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). (As of April 2025, The Washington Post notes that the DHHS stands to have its budget reduced by about 1/3.)

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. 

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. 

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."
• Beyond the State of Wisconsin, the library staff of  UW-Superior have ties to other impacted states that included but are not limited to West Virginia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, California, and Minnesota .

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 also drew 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 and Opinion Pieces 

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

• American Libraries in March posted a tracking of changes that would be particularly impactful to libraries.
• Newsweek featured an opinion piece, tracking some of these changes, and asserting that current administrative actions are ". . . Rewriting the Future. . . "
• The Scholarly Kitchen featured a guest post equating many underway changes with attacks on intellectual freedom.
• The Guardian has an article with interviews from library professionals. A perspective it relays is the concern that pending shifts in policy could be "catastrophic" for libraries. 
• Regarding impacts in Illinois, The Chicago Tribune highlights that "Federal cuts threaten program that allows suburban libraries to share books"

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 include: Press Release, Talking Points, and Take Action.
• University of Minnesota Libraries offers resources for "Things You Can Do," which includes some volunteer and advocacy events.