Libraries, Literacy, and Government Transparency are Under Attack from the Trump Administration
What’s happening to America’s libraries isn’t just a political issue; it’s an assault on knowledge, access, and democracy.
From censorship to leadership purges, libraries are under siege, and we need your help to fight back.
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Here’s what’s happening at the Federal level:
Trump fired the Librarian of Congress with just two sentences.
The White House press secretary claimed Hayden put inappropriate books in the library for children. However, the Library of Congress is mainly a research institution that supports members of Congress.
It is not a lending library and does not offer children’s books for checkout. Hayden expressed concern that the White House’s comments suggested a misunderstanding of the Library’s role, and many have argued that this is part of Trump's larger attempt to take power away from Congress. (Take Action)
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The National Archivist was fired as Trump takes control of records
President Trump has fired Archivist of the United States Colleen J. Shogan, the government official responsible for preserving and providing access to government records.
Then, acting National Archives head William “Jay” Bosanko announced his resignation on February 14, 2025, just days after President Trump dismissed Archivist Colleen Shogan, paving the way for Donald Trump to continue his takeover of the government’s records and the agency that serves as custodian of the nation’s history.
Experts are concerned that the leadership changes, which follow Trump’s ongoing issues with classified documents (such as the Mar-a-Lago case), could compromise the National Archives' ability to protect and preserve vital records. This would severely limit the public's ability to access records of government operations. (Take Action)
Trump has fired government officials responsible for ensuring a transparent government
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a crucial tool for keeping the public informed about what their government is up to.
FOIA grants the public the right to request access to records held by federal agencies. It ensures an informed citizenry and promotes accountability by allowing citizens to access government information.
Under FOIA, any American can make a records request from local, state, and federal agencies to see government communications, documents, and more. Americans would be left in the dark about government operations without anyone staffing FOIA offices. (Take Action)
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The Trump Administration is banning books on military bases and in military academies.
The Pentagon dramatically expanded efforts to censor and remove books with topics such as diversity and anti-racism by ordering all military branches to scrub libraries of "divisive concepts and gender ideology" and pull those materials from shelves, according to a memo issued Friday.
The expanded effort on books at military libraries comes after the Naval Academy was specifically ordered to go through its book collection last month and the Navy released a list of nearly 400 books that were removed from circulation.
While most of these books have been returned, this won't be the last attempt by the Trump Administration to limit the freedoms of the very people who are fighting for them. (Take Action)
Trump is dismantling the only Federal Funding source for libraries and museums.
After trying to destroy federal funding for libraries through an executive order, Trump is now attempting to do it through his proposed budget.
On page 39, it boldly calls for completely eliminating the budget for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the only federal agency dedicated solely to supporting America’s libraries and museums.
His proposal also seeks to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), AmeriCorps, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). (Take Action)