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Save Our Museums and Libraries – An Action Diary [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-03-18

I’ve been on this site for almost 20 years and rarely write a diary. But…

You may not have heard of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), but as someone who has worked in libraries for 20 years, I know it to be an organization that supports wonderful work through federal grant-giving, for museums, libraries, state libraries, and archives. Look at the amazing projects it funded in 2024 in California alone (seriously, click on the log number for details – awe awaits!).

Well, IMLS is in the orange menace’s crosshairs as he signed an executive order on Friday, March 14 (I love the theory that we won’t notice if it happens on a Friday) to do away with IMLS funding. You can learn about the details via another organization you may not have heard of, EveryLibrary, which fights for libraries all over the country.

EveryLibrary does direct you to action on its page, as well as the American Library Association, so please feel free to follow their directives. My purpose is to make this as easy as possible in one place. Please call your reps. I know, we are fighting on so many fronts, but libraries are the last free space, the third place. We support literacy and are against censorship. We work in our communities tirelessly. If you haven’t been to a library in a while, you would be so surprised at what you would find. Books, ebooks, audiobooks, cultural programming, social services, libraries of things, and so much more, all for FREE. Not to mention, the modern library is way more fun than your mother’s library. No, I do not shush people all day. So…

Find your Senator here

Find Your House Rep here

Here’s the script:

Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY]



I'm calling to demand that [REPRESENTATIVE OR SENATOR] oppose any efforts by the executive branch to dismantle or abolish the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It is essential to preserve IMLS services and funding, which in turn supports summer reading, workforce readiness, early childhood development and literacy, services to Veterans, the blind, rural and Tribal libraries, access to ebooks, and more. It also supports community grants to address local needs.



OPTIONAL: In my community, funding provided through the IMLS has supported [list projects supported by LSTA, Laura Bush, National Leadership, Native American Library and other IMLS grant programs].



This funding is critical for libraries to meet the needs of our communities.

Thank you for your time and consideration.



IF LEAVING VOICEMAIL: Please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied.

We can do it! We know the cheeto caves and is incredibly weak. Obviously this is library centric as that is my bailiwick, so if anyone wants to chime in with a script for museums or archives, please feel free in to the comments!

Thanks for reading!

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/18/2310989/-Save-Our-Museums-and-Libraries-An-Action-Diary?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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