El Monte resident Jen Venegas is an avid fan of the local library. Venegas, who uses they/them pronouns, has been going to the Duarte Library several times a week for the last year and a half, looking for a comfortable space to accommodate their nephew J.D., who has ADHD.
“Having this designated time in a low stimulation environment helps him move through his homework easier, and it’s a bonding experience for us,” Venegas, 42, said. “I’m also neurodivergent, so the quiet chill of the library helps me as well, and I get a lot of work done.”
Venegas was “speechless” and “furious” at the idea that some library services in California and nationwide now hang in the balance, threatened by federal budget cuts from the Trump administration. This latest executive order aimed at reducing spending, issued March 14, targets libraries and museums nationwide, officials said.
Earlier this month, a nearly $16 million grant to the California State Library was abruptly ended, with more than 21% of funding lost for the current fiscal year. On April 1st, the state was suddenly notified that its $15.7 million Grants to States program, funded under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), has ended. The federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which administers the grant, is also being shuttered.
Though local libraries are mainly funded by the cities or counties they’re based in, state and federal grants, like this one, help pay for a range of programs — from early learning and literacy initiatives, to programs helping at-risk youth develop workforce skills — at over 1,000 libraries across California, officials said.
“We are deeply disappointed by this ill-informed decision, which immediately affects critical programs supported by these funds,” Rebecca Wendt, California Deputy State Librarian, said in a statement. “The California State Library remains committed to serving all of the people of California, and will explore alternative means to ensure continued access to essential library services.”
Though time will tell how specific statewide programs will be affected, funding losses are expected to be in the millions, officials said.
In a notice, IMLS acting director Keith Sonderling said the grant was “unfortunately inconsistent with IMLS’ priorities.”
In response, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and attorneys general in 19 other states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on April 4, just before National Library Week kicked off from April 6 to 12.
Calling Trump’s actions “blatantly illegal,” Bonta stated that the administration is “attempting to unilaterally shut down agencies the President doesn’t like, including agencies that give the public access to facts, knowledge, and cultural heritage for free or at low cost.”
Bonta said that the president’s “gutting” of the IMLS, which was among several agencies impacted by major layoffs, will “cause destructive harm to California’s libraries and museums and the communities they serve.”
California libraries employ around 17,000 staff working with the state’s 1,127 libraries, and serving around 23 million library cardholders, according to Bonta’s office.
IMLS funds support diverse, inclusive programs that serve Californians – especially lower-income families, seniors and veterans, a news release said. It helps California’s only shared eBook collection; the Career Online High School program, which enables adults to earn high school diplomas at their local libraries; and the Braille and Talking Book Library, which helps visually impaired readers access books in multiple formats.
Beyond literacy, grant funding “strengthens communities by supporting diverse programs that align with California’s cultural, educational, and environmental priorities,” officials said. It helps strengthen the library workforce through training and development, even supporting programs that promote government transparency — such as cataloging, or access to federal and state government documents.
Locally, many branches have used funds to offer free community access to major news publications, create climate education programs and community gardens.
Other ways include storytime events, language tutoring, free summer meals and reading programs, high-speed broadband initiatives, and services for veterans and formerly incarcerated people, tribal and rural communities.
Some library officials were dismayed at the defunding news.
In a statement, the American Library Association (ALA) said that library spending draws less than 0.003% of the annual federal budget. ALA president Cindy Hohl said defunding the IMLS is a “callous move,” calling it “downright cruel at a time when it’s getting harder for many Americans to make ends meet — most of all, in small and rural communities.”
Lessa Pelayo-Lozada, the arts and culture director of the Glendale Central Library, called the move a “stifling of innovation, hindering library workers and the creative solutions they provide in helping their communities thrive.”
“Although we do not yet know the long-term impact of the cuts to IMLS nationwide, we know that across the country it will result in decreased access to resources, books and information for all communities,” Pelayo-Lozada said.
San Bernardino city spokesperson Jeff Kraus agreed that diverse library programs play an “invaluable” role in communities like San Bernardino, which operates four local branches. These programs “make a difference in people’s lives, especially in the lives of kids,” he said, and “hard choices may have to be made” in terms of future programming.
“It’s hard to make a choice between seniors and kids, people that need job training or are looking for a job,” Kraus said. “It puts us in a difficult situation.”
Like other officials, Kraus worries about how these cuts could affect reading literacy in the area.
“Whether it affects one person or 10 people or 100 people, the program is not doing what it should be doing, so it’s disappointing.”
Many Southern California library-goers expressed worry for the future of information access — especially with Trump’s ongoing anti-DEI campaign, which has already seen changes to diverse, historical content on some federal websites.
Venegas, the El Monte resident, worried about the potential loss of accessible services for people with physical and mental disabilities. They said that local libraries offer tools like audiobooks for neurodivergent or visually-impaired readers. Using e-books and audiobooks helps with their carpal tunnel and is “definitely easier” to help manage pain.
And with rising inflation, Venegas and others also see libraries as a break from spending on books or activities.
“That’s one of the reasons libraries are so important,” Venegas said. “I may not be able to pay for a workshop I want to attend, but as a low-income person, knowing I can just pop into any library events for free is incredible.”
Moreno Valley resident Danielle Myers-Porter owns Get Lit Books and Things, an independent bookstore in the Moreno Valley Mall. She worried that low-income families could have less free opportunities to take their children to, especially with summer break approaching.
“This news is devastating because libraries do so much for the community,” Myers-Porter, 47, said. “It’s heartbreaking… I can imagine a lot of families will feel the impact of this.”
Pulitzer Prize winner and author Ilyon Woo recently spoke at an OC Public Libraries event, talking about her award-winning book, “Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom,” — a 2024 Pulitzer winner for Biography. Woo called libraries an “essential” part of her writing and researching process, calling them “another home and haven” for her.
She worried about the future of public literacy programs, like the one she was able to participate in during National Library Week. Federal cuts, she said, “are going to hurt Americans… everyone who uses libraries.”
“Libraries are the enactors of power,” Woo said. “Libraries are one of the things that make America great — and I hope in the future we can further invest in this greatness. As learning, community, creative and information centers, our public libraries are more important than ever, and they deserve our funding, respect, and love.”
Staff writers Hanna Kang, Erik Pedersen and Allyson Vergara contributed to this report.