California libraries losing millions in funding after Trump terminates federal grant

Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times on Apr 4, 2025

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LOS ANGELES — Libraries across California are bracing for cuts to early literacy, information access and continuing education programs after the Trump administration’s latest effort to slash federal spending took aim at the nation’s libraries and museums.

The California State Library, which supports local libraries and maintains its own collection, said it was notified this week that a key federal grant supporting programs across the state had been terminated, slashing $3 million of funds that had already been awarded.

In a statement Thursday, the California State Library said it had yet to receive more than 20% of a $15.7-million grant awarded under the Library Services and Technology Act for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The funds had been distributed to support a wide range of programs across California’s libraries, including story times for low-income families, summer reading initiatives, workforce-readiness skills for at-risk youth and opportunities to earn online high school diplomas.

“We are deeply disappointed by this ill-informed decision, which immediately affects critical programs supported by these funds,” Rebecca Wendt, the California deputy state librarian, said in a statement. “The California State Library remains committed to serving all of the people of California and will explore alternative means to ensure continued access to essential library services.”

The grant’s abrupt stop comes amid turmoil at the Institute of Museum and Library Services, an independent federal agency that provides the majority of federal support for the nation’s libraries, according to its website and the American Library Association Much of the agency’s staff were placed on administration leave this week, coming weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at the further “reduction of the federal bureaucracy.” The order called for the majority of the functions of the library-focused agency, as well as several others, to “be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”

The American Library Association called the staff reductions and cuts at the Institute for Museum and Library Services “extremely shortsighted and perilous for the millions of Americans who rely on our public, school, academic, and special libraries.”

“Library funding draws less than 0.003% of the annual federal budget yet has enormous impact in communities nationwide,” the association said in a statement. “From technology classes for jobseekers to services for people with disabilities, from library delivery for older Americans to summer reading programs for families, IMLS funding makes a real, concrete difference in the lives of Americans every day.”

A request for comment from the IMLS was not immediately answered.