Chicago Tribune - Editorial: Leave libraries alone. They more than pay their way.



By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune
PUBLISHED: April 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM CDT

Our public libraries serve as a great equalizer, offering the chance for anyone — rich and poor alike — to access great novels, nonfiction and literature without spending a dime. Budgetary concerns notwithstanding, throwing library funding into limbo is a terrible idea.

Amid a flurry of executive orders from President Donald Trump creating uncertainty in many corners of our lives, a recent order targets the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which provides federal funding that supports local libraries.

There’s much to support when it comes to identifying wasteful spending — and cutting it.

This is not one of those instances. The IMLS doles out $267 million in grants to public libraries. This funding pales in comparison with Medicaid and Social Security and countless other federal expenditures. As Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias pointed out, it’s just 0.003% of federal spending. Eliminating it isn’t going to make a dent in America’s $2 trillion deficit.

But it may well put at risk vital services like access to books your library system doesn’t have but can obtain from a sister system. And these funds support upkeep for library buildings — a cost libraries struggle on their own to handle.

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