- United States
- Wisc.
- Letter
I am a mother of two school-age children, a teacher, and a proud member of my community in Waukesha, Wisconsin. I ask that you call out for our federal government to restore all staff and funds to the Institute of Museum and Library Services and all other federal programs that support our libraries.
I agree with the recent injunction by our justice system, pausing the executive order that attacked this program, and the judge's opinion that this is an overreach of our executive branch. This program was founded by Congress, and for our president to summarily close it down is not ethical or right.
The program has a small staff that do amazing, big work on a limited budget. It was founded to provide extra help to local libraries and museums, particularly in places that serve rural or lower-income communities. This program has done exactly that for years, and our nation's libraries have grown into true centers of their communities with the help of those funds.
At our library here in Waukesha, the staff go above and beyond to help the many people who come in every single day. It is a place to get books, take literacy classes, check out passes to museums for families who could not otherwise afford to go, find board games, attend movie nights and cooking classes, and explore and create in a makerspace with materials and equipment many could not afford to own. The computers at our library are always busy with people taking online classes or working on job applications.
All of these things and more expose children and adults to learning and ideas that they could not get anywhere else. Our own family has an extremely tight budget, despite both my husband and I working full time jobs, and we are incredibly grateful for the life experiences our children have had through our library.
This is exactly what our tax dollars should be spent on. These are the programs we need to have a thriving, literate America that will lead the world. This is how we help grow the scientists, explorers, and change-makers of tomorrow. Restore this program and all of its staff immediately, and call out for our president to make decisions that actually work for the good of the people you and he were elected to serve.
