Call to action! If you, like many homeschoolers, borrow books from libraries across the state, the delivery for that interlibrary loan system, as well as other programs, may cease to exist due to federal funding being cut. 

Homeschoolers are a beautifully diverse group of people. We care deeply about the childhood, education, and growth of our children and families and we have so many ways in which we do so! But one commonality that I hear across families, across groups, across ideologies and approaches and philosophies is the importance of our libraries.

In 2020, ENRICHri conducted a survey of homeschoolers and their library use. 96% of respondents said that libraries are important to their homeschool success. 82% of respondents agreed on one service which they use - Interlibrary Loan (ILL), and more than 60% specified that they used ILL frequently. 

Unfortunately, with the current Executive Order of March 14th ordering the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to be eliminated and the actions taken on March 31st to effectively close the institution, the federal funding that our libraries rely on for programs, including ILL, are at risk. From the Rhode Island Office of Library Services (OLIS) regarding ILL: “the cost of the delivery service is supplemented with federal funds. If federal funding is cut, delivery service will be impacted; the extent to which the service is cut will depend on the extent of the federal funding cut. In addition, the salaries of staff who work in the area of delivery are partially supported with federal funds.” 

Currently, the extent of cuts to the funding looks to be 100% as IMLS was effectively shuttered on April 1st. According toEverylibrary “Work on processing 2025 grants and 2026 applications has ceased entirely, and the status of previously awarded grants is now unclear.”

There are many other potential impacts of the funding cuts as well, including to summer reading programs, book award programs, and support for the Rhode Island Center for the Book to support programs for children, teens, and adults.

What Can You Do?

1. Call or email your members of Congress to urge them to overturn this executive order and protect IMLS funding. Share your personal stories of why the library is important to you and your family.
2. Learn more from the American Library Association and sign up for their action alerts to be up to date on current events pertaining to this action.
3. Learn more about the impact to local libraries and services in Rhode Island from OLIS.
4. Share this information with your friends, family, and network in and out-of-state. This will affect libraries nationwide.

Our libraries have long been there for us - please join us to stand up for them!