ALA Action Alert: Federal Library Funding Cut in FY 2019 Proposal

Advocacy Alert: Federal Library Funding   Send an Email  Tweet at Congress  What Happened This week, the White House released its budget proposal for FY2019. As we anticipated, the budget proposed a significant cut to federal library funding. The administration's budget proposal eliminates the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which provides approximately $183 million in direct funding to libraries through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). The budget proposal also eliminates the $27 million Innovative Approaches to Literacy program administered by the Department of Education. Why It Matters These proposed cuts would impact many libraries across the country. While public and school libraries would see the largest effects, academic libraries with state-funded databases are also implicated. Since each state is required to match one-third of their federal LSTA grants, any cut to LSTA in the FY2019 budget is likely to lead to a cut on the state level. In addition, the cuts to IAL specifically target school library funding, which will make it harder for vulnerable schools to acquire the books, resources, and training needed to provide high-quality literacy programs for their students.  Wait, What Happened to the FY 2018 Budget? Last week, Congress passed and the president signed an FY2018 budget deal that will likely include at least level funding for federal library programs at FY 2017 levels. While this budget agreement is a positive step towards resolving the FY 2018 budget, Congress will still be working on the final spending bill for a few more weeks. The ALA Washington Office will continue to monitor progress on the bill.   What You Can Do Now Congress will have the final say on budget allocations for these programs in the FY2019 budget. Now is the time to let them know how important federal library funding is to their constituents. Use the ALA Action Center to send your Representatives an email  and ask for their public support of library funding throughout the FY2019 appropriations cycle. This will be a many-step process and we will need your help at key times along the way. Stay tuned for updates.  Send an Email  Tweet at Congress  Need More Information? Visit District Dispatch for up-to-date news from the ALA Washington Office or and find additional resources on our website.   Contact Us ALA Washington Office 1615 New Hampshire Ave NW, 1st Floor Washington, D.C. 20009-2520 Phone: 202-628-8410 • Toll Free: 1-800-941-8478 Subscribe Ready to take action? Subscribe to our Action Center.