The library world experienced a victory yesterday when the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a temporary restraining order to block President Trump’s dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the only federal agency dedicated to the nation’s libraries and museums.
The decision was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), represented by Democracy Forward and Gair Gallo Eberhard LLP.
On March 14, President Trump issued Executive Order 14238, which directed the elimination of IMLS. As a result, nearly all agency staff were put on administrative leave, grants were terminated, all members of the IMLS board were dismissed, and crucial data collection and research was halted. These actions left IMLS unable to fulfill its duties required by federal law and threw libraries across the country into a state of chaos.
The temporary restraining order was issued days before the mass layoff of nearly all IMLS employees was set to take effect on May 4.
“The immediate halt to the gutting of IMLS is a win for America’s libraries and the millions of Americans who rely on them,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “ALA is encouraged that the court recognizes the immediacy of the need for IMLS and library services at risk. The temporary restraining order will stop the dismantling of IMLS while the court considers the merits in this case.”
Hohl continued: “Even with a temporary restraining order in place, Congress also must act to ensure our nation’s libraries can continue to serve their communities, including by funding IMLS for next year.”
The fight continues
Despite this win, the battle is not over. Just today, President Trump announced his Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget plan which calls for the elimination of funding for IMLS. ALA is fighting back—and we need your help.
Parallel to its efforts to preserve IMLS through litigation, ALA has mounted a campaign to secure funding for IMLS in FY2026. ALA is currently asking advocates like you to request their Congressmembers to demonstrate their commitment to library funding by signing congressional “Dear Appropriator” letters in support of IMLS funding next year. The window for Congressmembers to sign on to the FY2026 library funding letters is expected to close in mid-May.
“There is one final wall of defense against destruction of federal funding for libraries, constituents who tell elected leaders to continue providing libraries the federal resources that bring opportunity to millions of Americans,” Hohl said. “Right now is prime time for every American to show up for our libraries by urging their Senators and Representatives to sign ‘Dear Appropriator’ letters in support of federal library funding.”
You can also help ALA fight for libraries by becoming an ALA Supporter.
In these times, with federal funding gutted and censorship on the rise, libraries need your help. At ALA, we are here to protect libraries, today and for generations to come.
Your donation to ALA helps us do just that. It allows us to support libraries and librarians who work every day for their communities. It helps your neighbors gain skills to start a business; enables a child to discover themselves through books and programs; and keeps libraries strong, open, and free for everyone.
Join us as today as a Supporter of the American Library Association—because there’s never been a more important time to stand up for libraries.
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Photo: Exterior of the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C. which houses the U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
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