Local library supporters are dismayed following the Trump administration’s recent executive order to gut the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
The agency, which is the primary source of federal funding for the nation’s libraries, museums and archives, was one of seven named in a March 14 executive order signed by President Donald Trump to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law” as part of the ongoing “reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has deemed unnecessary,” the order reads.
Trump appointed Keith Sonderling, the recently-confirmed U.S. deputy secretary of labor, as the new acting director of the IMLS on March 20. Sonderling replaced career library professional Cyndee Landrum, who became IMLS’ acting director in March 2024.
Sonderling visited the agency’s office the day of his swearing-in with a small team, including at least one member of Elon Musk’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency, who was given access to the agency’s computer systems, according to reporting by various outlets, including NPR and The New York Times.
With IMLS’ future uncertain and its ability to provide funding for state library services in jeopardy, supporters and employees of libraries across Washington state are reacting with “dismay and fear,” said Centralia and Chehalis Timberland Library Manager Muriel Wheatley.
“Particularly the librarians I know that are working in the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library and the organizations that are going to be immediately and directly impacted by not having this funding. It’s, you know, ‘Will we still have a job? Will this library still exist or be able to do the level of service that the community has grown accustomed to?'” Wheatley said.
IMLS’s Grants to States program allocates a base amount to each of the nation’s state libraries, plus supplemental funds based on population, according to data released on IMLS’ website.
In total, the Washington State Library received $3.9 million from IMLS in 2024, according to data released by the agency.
IMLS had a budget of roughly $290 million, or .0046% of the federal budget, in the 2024 fiscal year, according to reporting by various outlets.
“IMLS is the only federal agency that’s dedicated to serving libraries, and what they do is they distribute money to the state libraries,” Wheatley said. “ … The state library is charged with managing those funds and dispersing them out into all the public libraries, school libraries, academic libraries and so on.”
In addition to federal funds, the Washington State Library was allocated just under $14.8 million in the state 2023-25 biennial budget.
Washington State Library projects explicitly funded by IMLS include the Anytime Library consortium to provide small libraries expanded access to eBooks and audiobooks; extended WiFi in parking lots at 84 library branches in the state; and workforce development programs for community members.
The Timberland Regional Library, which has branches in Lewis, Thurston, Grays Harbor, Mason and Pacific counties, is funded primarily through property taxes and timber revenue, so its budget is not directly impacted by IMLS cuts.
“However, we receive so many benefits by what the State Library is able to do,” Wheatley said.
For example, the Washington State Library negotiates for statewide database licenses, which save local libraries a lot of money on the reference databases available for patrons, and digitizes historical newspapers and documents that go into a database the public has access to.
The Washington State Library also runs the Talking Book and Braille Library, which serves readers across the state who are unable to read standard print due for any reason, such as blindness, low vision or reading disabilities.
“In my time at Timberland Library, I’ve signed up so many people for this service, and it’s hugely impactful for people to have materials that they can actually read,” Wheatley said. “Without this federal funding, that organization is severely under threat.”
The loss of federal funding also jeopardizes project grants that the Washington State Library offers to libraries across the state.
“It’s not just losing out on what benefits we’re currently receiving, but all those future possibilities. What innovations could we have done if we had grants available to us? What remodels, what new services could we pursue?” Wheatley said.
In a 2019 state-requested report by the Washington state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, Timberland’s Randle, Oakville and Packwood libraries were found to need new facilities, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Timberland opened a new location for the Mountain View Library in Randle in January 2025. The library was the first to be built in Timberland’s 7,000-mile service area in over 20 years, according to previous reporting.
As of Thursday, it was too early to tell exactly how the Washington State Library and local libraries would be impacted by upcoming IMLS cuts.
“I think we’re all just kind of in this holding pattern,” Wheatley said, adding that she and others in the library community are awaiting the finalization of the state Legislature’s upcoming 2025-26 biennial budget and are anticipating possible congressional action to protect federal library funds.
“I know some of these funds are congressionally guaranteed to be dispersed, so I think we’re all just waiting on a lot of information right now, but it’s really important that people stay informed about it and are speaking to their representatives and making sure that it’s known that they want libraries to continue to be supported in our county,” Wheatley said.
One of the best ways to show support for local libraries is to utilize their services, whether that be getting a library card, checking out books and other media, or just coming into the library to browse or use the printer, she said.
“Community use is how we show our value, and it’s really important that people know all the things that we provide and how essential it is to building a strong community,” Wheatley said.
On their end, library staff are banding together to support each other and the community service they’ve dedicated themselves to, Wheatley said.
“Something I love about the library field is that it’s small and mighty and people are really supportive of each other,” she said. “We’re all just communicating and leaning on each other and trying to figure out the best way forward so that we can keep serving our communities.”
