OrangeBoy Statement on the IMLS

Libraries are the backbone of our communities. Not just repositories for books, they provide information and resources to job-seekers; educational programming for young families and children; internet connectivity for those without; a safe place to be with friends after school; and so much more. In uncountable ways, libraries strengthen the ties among us. Study after study shows that each dollar spent on libraries returns even more to the community.

Yet library funding is under attack—most recently, through the Executive Order effectively shuttering the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The IMLS is responsible for directing federal grant money to public libraries and museums. These grants support key initiatives and services. They are not extras, optional projects, or mere inefficiencies. We commend libraries for their efforts to provide these needed services to their communities.

Without the grants distributed by the IMLS, libraries will have to shut down core programs and limit their services. Not only will this hurt those people most in need of services today, but it will also do long-term damage by preventing people from bettering themselves, connecting with others, or finding and using sources of help that are available to them.

We stand with libraries and oppose the current administration’s efforts to eliminate the IMLS. Depriving libraries of these grants will not save money or make government more efficient. Rather, doing so will both hurt Americans today and lead to more—and bigger—problems tomorrow. We urge the administration and Congress to reverse these actions and restore the IMLS’s role in helping our communities thrive.

Joshua Feasel
President
OrangeBoy, Inc.