After Dust Settles, IMLS Allocates 11.5 Percent Less for Libraries in FY11

When Congress finally passed on April 14 a budget for fiscal year 2011, it contained $237.4 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), $28.5 million less than appropriated in FY10. And today the IMLS made public how it will allocate that money, including to the federal agency's library programs.

Laura Bush program cut in half
The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), the bulk of the IMLS appropriation, will total $189 million, which is down 11.5 percent from the $213.5 million appropriated in FY10. LSTA funds the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program which will absorb the largest cut, going from $24.5 million in FY10 to $12.8 million in FY11. The Grants to State Library Agencies program, the largest federal program for libraries, also comes from the LSTA pot and it will be cut $12.6 million, to $160 million. LSTA also funds National Leadership Grants ($12.2 million, down from $14 million) and Native American Library Services (flat funding at $4 million).

"In making these allocations IMLS balanced interests in supporting 'what works' and also investing in 'what's new' through innovation and research," Susan Hildreth, the director of IMLS, said in a statement. "In addition to making careful reductions to IMLS programs, we are also reducing our administrative budget and will be rigorously examining our operations for cost-efficiency measures."

Emily Sheketoff, the executive director of the American Library Association's Washington office, was sharply critical of Congress and the administration.

"This is very much more than we were anticipating. It's very uneven," she told LJ. "If the big issue in this country is jobs, then why are you cutting the place where people in this country go to look for a job when they are out of work? This is the money that pays for the tools that people use to look for a job. That's what's being cut. What does the administration and the Congress not understand about that?" she said.

For FY12, President Obama is requesting $242.6 million for the IMLS, $193.2 million of which would go to LSTA,

"ALA's message for FY12 is level fund libraries at $213.5 million," Sheketoff said, referring to the LSTA FY10 appropriation.

Until Congress struck the budget deal, the IMLS had been acting under the continuing spending resolutions that had been passed in September. These provided IMLS a pro-rata sum based on the FY10 appropriation, which totaled $282.2 million when earmarks are included. However, the agency knew that it was unlikely to receive the same budget for FY11, so it had been spending and budgeting conservatively over the past several months, Mamie Bittner, the deputy director of IMLS's Office of Policy, Planning, Research, and Communications, told LJ.

"We did not spend at the FY10 rate because we could not be sure what the eventual appropriation would be," she said.

Possible silver lining
Sheketoff said that one consolation within recent Congressional actions was the introduction of a bill (HR1616) by U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) which would amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to integrate public libraries into state and local workforce investment boards.

"HR1616 would open up funding that is already going out for workforce investment to public libraries," Sheketoff said. "So, libraries will have some federal assistance for work that they are already doing. It will enable libraries to do more," she said.

H.R. 1616 has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.