funding IMLS – both discretionary programs and those explicitly mandated by law. Don’t forget that your communication will be stronger by adding your own words, and how this will affect you, your cultural institution, and your community.
American Library Association:
https://app.oneclickpolitics.com/campaign-page?cid=9CyapZUB9sorxFLO4J0c&lang=en
EveryLibrary:
https://action.everylibrary.org/saveimls2025
American Association for State and Local History:
https://www.congressweb.com/aam/94/
American Alliance of Museums:
https://www.congressweb.com/aam/95/
Collectively, we the undersigned, stand together and call on all Michiganders who value reading, learning, history, and enrichment to take a stand in support of our libraries, museums, and archives. We urge President Trump to rescind the EO targeting IMLS and implore Congress to continue fully funding IMLS at levels that protect both discretionary and statutory programs.
Sincerely,
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