By Megan Cullins and Morgan Blair, contributors
Despite the Trump Administration’s call through an executive order to cut to library funding, library leaders in the Valley say the local systems won’t be directly affected.
Zach Elder, the Massanutten Regional Library director, said the nonprofit system — with libraries in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County and Page County — doesn’t receive a lot of federal funding.
The library has a budget of about $3.1 million, according to the MRL website, and it relies largely on local government contributions and fundraising,. The latter has averaged about $277,000 a year over the last three years.
Most of the grants that MRL receives are local so they aren’t affected by federal or state funding. In the fiscal year that ended June 30, MRL had already received all its grants and allocated funds. President Donald Trump’s March 14 executive order listed, among other agencies, the Institute of Museum and Library Services to be “eliminated to the maximum extent” of the law. That federal agency offers funding and grants to libraries across the country.
“If they [the federal government] decide to put less money into state libraries, then yes, it will trickle down to every public library across the commonwealth,” Elder said. As of now, “I feel like we are in a solid position.”
Today’s libraries are about much more than books. For example, MRL offers events almost every day for children, teens and adults.
MRL also maintains a library of things where people can check out and return supplies, such as camping gear, games and, puzzles. A seed ‘library’, also allows and seeds for people to choose from donated seeds to use in gardens plant.
Elder said internet access — which not everyone can afford or has access to — and meeting rooms help people learn and participate in online job interviews or telehealth appointments.
Libraries also increase literacy rates and help non-native English speakers learn.
“We have a ton of people who come here to learn English or hone their English skills. Then through that, apply for citizenship,” Elder said.
Similarly, the Shenandoah County Library system isn’t expecting any major losses of funding, Director Sandy Whitesides said.
“I think the state legislature should get a lot of credit for supporting libraries,” Whitesides said. “We’ve seen increases in our state aid funding over the past several years, and the current legislation states they intend to reach full funding for state aid to libraries.”
Whitesides said state officials from the Library of Virginia keep his the library system updated on funding issues, and the agency hasn’t given a reason to worry yet.
The move to cut funding from libraries, Whitesides said, seems more like a “targeted attack” than an attempt to reduce the federal budget.
“You’re not going to balance the budget on cutting libraries,” Whitesides said. “It’s such a small amount of money that, again, multiplies out so efficiently.”
Harrisonburg Vice Mayor Dany Fleming said he agrees that curtailing federal funding from library systems reflects a wish by some politicians to make the nation “less aware and educated.”
“It’d be devastating to see our libraries hurt,” Fleming said. “I think our libraries have a more vital role moving into the future and are rethinking how they are engaged and how they support our community … in really good and positive ways.”
The impact of losing library funding extends beyond the public’s ability to borrow books. Local libraries benefit the local economy, Elder said.
Without money being invested into libraries, communities aren’t going to see the same level of financial return to the local economy. This is a problem that libraries are concerned about nationwide.
Sam Helmick, president of the American Library Association, said businesses and corporations won’t want to develop in a city that’s not being invested in, as libraries also provide access to meeting spaces, as well as resources and internet access for people to apply for jobs or get skills training.
“We know statistically from studies that for every dollar that you invest in an American library you get about five to nine dollars return on your investment,” Helmick said. “So talking about the loss of dollars is one thing, talking about the potential loss of that return investment is significant”
The American Library Association has challenged Trump’s Executive Order that included library cuts by filing a lawsuitin April along with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the country’s largest union for public workers.
The ALA has started a campaign called “Show Up for Our Libraries” to help local libraries raise awareness about potential effects of funding cuts. People across the country are encouraged to call their representatives or write letters. ALA’s website also guides people on how to start public conversations, organize library tours, and find other ways to support libraries.
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