The lawsuit, filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues that the administration’s recent actions—which include firing most IMLS staff, terminating grant programs, and effectively shutting down the organization’s operations—are both illegal and, separately, unconstitutional.
Activity tagged "libraries"
“Make no mistake about it, the elimination of funding for libraries is a political assault on First Amendment rights, access to information, and the freedom to read,” Schram told HuffPost. “It is a stark reminder of how easy it is for someone who has apparently never utilized the services that libraries provide, to deprive those who desperately need those services from accessing them,” she said.
nothing like the panic when your hold on an audiobook with a two week waitlist becomes available when you’re 12% into another one
quite relieved to discover that the library cloud lending error i was getting yesterday was due to an app outage and not my librarians deciding i needed to be cut off
If Keith Sonderling truly wanted to “ensure we preserve our country’s core values”, he would not be placing libraries “in lockstep with this Administration” and ordering them to “focus on patriotism” or “promote American exceptionalism”.
Ministry of Truth shit.
First and foremost, “steering this organization in lockstep with this Administration” is the antithesis of what museums and libraries do. These public, democratic institutions offer a breadth and depth of information and resources to ensure that users are able to understand a wide range of ideas and perspectives on any given topic. This allows people to think for themselves and draw conclusions based on evidence, rather than on what someone tells them to be the truth.
The consequences of shutting down the Institute of Museum and Library Services would be particularly dire for smaller museums and rural museums.
every damn time
Support your library
get library cards and use them often (online e-book and audiobook rentals count!). sign up to volunteer at your local library. donate money to your library’s general fund. run for a spot on the library board.
join and participate in your local “friends of the library” group. donate books (if your library accepts book donations). set up your own little free library. vote for library funding when it’s on your local ballot.
fill out comment cards to leave positive comments. request new materials that you’d like to see added to the stacks. like and share your library’s social media content.
