Suffolk County Library Association’s (SCLA) Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order Eliminating IMLS Funding
The Suffolk County Library Association (SCLA) strongly opposes the Executive Order issued on March 14, 2025, which advances the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) which is the only federal agency solely dedicated to supporting libraries and museums across the United States.
The IMLS plays a vital role in ensuring equitable access to information, education, technology, and community services for all Americans. Through programs like the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), IMLS funding aids local libraries in offering essential services, including early literacy initiatives, workforce development programs, technology access, services for veterans, and resources for lifelong learning. In New York State alone, IMLS provided nearly $20 million in FY2024 to sustain these critical services.
Libraries throughout Suffolk County use IMLS-administered funding to help meet the needs of our diverse communities. From homework help and job search support to digital literacy training and language learning programs, the resources provided through IMLS are foundational to the work our community libraries do every day. Eliminating IMLS would not only devastate these programs but also widen the digital divide, reduce community access to knowledge, and undermine the infrastructure that supports lifelong learning in every corner of Suffolk County.
In solidarity with the New York Library Association, SCLA urges President Trump to reverse his decision and we call on our federal, state, and local elected officials to do what they must to reject this harmful proposal and to stand in support of libraries, their workers, and the millions of individuals and families they serve. We urge residents across Suffolk County to speak out in defense of the IMLS and advocate for continued investment in library services that strengthen communities and change lives.
If you have not done so, please consider becoming a library advocate and signing NYLA’s petitions: Protect Our Libraries – Increase State Funding Now! & Defend IMLS Now!
Libraries are not a luxury, they are a lifeline. Now more than ever, we must fight to preserve and protect them.