What Is a Library? What Do Libraries Do?

Public, School, and Academic Libraries Typically Do Not Charge For Services

• While some users in some settings may see low fees for select library services (such as printing, copying, resource sharing, mail services, etc.), many libraries in the U.S. endeavor to provide most services to their communities as a public service. 
• Various public funding resources have thus been allocated over the years to support the services of libraries to the public and to their specific communities.
• A paper from 2012, "A Brief History of National Support for Libraries in the United States," provides a helpful overview.
• Key federal funding sources have included but are not limited to the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). 
• Just in the Spring of 2025, some of the Librarians at the University of Wisconsin-Superior have benefitted from federal funding and programs to expand their professional knowledge and skills in order to better serve the UW-Superior Community. This includes but is not limited to:
  • participation in the National Forum for Privacy Literacy Standards and Competencies, made possible through the IMLS.
  • training in Consumer Health Information, a certification program that draws support from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

What is Changing and Why Does It Matter?

• Significant federal funding streams supporting libraries and library services are being heavily altered or removed. 
• Minitex, "an information and resource sharing program of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and the University of Minnesota Libraries," has published an IMLS information page that includes a timeline of events of note as well as background information specific to Minnesota libraries and services. 
• The Wisconsin Arts Board has a list of numerous resources of information and opinion about changes and impacts of changes to both the IMLS and NEH, along with other grant-providing entities.

The Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) 

• In March 2025, National Public Radio announced that all IMLS staff had been placed on administrative leave. This was following an executive branch's call for a complete elimination of the IMLS, as noted in Library Journal. The Associated Press offers some additional background and context. 
• Also in March 2025, Wisconsin Public Radio noted that such changes were likely to strongly impact small libraries. In April 2025, the Wisconsin Examiner further cautioned that, as a result in changes to the IMLS, "Wisconsin libraries brace for steep drop in services. . . "
• According to a Press Release from the Governor's Office, these changes are expected to impact anticipated funding for the Olson Museum of Natural History at UW-Stevens Point, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, as well as librarian positions in the state. The lawsuit noted in that press release from the Governor's Office is being brought by Attorneys General from multiple states, including Wisconsin. 
• At the end of April, The Wisconsin Examiner shared that "The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) received $1.6 million in grants from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to support library operations and programming last week, though uncertainty remains for the program."
• As of May 6 and May 13, respectively, The Wisconsin Examiner and Book Riot have posted updates of legal injunctions against the dismantling of the IMLS.
• On May 21, The American Library Association (ALA) issued a press release in which they welcomed "IMLS staff return and select grant reinstatements" and noted that they were "cautiously optimistic. . . " Though in regards to a federal court's decision on a related lawsuit brought by the ALA, Publisher's Weekly notes, as of June 9, that the "interpretation of the case is sure to frustrate librarians." 
• On June 16, the U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a report in which they conclude that the new leadership of the IMLS has violated the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 "by withholding funds from obligation and expenditure." (UWS Patrons can access a discussion of this as presented in the New York Times.)
•  As of June 24, an interview in Eau Claire's Leader-Telegram noted that "the full effects may not be seen until 2026 or even 2027."

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) 

• Wisconsin's Fox11 News noted  in April 2025 that "[f]unding for state affiliates of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), which provides grants to non-profits, will soon be gone."
• Also in April 2025, following cessation of even in-process funding from the NEH, Wisconsin Public Radio noted that "Wisconsin Humanities says it will be forced to shut down unless the decision is reversed."
• As of the end of April, as legal proceedings continue, the Mellon Foundation has allocated emergency funding to the Federation of State Humanities Councils.
• The American Historical Association posted a news release on May 1 that the American Council of Learned Societies, American Historical Association, and Modern Language Association had filed a lawsuit "Alleging Illegal Dismantling of National Endowment for the Humanities."
• The Authors Guild issued a press release on May 12 notifying of a "Class Action Lawsuit to Reverse Unlawful NEH Grant Terminations."
• The Society of American Archivists posted, June 9, a document sharing "two examples [University of Maryland, College of Information and the National Native American Boarding School Coalition] of how the terminations of IMLS and NEH grants are negatively impacting Tribal archivists and memory workers, alongside the Tribal communities they serve."
• A June 10 article from USA Today states: "About 2/3 of National Endowment for the Humanities employees were laid off Tuesday. The agency plans to issue half of the number of grants next year"
• In a June update that includes attention to priorities for the next six months, Wisconsin Humanities shared that "[a]fter our federal funding was terminated, we had to lay off most staff and suspend all our programs. We also ended our lease." 

The Institute for Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities Have Provided Key Funding for Libraries, Museums, and Other Knowledge and Information Institutions in the United States. 

The Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS)  

• An archived page from the George W. Bush White House defines the Institute for Museum and Library Services in this way: "IMLS is an independent federal agency that fosters leadership, innovation, and lifetime learning by supporting the nation's museums and libraries." 
• According to the American Association of Museums, in a flyer from 2021, "The Institute of Museum and Library Services has strong bipartisan support, and has been lauded for its peer-reviewed, highly competitive grant programs."
• There have been various funding lines in support of distinct aims and services, including recent support of regional initiatives.
  • In 2022, The University of Minnesota's Weisman Art Museum received funding from the IMLS to "support a Truth and Reconciliation project with Indigenous communities."
  • In 2023, The Wisconsin Historical Society announced its History Makers Tour and History Maker Space, which were supported by an IMLS award.
• As with many grant and public funding programs, IMLS funds have frequently been provided in coordination with multiple partners who may either bring additional funding, labor, or both.  
  • The Curating Digital Collections Program was developed with funding from the IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. It represented partnerships in action, involving WiLS (Wisconsin Library Services), Recollection Wisconsin, and the iSchool at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee’s School of Information Studies. 
  • BadgerLink "provides Wisconsin residents with licensed trustworthy resources," and is supported, in part, by funding from the IMLS in cooperation with the State of Wisconsin. 

