By Amari Harrison
Wayland Post Contributor
On March 14, President Trump signed Executive Order 14238 eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). But what does that mean for Wayland?
IMLS is an independent government agency created by Congress in 1996 “to advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development.” The IMLS administers the Library Services Technology Act (LSTA), which is a federal program that established the Grants to States Program. Every state in the U.S. has a related agency, which receives and then distributes LSTA funds locally through a competitive grant process. Our state’s agency is the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC).
Wayland received a total of $37,013 in federal funding over the past four years, including three grants for the public library and a grant for the Wayland High School library. More information about these grants and others, can be found at blclsta.com.
But if the IMLS is eliminated, grant opportunities disappear. Also, many of Massachusetts’ statewide databases and technology-related programs may be affected, as these are enabled by the LSTA also. The MBLC has already decided to suspend some grants and discontinue access to many databases in 2026 because of funding uncertainty.
This may impact library networks as well. Wayland is part of the Minuteman Library Network, which includes over 40 libraries in the MetroWest region. Minuteman is one of nine networks in the state. Libraries pay fees to belong to these networks so they can offer online public access catalogs. There’s cooperative borrowing within the network, but also outside the network, and there’s a delivery system through the Massachusetts Library System (MLS). The Commonwealth Catalog, ComCat, is another system that allows users to see all library resources statewide. These essential programs are maintained at least in part with federal funds. Although the MBLC is finding ways to make sure the state budget can cover services for 2026, the future is unknown. This is bad news for libraries everywhere, but especially those in rural communities.
“We are very fortunate,” said Christopher Lundquist, the library director at Wayland Free Public Library (WFPL). “We are a well-resourced, well-supported, historic library in Massachusetts.” WFPL is a municipal library, so its facilities and daily operations are fully funded by the town. The Friends of the WFPL, a local nonprofit, also raises about $30,000 per year to help fund special projects and professional development. WFPL also has a private endowment. And, importantly, our state is well-resourced. “We have really good people at the state level as well as at the local level,” Lundquist said. “We have great partnerships with the schools. We have amazing staff.”
But he doesn’t hide his concern. “I’ve never seen such existential threats to museums and libraries in my 30-year career. We’re advocating, working with our board and our state representatives and senators. A number of them have signed on to ‘Dear Appropriator’ letters, which urge members of the Appropriations Committee to support funding for libraries. We’re going to have to see how things play out,” Lundquist said, referring to two federal court cases reviewing the legality of Trump’s orders.
According to Lundquist, everyone needs to get involved. He suggested that residents email or send a letter to their state representatives, telling them they want to preserve and maintain federal funding for libraries and IMLS. “We just celebrated the 175th anniversary of Wayland’s public library. We want it to be here for the next 175 years, too,” he said.
