To the editor:

Most Americans have probably never heard of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Yet, this small U.S. government agency—with just over 70 employees—has a huge impact on our communities by funding important library and museum programs across the nation, including right here in Barrington.

Unfortunately, the IMLS and the grants it provides through the bipartisan Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)—costing only about $1 per person each year—are now under serious threat due to a recent executive order signed by President Trump. This order has placed nearly all IMLS employees on leave and seized their computers, leaving the future of already approved 2025 grants uncertain.

These cuts won’t achieve any meaningful savings or efficiency. Instead, they’ll damage programs that directly benefit our community. 

In Barrington, recent LSTA grants have helped our library set up a portable recording studio for oral histories and podcasts, digitize three decades of Barrington Times archives, support summer reading programs, provide social-emotional learning kits for children, and offer fashion and sewing workshops for teens. This year, we had planned new projects including a story walk for families, sewing classes for adults, and a teen writing workshop—all now at risk.

The trustees of the Barrington Public Library want to thank Senator Jack Reed for leading a bipartisan effort to restore these essential grants and Attorney General Peter Neronha for co-leading a multi-state lawsuit aimed at blocking the harmful executive order. We encourage all community members to contact local, state, and federal representatives to show support for IMLS and the crucial services it funds.

We’re currently celebrating National Library Week, which should be a time of appreciation for everything our libraries provide. Instead, we must stand up now and in the months ahead to protect our valuable local library—and libraries everywhere.

Respectfully,

Vince Wicker, president; Esme Devault, vice president; Chris Watson, treasurer; Fran Rasmussen, secretary; and members-at-large Laura Laurence, Heidi Rayden, and Elizabeth Griffin

The Barrington Library Trustees