EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

Libraries across the country are cutting back e-books, audiobooks and loan programs two months after President Donald Trump ordered funding cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the federal agency that supports libraries.

The executive order, signed on March 14, is pending as lawsuits contesting its legality make their way through the courts. Nevertheless, the administration has already started cancelling grants and contracts and put almost all staff members on paid leave.

It’s unclear how many grants were cancelled, but a sizable amount of money is at stake: The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded over $266 million in grants to states and territories in 2024. Local reporters have a prime opportunity to dive into the data and see what kinds of everyday programs may be impacted in their community.

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READ AP’S STORY

Libraries are cutting back on staff and services after Trump’s order to dismantle small agency

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FIND YOUR STATE AND COUNTY: GRANTS AWARDED TO LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS IN YOUR AREA

The IMLS Dashboard allows you to see funding by state and program and see what the top five counties receiving funds are in each state: https://www.imls.gov/imls-dashboard

The IMLS gives out funds via two programs: grants to state library administrative agencies (a.k.a. the Grants to States program), which follows a population-based formula by state, and then discretionary grants for individual libraries, museums and other initiatives.

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FIND YOUR STATE: DETAILS ON INDIVIDUAL GRANTS

Search for grants awarded to libraries and museums in your state here. Select your state and then click “Download the Data” to download a spreadsheet showing individual grants. Data is available up to fiscal year 2024.

The state dashboards include both discretionary grants and the overall amount given to state library administrative agencies. To then dig even further into projects in local communities supported by those agencies, search here: https://imls-spr.imls.gov/Public/Projects (The projects here are listed through fiscal year 2023 only).

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FIND YOUR STATE: ALL FUNDING FROM THE INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES

The AP created a spreadsheet with all Institute of Museum and Library Services grant funding for fiscal year 2024 by state and city.

Funding is disbursed via two programs: grants to state library administrative agencies (a.k.a. the Grants to States program), which follows a population-based formula by state, and then discretionary grants for individual libraries, museums and other initiatives.

The states that received the highest funding through IMLS overall in fiscal year 2024 were:

California ($26.4 million)

New York ($19.9 million)

Texas ($15.7 million)

Florida ($11.4 million)

Illinois ($11.3 million)

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The states that received the highest amount of discretionary grant funds through IMLS (i.e., not counting the population-based Grants to States program) in fiscal year 2024 were:

New York ($11.8 million)

California ($10.7 million)

Illinois ($5.6 million)

Virginia ($5.5 million)

Massachusetts ($4.8 million)

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The top 10 cities with the highest amount of discretionary grant funds that year were:

New York, NY ($4 million)

Washington, DC ($3.6 million)

Philadelphia, PA ($3.2 million)

Chicago, IL ($2.9 million)

Los Angeles, CA ($2.1 million)

San Francisco, CA ($2.1 million)

Columbia, SC ($1.8 million)

Boston, MA ($1.7 million)

Seattle, WA ($1.7 million)

Norfolk, VA ($1.4 million)

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LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LAWSUIT AGAINST TRUMP'S EXECUTIVE ORDER

— The American Library Association has a timeline and FAQ related to Trump’s executive order.

— You can also use AP's lawsuit tracker to see this and other lawsuits challenging executive orders and actions by the administration.

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CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS

— Reach out to your state’s library association and ask them how libraries are adapting to the federal funding cuts. Identify those in less populated, rural areas. Which programs or services have been paused or suspended? Which age group, population and demographics do those services help (e.g., talking book programs usually help residents with visual impairments)?

— Connect with the leadership at your local library and library board if you have one to get their initial take on cuts they may be experiencing, and impacts like loss of staff, reduction in services and related issues like the high cost of e-books and audio books.

— Use the awarded grants tracker to find specific examples of libraries, cultural centers, museums and Native American tribes that have benefited from federal funding your area. Call these organizations and ask: Has this grant been cancelled? How does this program benefit the community? Will this institution have to cancel services or lay off staff?

— Visit a local library that has had to scale back its offerings and ask visitors what they think about it. Are they having a more difficult time borrowing physical or digital books? How far is their commute, and are there other libraries they visit, too?

— Some IMLS funding was specific to museums that promote Native American, Latino and African American history and culture. How are museums covering these topics in your area affected, especially in light of the Trump administration’s wider stance against diversity, equity and inclusion?

— Has your region’s congressional representative or senator signaled support for continuing to fund libraries, despite the president’s order? The American Library Association has a running list of members of Congress who have signed letters supporting library funding in the coming year. Compare who signed in previous years to who has signed it now. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/fund-libraries. You can contact ALA at cmomedia@ala.org.

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

— See budget history for IMLS here: https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/imls-appropriations-history-2016-2025.pdf

— See Grants to State funding by state each year since 2020 here (does not include discretionary funding): https://www.imls.gov/find-funding/funding-opportunities/grants-to-states/state-allotment-data

— Learn more about discretionary grant programs to individual libraries, museums and other initiatives

— Learn more about the Grants to State program (grants to state library administrative agencies)

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READ ADDITIONAL AP COVERAGE

Libraries struggle to afford the demand for e-books, seek new state laws in fight with publishers

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Localize It is a resource produced regularly by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org.