Some Good news for libraries:
After uncertainty surrounding federal funding and the fallout from Executive Order 14238 caused significant cuts to statewide research databases in May 2025, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) has started a phased process to restore some databases starting in July of 2026.
On Wednesday, January 28, 2026, Governor Maura Healey released her proposal for the FY2027 budget. The $62.8 billion budget includes a 2% increase for all Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) budget lines
Further Reading (and a summary of all that’s transpired with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), The Library of Congress and the US Copyright Office, and E-Rates for libraries)
Previous Update:
On Monday January 19, 2026, the Trump Administration began an appeal to the injunction issued in November, to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Court. A permanent injunction in Rhode Island vs. Trump directed that the IMLS cannot be further dismantled at the hands of the administration, and all grant funding must be restored. The appeal to this demonstrates how much the current administration is intent on dismantling the agency. While neither the House nor Senate have yet to determine the FY 2026 budget, the agency kept a budget near the amount of Fiscal Year 2025. The IMLS lost more than half of its already small staff, and libraries across the country faced budget cuts resulting in cut services, less staff, and loss of grants. Grants that were taken away in 2025 are supposed to be restored.
Keith Sonderling and the IMLS just announced this January, calls for new federal grants, something the administration could not cut from the budget. The notice of funding opportunities include “field-wide programs and initiatives” some of which link to other Trump Executive Orders (For example, one part of the announcement reads, “We welcome projects that refocus cultural institutions on what unites us by fostering respectful civil dialogue. In doing so, we acknowledge our core Constitutional Rights, including Free Exercise of Religion. Applicants may find it helpful to review and consider EO 14188, additional measures to combat Anti-Semitism and EO 14202, Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias, as they work on projects to strengthen American civil society”).
.-Information was taken from an MBLC announcement and the following BookRiot article
Previous update:
Thank you to everyone who took the time over the past year to contact Congress and representatives about the importance of libraries. It has made a difference.
On Friday, November 21st, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island permanently blocked the Trump Administration’s Executive Order to dismantle the IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services, the country’s only federal agency dedicated to supporting libraries and museums. The decision was in response to a lawsuit filed by the Attorneys General of 21 states (including MA). On March 14th the Trump Administration issued an executive order to dismantle the agency. These actions left IMLS unable to fulfill its role required by federal law, and interrupted and disrupted library services nationwide. Disruptions include but are not limited to state-wide interlibrary loan shutdowns, cuts to resources and databases (as happened in MA libraries), and staff layoffs.
This new ruling nullifies the Administration’s actions and permanently prohibits such actions from taking place in the future, to take effect immediately.
ALA (American Library Association) president, Sam Helmic said on Friday November 21st, “Today’s court decision is a powerful affirmation of what libraries mean to America. It restores everything that the executive order tried to take away: shared access to books in rural and remote areas, essential virtual learning tools, children’s reading programs and the countless library services available to anyone who walks into a public, school or academic library. This isn’t just a win for the 21 states who filed the case–it’s a win for every library user and every American in every state and territory.”
While the ruling protects the IMLS from being dismantled, the government’s FY2026 budget is still being finalized and library’s across the country are still expecting cuts to funds. The Nahant Public Library will keep everyone up to date on what continues to happen on Federal and state levels, here in the “Recent News” section of the library website and in our biweekly Wowbrary newsletter.