ELK RAPIDS — Libraries across the county, including ones here in Northern Michigan, say they’ll soon feel the impact from the latest round of cuts to federal agencies.
President Trump recently signed an executive order defunding the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The cuts are part of an ongoing effort by the Trump Administration to eliminate parts of the government they feel are unnecessary, but local libraries say the loss in funding will have a serious impact.
“So, this is much bigger than just our small community. This is going to impact accessibility for the whole state and the region,” says Pam Williams, Director of the Elk Rapids District Library. “If you aren’t part of a college university library, where are you going to get the research that you need?”
The Elk Rapids District Library is locally funded, but funding for extra resources often comes from federal dollars allocated to the Institute of Museum and Library Services or IMLS. But those extra dollars may not come past September of this year, after President Trump signed an executive order defunding the Institute.
Pam Williams is the Executive Director of the Elk Rapids Library and she worries about what programs she might no longer be able to offer the community.
“If you don’t have money for tutoring, where are you going to be able to prepare for testing for the SAT or ACT?” Williams said. “Other things that the IMLS supports are for the summer reading program. So, they supply information and themes for every library in the state of Michigan to tap into. Also, some of the things with data collection, they collect data around the country about the status of libraries, and that helps librarians to make decisions about programs or buildings that they’re going to build for the future. So, when that goes away, that’s going to be devastating.”
The Library of Michigan received more than $4 million this past fiscal year from the IMLS.
Money that was then shared with libraries across the state, including the Elk Rapids Library, which received more than $2,000 for staff development.
“I was told that the funding is up to date till September of 2025, but once that hits, if they do eliminate IMLS, those resources will go away,” Williams said. ”There will be no Melcat, so what we have on our shelves is what you get. Also, you would have to go to another library if you want a specific book. Another thing is that all the databases will also be gone. So, anyone who depends on the genealogy or the test prep or the college prep for the job preparations, those will be gone.”
Williams says she now hopes the funding isn’t truly gone for good.
“How important it is to contact your congressman. Let them know that IMLS is an important asset to the libraries in Michigan, and actually, IMLS supports libraries all across the nation.”