Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Libraries topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State Library tells Appropriations Committee IMLS funding uncertain; highlights services and cuts to supplies
Summary
The Department of Libraries told the House Appropriations Committee that federal IMLS funding remains uncertain while the department maintains ABLE services, an interlibrary courier and a $90,000 annual grant to Vermont Law and Graduate School. The department noted a roughly 23% cut to supplies tied to flat federal dollars and rising personnel costs.
A representative of the Department of Libraries (identified in testimony only by role) told the House Appropriations Committee on Jan. 27 that the department continues to provide statewide services — including the ABLE Library for patrons with qualifying print disabilities, the CLOVER interlibrary-search platform and a statewide courier network — while operating under flat federal grant assumptions and rising personnel costs.
The presenter said the department has 18 permanent staff and two limited-service staff working on capital grants, and described an annual $90,000 grant to the Vermont Law and Graduate School that preserves access to a robust law-library resource for Vermonters.
On federal support, the presenter said there was a period when the federal administration appeared poised to eliminate Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grants to states, but that outcome has not occurred. “We still have funding from IMLS,” the presenter said, noting a court ruling in favor of the states in related litigation and that a House-Senate appropriations agreement includes roughly $181 million for IMLS at the federal level. However, the presenter cautioned that final award letters remain delayed while the federal government operates on continuing resolutions; the department’s FY27 budget is predicated on the federal award being made.
Committee members raised a roughly 23% cut to the department’s supply budget for books and periodicals. The presenter said flat federal funds, contract and staffing cost increases, and shifts toward electronic collections required reductions in physical-material purchases and related processing supplies. The department said it is prioritizing digital resources (Palace Project app, online databases), interlibrary loan and workforce development (continuing education and a certificate of public librarianship for staff without an MLIS) to maximize access around the state.
The presenter also described digital and access programs: the ABLE Library expansion to youth services; a courier network that now includes the University of Vermont; STEAM and youth kits (including NASA backpacks and telescopes); and a suite of continuing-education offerings for local library staff.
On digitization, the department said large-scale digitization of older collections remains costly and that previous work with the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) was paused while the national platform reorganizes; any statewide digitization effort would require substantial resources. Members asked for cost estimates; the presenter said the department can develop those figures.
The presenter closed by offering to provide the committee with additional reports (including the Vermont Law and Graduate School’s annual grant report) and follow-up numbers on program participation and supply impacts.