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) 

• The Complicated Role of the Modern Library: Something for Everyone,” in the Fall 2019 issue of Humanities: The Magazine of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is available via the NEH as of this posting. It is followed by a depiction of some NEH funding provisions, including:
  • awards to public, academic, and special libraries
  • support for teachers and contributions to digital and media projects
  • grant support for projects of the American Library Association—including in 2018 for a "nationwide program for at-risk teens on themes of empathy, heroism, and marginalization."
• Recent, story-documenting projects in the region that were made possible by NEH funding include: 
  • Stories of Wisdom from Bodies in Separation, at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.
  • House of History, at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
• Wisconsin Humanities has also historically drawn funding from the NEH and then helped to disperse these funds through the state. Awards dispersed in 2024 included support for:
  • children's literacy
  • community building
  • oral history collection
  • and preservation of knowledge and creative practices from multiple communities throughout the state

Perspectives, Opinion Pieces, and Additional Reports

These resources depict perspectives about current administrative changes from the executive branch, and specifically how those may negatively impact the services of libraries, information and cultural organizations, research and scientific development, and education.

• On June 18, The Society of American Archivists (SAA) released a statement alerting to elimination of funding for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission in the National Archives and Records Administration 2026 Fiscal Year budget justification. The SAA emphasizes that this funding has been important to supporting access to local historical records and to publication and digitization of early records of the United States
• On July 9, representatives of a selection of Library and Publishing groups posted a joint statement to convey that they "stand united to face the mounting risks to public trust and the social benefit that research delivers." 
• A selection of opinion and reporting pieces focused on the potential impacts of changes to funding and administrative structures of entities including but not limited to the Institute for Museum and Library Services, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the U.S. Copyright Office include: 
  • On July 7, The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (a non-partisan if progressive-leaning research and policy institute) shared an article that forcefully and assertively associates the cancellation of "existing support previously committed to communities" with  "harm. . . being felt nationwide." The apparently documented fiscal and numerical breakdowns are of particular note.  
  • On June 6, National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" featured the headline: "The U.S. Copyright Office used to be fairly low-drama. Not anymore"
  • In a brief blog post to the Chicago Tribune in June,there is an expression of appreciation and concern for the services of libraries, especially those formerly supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (UWS patrons can access here) 

Libraries, Well-Being, and Science

Libraries—including those in Wisconsin and Minnesota—may provide a variety of resources in support of their patrons' overall well-being. These may include access to published information about scientific research and discovery (ex:UW-Superior) , listings of local resources and services (ex: Duluth Public Library), and even on-site social work services (ex: Superior Public Library). In relation to aspects of scientific research, in particular, the following may be of note to those interested in these kinds of library services and resources: 

• As of April 2025, The Washington Post notes that the Department of Health and Human Services stands to have its budget reduced by about 1/3  
• In a May 8 article, Science has stated that the National Science Foundation (NSF) "faces [a] radical shake-up."
• The University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy has released (June 17) an interim update on the Vaccine Integrity Project. Updates were featured in a July 11 podcast episode.
• In relation to research outputs, an article in a May edition of Undark (through the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program at MIT), calls attention to "The Chilling Effect of DEI Crackdowns in Scientific Publishing".
  • On a related topic, the same outlet published an interview on "How a Hearing-Loss Grant Got Cut in the Fight Over DEI," on July 11
• In relation to National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants:
  • ProPublica issued a report on June 17 in which they note: "Federal Judge Deems Trump Administration’s Termination of NIH Grants Illegal."
  • Chemical & Engineering News, a publication of the American Chemical Society, describes an open letter sent June 9 from staff of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that calls for a reversal of "controversial policies cutting support for research."
  • And a July 10 Podcast available via Stat, a health and medicine focused publication, includes "a closer look at the NIH’s grant-cutting legal playbook"
• As for how some of these funding and agency changes may manifest in educational trajectories and the job market,  in a recent article The Hechinger Report assertively highlights disruptions of "career paths for new graduates hoping to work in climate and sustainability, international aid, public service and the sciences"
• Along related lines, in "All of us depend on a healthy ocean," aquarium leaders connect concerns for ocean health to concerns for the fate of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). They note "[d]iminished IMLS support would jeopardize a wide range of projects, from working with suppliers to improve supply chains, to partnering with local public schools to advance STEM education and career opportunities." 

Interested in Library Advocacy? Here Are Some Local Resources: 

• Speak Up for Wisconsin Libraries - includes a depiction of how federal, state, and local funds support Wisconsin Libraries and offers resources for advocacy. 
• Wisconsin Humanities provides links that includes "Talking Points"
• University of Minnesota Libraries offers resources for "Things You Can Do," which includes some volunteer and advocacy events.