The Trump administration, in partnership with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, has dismantled a small federal agency responsible for providing funding to libraries and museums across the nation. These cuts pose a significant threat to various community activities across the U.S., including student field trips, senior classes, and access to popular digital services like the ebook app Libby.
On Monday, management at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) informed 77 employees—nearly the entire agency’s workforce—that they were being placed on paid administrative leave immediately. This information came from an employee who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation from Trump officials. The decision followed the appointment of Keith Sonderling, the deputy secretary of labor, as the acting director of IMLS by President Donald Trump less than two weeks earlier.
According to a representative from the American Federation of Government Employee Local 3403, a union representing about 40 IMLS staff members, Sonderling and a team from the Department of Government Efficiency met with IMLS leadership in the previous month. After the meeting, Sonderling sent an email to the staff highlighting the importance of libraries and museums in shaping the next generation’s view of American exceptionalism and patriotism, as stated by the union representative.
Employees arriving at IMLS on Monday were instructed to turn in their computers and lost access to their government email accounts before being sent home. It remains unclear when or if the staff will return to their duties. An employee described the situation as heartbreaking on many levels.
Neither the White House nor the Institute of Museum and Library Services immediately responded to requests for comments.
The IMLS’s annual budget is less than $1 per U.S. citizen and last year awarded more than $269.5 million to library and museum systems. A current employee noted that much of this funding is typically distributed as reimbursements over time, but with no staff available, there is no one to process these payments.
The status of previously awarded grants is uncertain. According to the American Federation of Government Employee Local 3403, without staff to manage these programs, it is likely that many grants will be terminated.
About 65 percent of the allocated funds were distributed across different states, each scheduled to receive a minimum of approximately $1.2 million. These funds could be used for statewide initiatives or allocated to local museum and library institutions for expenditures such as staff training and back-office software. California and Texas were the highest recipients of funding, with allocations of about $12.5 million and $15.7 million, respectively, according to IMLS data. Individual grants were also awarded directly to libraries and museums for specific projects.
For instance, an art museum in Idaho had plans to use $10,350 to support student field trips, as reflected in the IMLS grant database. A North Carolina museum received $23,500 for weaving and fiber art workshops for seniors, while an indigenous community in California planned to utilize $10,000 for purchasing books and electronic resources.