The Institute of Museum and Library Services, the small federal agency dedicated to funding libraries, placed its entire staff on leave at the end of March.
Local librarians say that’s left funding that would go to the Pennsylvania state library system in limbo.
“They haven’t said explicitly that all of the funding is going away,” said Christi Buker, Executive Director at the Pennsylvania Library Association. “But when there are no employees to handle the grants that they have happening…the funding is, at a minimum, delayed if not disappearing.”
Buker said IMLS grant funds “trickle down” from the Office of Commonwealth Libraries and the State Library of Pennsylvania. In 2023, the state received just over $3 million in grants, according to the office.
Michelle Riley is the director of development at Wilkes-Barre's Osterhout Free Library, which is the “head library” in the Luzerne County Library System.
She says none of the libraries in the county rely on federal IMLS funds directly, but she is concerned about services they receive from the state.
If less federal money goes to the State Library of Pennsylvania, Riley worries that will change the state budget allotment for libraries.
“There could be changes that need to be made on the library funding line of the state budget due to … federal job cuts and federal funding cuts,” Riley said. “That trickle-down effect to the Osterhout or any local library would come from there.”
Laura Keller, director at the Plymouth Public Library, reiterated that her library does not receive federal funds directly. But they rely on professional development from the Office of Commonwealth Libraries and patrons rely on resources on the state Power Library database, which is funded in part by IMLS.
She said Power Library is available to library card holders throughout the state. It gathers online resources, academic articles, and offers MyHeritage, a genealogy portal.
“In order for libraries to even receive state funds, which is where many of us get the largest percentage of our funding, we do have to participate in the Power Library program and make sure that we are promoting that to our patrons,” Keller said.
Buker said Pennsylvania receives about $5.9 million from IMLS. She said $2 million of that supports staff at the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, then $3 million goes toward grants that support statewide programs like the Pennsylvania Library Association’s PA Forward initiative.
PA Forward helps libraries become a community center for programs on literacy, finance, health and more, Buker said.
“It’s a key part of how a library helps our communities be more successful, as well as our individual patrons,” she said. “That breakdown is a serious concern if we lose our funding because it does have an impact on the library’s impact on the local community.”
When patrons ask about how the Plymouth library could be impacted, Keller tells them she just doesn’t know yet. She and others in the Luzerne County Library System are focusing on serving the community, supporting one another and promoting the resources they have available.
“I've worked for one library or another in the system for the last 10 years, and I can say that we we all work quite well together,” Keller said.
At monthly system meetings, Riley often discusses how to promote library services to the public and invite patrons to support their library.
The most basic way to support a library is to get a library card, Riley said.
“The more usage we show, the better our argument and plea for… funding to our state representatives and just to our state budget is,” she said. “It’s very helpful.”