Americans have loved and relied on public, school and academic libraries for generations. By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer:
To dismiss some 75 committed workers and mission of an agency that advances opportunity and learning is to dismiss the aspirations and everyday needs of millions of Americans. And those who will feel that loss most keenly live in rural communities.
- Early literacy development and grade-level reading programs
- Summer reading programs for kids
- High-speed internet access
- Employment assistance for job seekers
- Braille and talking books for people with visual impairments
- Homework and research resources for students and faculty
- Veterans’ telehealth spaces equipped with technology and staff support
- STEM programs, simulation equipment and training for workforce development
- Small business support for budding entrepreneurs
As seedbeds of literacy and innovation, our nation’s 125,000 public, school, academic and special libraries deserve more, not less support. Libraries of all types translate 0.003% of the federal budget into programs and services used in more than 1.2 billion in-person patron visits every year, and many more virtual visits.
This news is tragic!! We need the above library services for everyone here in the USA. And, especially, for marginalized and poverty stricken regions that have less access to educational resources.
I am a US taxpayer and I want my tax dollars to fund public libraries and the programs they offer!! #showupforourlibraries
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