The President's Letter

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      I try to stay off my soapbox. I really do. In fact, I’d say I’m a laissez-faire sort of guy in many ways. But, every once in a while, I’m left scratching my mostly hairless head and asking no one in particular, “Do they really understand what they’re doing? Do they understand that the benefits far outweigh the costs when it comes to federally funded services like the IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services)?”

      With everything else going on in the world, there’s a reasonable and understandable likelihood that you haven’t heard much about the administration in Washington seeking to defund IMLS, a fairly small—70 employees and $314 million budget—but critically important agency that makes access to library services much more extensive and easier for millions of people.

      Without funding from IMLS, nearly $5 million in annual support  for the Library of Michigan and its outreach programs would evaporate. Those funds, in part, make it possible for Michigan to operate MeL (Michigan eLibrary), a system that creates a centralized catalog that allows libraries throughout the state to share resources. In other words, it gives people of all ages—especially students—access to much more than a single local library could ever hope to provide.

      A quick visit to the MeL website shows the many ways that this expanded window on the world benefits kids beyond the obvious. Sure, there’s a pretty good chance that the MeL site might be slightly biased in singing its own praises. But, every library professional I have spoken to on the topic sings its praises and say to diminish it would diminish the ability of libraries—especially smaller and rural libraries—in their ability to fulfill their mission.

      We’ve been taught from an early age that there are two sides to a coin. On one side of our theoretical coin is the argument that IMLS is more than a luxury. It’s an essential agency whose financial grants help connect libraries and their patrons with a vast array of tools and knowledge. And, of course, the other side of the coin is the argument that IMLS is simply another non-essential federal agency caught in the crosshairs of deficit reduction efforts.

      If we were to flip the coin right now, which side would you hope to see come up? Whichever it might be, we encourage you to make your feelings known to your senators and representative in Congress. You can find their contact information on the internet.

      Okay, I’m going to get down off my soapbox now before I fall off. Thanks for listening.

--Joe David

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