OLYMPIA – The Washington State Library is at risk of losing personnel, statewide programs, resources for local libraries, and community opportunities as a result of a presidential Executive Order that resulted in termination of a $3.9 million grant from Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Thursday morning, a separate Leadership Grant from IMLS to the Washington State Library that funds a pilot to support libraries in state prisons was also terminated.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and State Librarian Sara Jones outlined the impact of the action by President Trump. Authorized by Congress, the annual grant from IMLS cannot unilaterally be paused, reduced, or eliminated by the executive branch without violating federal statute.
“Washington’s library system ensures people have unfettered access to information at hundreds of public, school, academic, and institutional libraries across the state,” Hobbs said. “This commitment is rooted in the fundamental principle that an educated and informed citizenry is critical to a free society. That goal for libraries is not a partisan issue. They represent a critical ‘third place’ in communities across the state – a social environment that is not home or work and is for everyone.”
“Libraries are essential to Washington communities. They provide free internet, job training, and access to books and resources for people of all backgrounds,” Jones said. “Without the federal funds making this possible, countless programs and services would disappear, leaving many communities without access to the resources on which they rely.
Losing the funds from IMLS would have devastating consequences, especially for smaller and rural libraries.
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The Washington Digital Library Consortium serves 40 library systems, lending more than 1 million eBooks and audiobooks to Washingtonians annually. Without funding, this consortium would be seriously threatened, because smaller libraries cannot afford digital collections.
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Federal support funds half of research database subscriptions for libraries. Given state budget limitations, this resource would likely end, resulting in a loss of research databases, training, and AskWA chat service.
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Funding and expertise for rural libraries that supply broadband equipment and internet access to underserved areas. Many small libraries depend on WSL for websites, broadband, and technical help.
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Expertise that helps tribal libraries secure funding, update technology, and improve services.
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Professional training and consulting for public libraries across the state, especially as they face censorship and budget challenges.
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30% of federal funds for the Washington State Library support Washington Talking Book and Braille Library’s statewide service, and Institutional Library Services, where state prisoners are allowed library access to better themselves and prepare to rejoin society after confinement.
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Programs like tabletop gaming grants and digital newspaper pilots would stop.
Federal funding supports 32 partially or fully funded Library Development staff, staff at Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL) in Seattle, and prison and hospital staff at 12 institutional libraries statewide.
Position eliminations in state prisons, state hospitals, and juvenile rehabilitation centers would have devastating impacts for those patrons. Support for libraries in the state hospitals relies on federal funding, while the positions in state prisons rely on federal and some state dollars.
“This is just like any other library. We just happen to be serving incarcerated patrons. I have worked at academic libraries and public libraries, and this is my favorite job,” said Sophia Hutchens, branch librarian at the Washington Corrections Center in Mason County. “I recently had a patron with a visual impairment complete an application to the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library and now he’s getting audio books sent to him from WTBBL. It makes it accessible to him and he’s really excited about it.”
Diminished state funding will also severely impact other State Library services. This includes public access to the Central Library, newspaper publications on microfilm, state publications, the federal repository, and services for the public, including Ask a Librarian.
The Washington Attorney General and 20 other states filed suit against the Trump administration to stop the dismantling of IMLS, which has provided Washington with $3.9 million from their Grants to States program.
The lawsuit states the executive order violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act by eliminating the programs of agencies without any regard for the laws and regulations that govern each source of federal funding and unconstitutionally overrides Congress’s power to decide how federal funds are spent.
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Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office operates the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, and administers the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees and the Productivity Board state employee suggestion program. The Secretary of State also oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.