By Maya Betti, News Intern
Minnesota libraries are bracing for major impacts if federal lawmakers move forward with a proposal to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services, or IMLS — the country’s primary source of federal library funding.
Locally, Southeastern Libraries Cooperating — or SELCO — supports 36 member libraries across 11 southeastern Minnesota counties, including Rice County, by coordinating resources, managing technology systems, and expanding access to materials.
SELCO Executive Director Krista Ross says IMLS funding supports the behind-the-scenes work that allows local libraries to thrive.
“What we do is really work on economies of scale and provide resources and provide more. So we work in the background,” – Krista Ross, Executive Director of SELCO on the KYMN Morning Show
35 of their 26 member libraries share a database of materials, and have access to 1.5 million items.
On a statewide level, Minitex, another library organization, connects more than 500 libraries across all 87 Minnesota counties — including public, academic, and K–12 institutions. Director Maggie Snow says IMLS supports their core services, such as interlibrary loans, which allow patrons to borrow books and other materials from libraries across the state.
These Interlibrary loans are crucial to local libraries and save a lot of money, according to Ross.
“They’re always something that our libraries don’t have, that are that someone a patron needs, and that’s where we can lean heavily on other collections across the state, so that libraries don’t have to spend money on something that maybe only one patron wants, or on something that actually isn’t available to purchase any longer,” – Krista Ross, Executive Director of SELCO on the KYMN Morning Show
Northfield’s public library is one example of a library that depends upon Minitex’s interlibrary loan services, according to Northfield Library Director Natalie Draper.
“Northfield in our region is a very heavy user of interlibrary loan. We bring two to 300 items a month, and through Minilinks, interlibrary loan service, and that is free to folks here.” – Natalie Draper, Northfield Director of Library Services on KYMN’s Library Love
MiniTex also offers other resources to local libraries, such as an “ASK MIN” 24/7 reference service, which allows anyone in Minnesota to ask a research question to Minnesota librarians from across the state. If federal cuts were to be implemented, Snow says that all of MiniTex’s services would be impacted.
Some of the different services MiniTex offers libraries and Minnesotans.
“If that funding loss would come through, it would impact, certainly, the interlibrary loan services throughout the state of Minnesota. We would anticipate delayed responses, possible delays in delivery or shorter delivery periods,” – Maggie Snow, Director of MiniTex on the KYMN Morning Show
According to Snow, Minitex can deliver to about 500 libraries overnight, reaching all 87 counties in Minnesota. With funding cuts, patrons could anticipate significant delays.
Another part of these cuts that is particularly exasperating for library professionals is the categorization of the IMLS as an “unnecessary expense.” Snow echoes this frustration, sharing how Minitex and other library systems already do a lot with very little.
“I think mini tech services are a fiscally responsible way to manage library collections and Library Services in Minnesota, we run very lean that the Minnesota, the federal funding that Minnesota receives for libraries is about $3.2 million which does not seem like very much, and it’s not compared to to other federally funded institutions and organizations, but it is very critical to library services in Minnesota,”
To Draper, this federal attitude shift against funding for libraries is counterintuitive, with the benefits greatly outweighing the cost — the cost being only .003% of the federal budget.
“We know libraries are a cornerstone of democracy, yeah, that we think they’re worthy of point .003% of the federal budget and and that that is, that is not a lot of money if you spread it out over the country, but it makes a huge difference here in Northfield,” – Natalie Draper, Northfield Director of Library Services on KYMN’s Library Love
Both Snow and Ross agree that the loss of federal funding doesn’t match the attitudes of the people who use their services. Ross says this might be indicative of an ongoing issue libraries face.
“I think it’s perhaps reflective of what we’ve struggled in libraries forever, which is not really a great understanding among the greater public of how libraries are funded. My guess is that most, the average person, didn’t even know there was an institute of Museums and Library Services and that federal funding supported library services in Minnesota at all,” – Krista Ross, Executive Director of SELCO on the KYMN Morning Show
To Snow, the numbers tell the real story.
“Minnesota is a state of readers. Last year, just in the public libraries, Minnesotans checked out 52 million items. That doesn’t count what’s circulated at the colleges or universities or any of the other special libraries. That’s just public libraries. 52 million items last year,” – Maggie Snow, Director of MiniTex on the KYMN Morning Show
In a period in time when funding decision often feel disconnect from on-the-ground impact, library leaders like Draper, Ross, and Snow emphasize that libraries aren’t just where books are stored, but also places with a deeper civic meaning, giving community members a place to meet, to gather information, and to connect.
I think libraries are actually a really great kind of example of America’s values. Like, it’s probably our best export, I would say, I would think it’s actually one of the coolest things America invented,” – Natalie Draper, Northfield Director of Library Services on KYMN’s Library Love
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