The Surprising Work of IMLS, the Institute for Museum and Library Services

The Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the most recent target of the extreme federal budgetary reductions led by President Trump, named among six other agencies in a March 14th  executive order.

Previously, IMLS has provided necessary funding and administrative aid to museum and library programs across America – funding that Trump now threatens.

Visit SaveIMLS.org to take action and then click to share it on Bluesky, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn

Here are five important functions of IMLS that America risks losing if funding is not restored:

• The Institute promotes American English literacy by commissioning reports and funding research on literacy development and family literacy programming.
  
  
• The Institute provides grants through the Museums for America program, used to help fund the digitization of local historical records, career training, and projects studying American industry, founding fathers, and more.
  
  
• The Institute supports each of the fifty states, D.C., American territories, and Freely Associated States with tools like technology access and instruction aimed at effective coordination of American information services.
  
  
• The Institute collects and maintains data on public services provided throughout the United States in the form of library and museum programming.
  
  
• In partnership with the National Park Service, the Institute funds the preservation of artifacts from landmark events in American history – like lunar rockets, 19th-century military forts and Catholic cathedrals, and the first known successful submarine.

IMLS plays a remarkable role in preserving the American tradition and coordinating information at a national scale. There has never been a better time than right now to speak up on behalf of the Institute. To voice support for IMLS funding, you can:

• Visit www.saveIMLS.org to sign the EveryLibrary petition
• Write a letter to the editor of your local paper
• Email your state representatives and ask them to ensure IMLS funding 
• Speak up online and in your communities by sharing the actions at saveimls.org.