Santa Barbara Public Library responds to Trump’s Funding Cuts for Libraries

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Trump administration mandated the reduction of agencies including The Institute of Museum and Library Services that funds libraries around the country.

Directors of the Santa Barbara Public Library are concerned about how this new directive could affect their services.

The library team hopes to keep critical services for the community.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services administers grants worth roughly $160 million in all 50 states.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services, which provides grants to “advance, support, and empower” museums, libraries and similar institutions in the U.S. according to its website, was named in an executive order this month.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the legal action calling the administration’s move to shutter the federal agency “illegal” and warning it threatens critical services at the state’s 1,127 public libraries.