July 30, 2025
What does H.R.1 - One Big Beautiful Bill Act mean for federal library funding and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)? The One Big Beautiful Bill addresses mandatory and not discretionary spending. Mandatory spending includes Social Security, Defense, the National Debt, and Medicare/Medicaid. On the other hand, discretionary spending includes the FBI, Coast Guard, housing, education, space exploration, highway construction, and federal funding for libraries via IMLS.
The One Big Beautiful Bill does not resolve the issue of funding for IMLS. It provides the overall roadmap for the federal budget. The work in constructing the 2026 budget (October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026), including IMLS funding, will be addressed by the subcommittees charged with that portion of the budget, specifically the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. The Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Senator Susan Collins of Maine, has a meeting tomorrow, July 31, for Full Committee Markup of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Acts, and this includes IMLS funding. As the House is in recess until September, they will not take up budget markup until then.
While we are certainly very concerned for our colleagues at IMLS, I would also like to point out that IMLS does not necessarily have to exist for the New Hampshire State Library (NHSL) to receive its federal grant appropriation. Currently, Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds are distributed through IMLS. And also, as we see in other sectors of government, one of many possibilities is that LSTA funding could remain intact but be administered by a different federal agency.
It’s also worth noting that more legislators signed the “Dear Appropriator” letter for LSTA funding than have ever signed before. There remains value in connecting with your members of Congress to share stories and data about the impact and importance of IMLS funding to public libraries and the citizens we serve.
You are welcome to share this information with your stakeholders. If they would like to learn more about the federal budget reconciliation process - which Congress uses for three specific purposes, to make changes in the statutory debt limit, to make changes in revenues, and to make changes in direct (mandatory) spending, or any combination of the three - you can learn more from Congress or view a simplified explanation).
Bottom line:
We’re not in an emergency state. NHSL has been awarded federal funding that carries us through September 2026. This is the usual funding timing the NHSL has operated under for more than 10 years. With that being said, continued communication with our elected officials, when it is not a time of crisis, about the positive work libraries are doing every day, makes the work easier if there is a critical situation.
As always, we’re stronger together.
April 9, 2025
The NH statutes and information on this page relate to the governance and administration of libraries in the state.
An Executive Order issued Friday, March 14, 2025 calls for the reduction of statutory functions and elimination of non-statutory functions of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent federal agency that supports libraries and museums in all 50 states and U.S. territories. This decision will greatly impact the Hudson community and residents of the Granite State.
The New Hampshire State Library currently uses $1.5 million of IMLS money to fund the Interlibrary Loan program (ILL) as well as the online catalog and van service to support it. In 2024, the Rodgers Memorial Library loaned out 1,506 items to other libraries using the ILL service and borrowed 1,134 items from other libraries to fulfill RML patron needs.
The State Library also uses IMLS funds to provide Libby, the eBook, eAudiobook and digital magazine platform managed by Overdrive. In 2024, Hudson residents borrowed 12,644 eAudiobooks, 7,778 eBooks and 3,484 digital magazines using Libby. The State Library also uses the money to provide Talking Book services.
What can I do?
If not available, this funding will:
Dramatically affect the above-mentioned services we currently provide to our patrons,
Cripple the collaboration between New Hampshire libraries, and
Drastically reduce access to materials that our patrons currently use.
If you value the services mentioned above - services provided using IMLS funds - please contact your Congressional Delegation to express why the IMLS is important and how its loss will impact you and your fellow residents, not only in Hudson but in the state of New Hampshire.
Click on the tiles below for more information about the IMLS, the Executive Order, library services funded by the State Library with IMLS funds, and how funding cuts would impact NH libraries.
