A troubling chapter ahead for libraries

A potential Pound Ridge Library parking lot expansion project could be in jeopardy if federal library funding cuts are allowed to go forward. Neal Rentz Photo

Federal cuts could impact construction projects

By NEAL RENTZ

The Pound Ridge Library board wants to expand the facility’s parking lot. But their plans and other local library projects may have to be put on hold because of federal funding cuts coming from the Trump administration.

A federal budget proposal is calling for the elimination of funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a move that would significantly reduce or eliminate New York State Aid for Library Construction, Pound Ridge Library Director Jennifer Coulter said last week.

The executive order issued by the Trump administration earlier this year, she noted, directed the dissolution of the IMLS by eliminating all federal funding for the agency effective with the next fiscal year; ordering an immediate wind-down of operations, including the closure of all of its offices; mandating the termination of all staff positions by May 4, and repealing the statutory framework under which IMLS administers federal grants to libraries and museums nationwide.

Coulter is not the only library official watching the developments with concern.

“These funds are critical to infrastructure projects at libraries across the state, including here in Pound Ridge,” Coulter said. She noted the library is in the planning stages of “a much-needed parking lot expansion to improve accessibility and meet rising community demand.”

Coulter said the library aid would cover half the cost of the parking lot expansion. “If federal support for IMLS is withdrawn it could put the entire project at risk,” she said. 

“This is more than a funding issue, it’s about our town’s ability to maintain vital public spaces and continue serving as a hub for education, connection, and opportunity,” Coulter said. 

“The justification cited was ‘streamlining federal functions’ and ‘returning cultural and educational programming to state and local control,’ though library and museum advocates have described it as a direct dismantling of federal support for essential services,” Coulter said. 

Coulter said the IMLS funding flows to the state, which uses it to support programs such as library construction aid. This state-administered program provides matching funds to public libraries for capital projects and infrastructure improvements, she said.  

“While the state oversees the program, the federal funds IMLS provides are an essential part of keeping these programs fully funded,” she said. 

If IMLS is eliminated, New York and other states stand to lose significant federal support, which could severely limit the availability of grants that libraries rely on to maintain safe, modern and accessible facilities, Coulter said. “This threatens the matching funds needed to help fund its planned parking lot project, potentially delaying or downsizing a project that addresses critical community needs,” she said. 

Libraries are taking action to halt the spending cuts, Coulter said. 

The American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees filed a lawsuit to stop the dismantling of IMLS, she noted. On May 1 the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a temporary restraining order to block the Trump administration’s order to eliminate IMLS, she said. This restraining order came before the scheduled layoffs of all IMLS employees on May 4, she said. 

“It is only a temporary order put in place to give the court time to consider the merits of this case,” Coulter said. “This means, now more than ever, it is imperative to reach out to Congress members and ask them to show their commitment to securing library funding.” To do so, the ALA has created the Fund Libraries Campaign, she said.

The heads of the Lewisboro and Katonah Village libraries have also expressed dismay. All public libraries statewide have long relied on the library construction aid program to help fund renovations and improvements to buildings, Lewisboro Library Director Cynthia Rubino said.

“At the Lewisboro Library we have received five library construction grants over the past 20 years with the largest grant helping to pay for the replacement of our roof,” she said. The library is planning a project to replace its lighting with new LED bulbs for which it would apply for this type of grant, she said. 

“The elimination of the IMLS would also negatively affect the New York State Library and Library Development Agency in other ways as well,” Rubino said. “I believe the IMLS funds approximately 70 percent of the New York State Library Development Agency staff.”

Rubino said public libraries rely on the agency for administering local library aid from the state summer reading program, support for the ReadSquared app for patrons; the NOVELny electronics resources for education and research for all citizens in the state; resources and support to local libraries navigating the state education laws and regulations; and coordinating the public library annual report statistics program helping to ensure libraries maintain minimum standards for serving communities. 

“Eliminating the IMLS will definitely result in a trickle-down effect on our state and local cultural institutions,” Rubino said. “I personally find it outrageous that our government would not consider supporting our public libraries and museums to be important for the culture of our country.”

Katonah Village Library Director Mary Kane said this week the plan from the Trump administration would have negative impacts on not only her library, but libraries across the state and country.

She said the Public Library Construction Aid funds are part of the state budget and not IMLS. “The potential IMLS impact in terms of the construction aid is that the NYSL/DLD staff positions that review and process the construction aid applications, the administrators of the grant, are funded through the IMLS allocations,” she said.Kane is concerned about potential cuts to the state’s library construction aid program.

The potential cuts are bad timing for her library, Kane said. “Our original library building will be 95 years old this year and like any building of this age, it requires ongoing improvements to remain safe, functional, and responsive to the needs of our community,” she said. “As part of our current master planning process, we recently completed a comprehensive facilities assessment by outside consultants, which identified essential upgrades that will be needed.”

Kane said the library has depended on the aid during her tenure.

“We used this funding to cover nearly 50 percent of the costs for installing accessible electric entrance doors and a main floor accessible restroom,” she said. “These upgrades have made a meaningful difference for people with disabilities and for the many seniors in our community, helping ensure that all residents can comfortably and safely use the library.”

“If the IMLS is eliminated, and with it the infrastructure that administers these state construction grants, libraries like ours will face major challenges in securing the resources needed to maintain and improve their facilities,” Kane said.