PORT ANGELES — Libraries across the North Olympic Peninsula are bracing for impact after the federal government cut funding to the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is a federal agency established by Congress that annually distributes more than $200 million in grants.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on March 14, reducing funding for federal entities that it deemed unnecessary, and one of those was IMLS. On March 31, the entire IMLS staff of about 70 employees was placed on administrative leave.
Although Washington and 20 other states are suing the Trump administration over the defunding of the IMLS, among other agencies, local librarians are raising warning bells regarding the potential impacts of these funding cuts.
One of the largest impacts may be in the digital world.
The Washington State Library manages a program known as the Washington Anytime Library, which provides eBooks and eAudiobooks to patrons whose libraries are part of the Washington Digital Library Consortium.
Although libraries pay to help support that program, the position that manages those services is funded by the IMLS, said Noah Glaude, executive director of the North Olympic Library System (NOLS). IMLS also helps pay for additional copies of the most popular books.
“If we lose that funding, NOLS and other libraries around the state are going to have to figure out how to continue,” Glaude said.
The Washington Anytime Library is widely used by patrons of the NOLS, Glaude said, and its use keeps growing. In 2024, almost 6,000 users checked out more than 211,000 titles – a 13 percent increase compared with 2023.
However, providing access to those titles can be quite costly, as publishers charge higher fees for libraries and limit the number of times it can be checked out, Glaude said.
“That [online] format is really popular, but it’s been a challenge to keep up with the cost of it,” Glaude said. “We have our eye on it and are watching carefully.”
In addition, local libraries received notice Monday that access to the Statewide Database Licensing project would end on June 30 due to a loss of federal support.
That program provided libraries with low-cost access to databases, such as Gale, through IMLS support, Jefferson County Library District (JCLD) Acting Director Daniel Heaton said.
Now both NOLS and JCLD will have to determine whether they will end access to these databases or pay higher costs for access.
“Doing so would likely mean reducing funding from other areas of the budget, such as for collection materials,” Glaude said.
Another state-level program that will likely be cut is the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library, which mails Braille books to local patrons. About a dozen patrons of the JCLD use that program, Heaton said.
Cuts to that program will mean “there are resources that some of the most vulnerable in our community will not have access to,” Glaude said.
IMLS funding also has been used for special projects, such as digitizing a large collection of historical photos at NOLS. Additionally, IMLS grants passed through the state have supported such events as a robotics program and a tabletop gaming program, which will no longer be offered unless libraries can find alternative funding sources.
Federal cuts also will impact tribal libraries, such as the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Library and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Library.
Those libraries have lost access to the Basic Grant program, an annual non-competitive grant available specifically for tribal libraries. They use that funding for staffing, collection, subscriptions, professional development, supplies and more, said Cheryl Martin, tribal librarian for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Library.
Martin added that many of the impacts on public libraries will be felt by tribal libraries.
As federal funding impacts continue to emerge, and the state works on finalizing its budget, more local impacts of funding cuts could emerge.
“At the moment, we’re just at the start of seeing what cuts are taking place,” Heaton said.
Individuals interested in learning how to advocate for library funding can visit the American Library Association or EveryLibrary, or contact their legislators, Glaude said. As the situation continues to evolve, individuals can keep up to date by visiting nols.org/imls.
“We’re all in this together,” Glaude said.
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
Librarian Corrina Desmarais teaches North Olympic Library System patrons how to access free eBooks with their library cards.
