Library grants restored after court order

The Trump administration on Wednesday restored library grants after a judge determined attempts to defund and dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) were unlawful.

“Upon further review, the Institute of Museum and Library Services has reinstated all federal grants. This action supersedes any prior notices which may have been received related to grant termination,” IMLS, which funds libraries and museums in all 50 states, wrote in a statement.

The move follows a November ruling from District Judge John J. McConnell, who said the Trump administration’s push to suppress IMLS funding projects were illegal.

A group of 21 attorneys general initiated a lawsuit against the government in April after the White House cut the independent agency’s budget in half and placed staff members on administrative leave in an effort to bring operations to a “minimum presence.”

“The question presented in this case is a familiar one: may the Executive Branch undertake such actions in circumvention of the will of the Legislative Branch? In recent months, this Court — along with other courts across the country — has concluded that it may not. That answer remains the same here,” McConnell wrote in his ruling, according to the The Washington Post.

Last year, the IMLS agency gave libraries and museums $266.7 million in grants and funding for policymaking and research.

Corresponding organizations — including the American Library Association (ALA) — have celebrated the grants’ reinstatement.

“ALA welcomes the good news that IMLS is restoring all federal grants that had previously been terminated. This means that libraries across the country will be able to resume vital services for learning, imagination, and economic opportunity,” Sam Helmick, the association’s president, said in a statement.

“Restoration of these grants is a massive win for libraries of all kinds in all states. Every public, school and academic library and their patrons benefit from the research findings and program outcomes from individual library and organization grantees,” he added.

Helmick urged people to advocate for library funding in future years.

“We are breathing a sigh of relief, but the fight is not finished. The administration can appeal court decisions. Congress can choose to not fund IMLS in future years,” he said.

“ALA calls on everyone who values libraries to remind their Congressmembers and elected officials at every level why America’s libraries deserve more, not fewer resources.”