1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

At the Washington Library Association annual conference this weekend, librarians from the Washington State Library presented some truly upsetting and staggering news about the upcoming losses that Washington libraries are facing. Grants from the IMLS, which has been gutted by a recent executive order that aims to “continue the reduction of the federal bureaucracy.” Museums and libraries are not “federal bureaucracy.” They are deeply important local resources that Washington communities rely on that just happen to receive federal funding. This funding, which accounts for merely 0.04% of the federal budget, helps make Washington history accessible through digitization projects, connects small and rural libraries through website support, keeps the public informed through newspaper databases, and so much more. Libraries are the best return on investment we have, not to mention integral to the wellbeing of our communities. Please show them support in the upcoming budget.