No post will ever be able to encompass the full scope of what’s happening to schools, libraries, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, but here’s a quick snapshot of some of the biggest (and most bizarre) updates. Sadly, all of these stories are real.
An IMLS Timeline
So much has happened with the Institute of Museum and Library Services over the last few weeks that it’s hard to keep everything straight. Kelly Jensen did a great in-depth analysis of everything IMLS has been through recently, but the quick version is that in late March, Keith Sonderling was installed as acting director of IMLS and immediately received letters from senators and the National Museum and Library Services Board reminding him of his obligations as director.
All IMLS staff were placed on administrative leave on March 31st and banned from the property for 90 days, and the Board sent Sonderling another letter that basically asked, “WTF, dude??”
Just a couple of days later, it was reported that libraries were already receiving IMLS grant termination letters, and EveryLibrary released a statement saying that the termination of IMLS grants is an attack on all libraries, museums, and archives. On April 3, four of the Big 5 publishers (plus Sourcebooks) wrote an open letter to Congress advocating for libraries and IMLS. On April 4, attorneys general from 20 states filed a lawsuit to stop the elimination of IMLS. On April 7, the American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees also sued over the “gutting” of the IMLS. And that’s where things stand as of this post’s submission deadline.
Border Crossing to Visit the Library
The US has blocked Canadian access to the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, which straddles the border between Stanstead, Quebec and Derby Line, Vermont. US officials say the move was to curb drug trafficking, despite not providing any evidence that this was taking place. Canadian patrons now have to go through a formal border crossing in order to access the library. This feels like an SNL skit or an Onion headline, but it’s real.
Other Library Updates
The Ohio House’s proposed Republican budget cuts $100 million in funding for public libraries, requires libraries to restrict access to LGBTQ+ books, and targets trustee terms in order to put state officials in control of libraries. This is a deeply disturbing prospect for Ohio libraries.
The Alabama Public Library Service Board voted to defund the Fairhope Public Library, claiming that the library was violating state policies related to “inappropriate” materials in the library. However, Read Freely Alabama was able to raise nearly $39,000 in four days, which would help keep the library open for 18 months at the same service level. This level of fundraising should never be needed to keep a public library open, but it shows the level of appreciation that the community has for the library.
Check Your Shelf
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A federal judge has ordered the Elizabeth School District (CO) to return 19 banned books to school library shelves, and their response has been, “F- you, make us.” They’ve also refused a law firm’s unsolicited donation of copies of the 19 books.
The following comes to you from the Editorial Desk.
This week, we’re highlighting the best new poetry collections of 2025 (so far)! From the deeply personal to powerfully political, many of these collections reflect the zeitgeist and introduce some fresh voices in poetry. Read on for an excerpt and become an All Access member to unlock the full post.
How is it that we’re already more than a quarter of the way through 2025? I’m ahead of my reading goals and still feel so far behind at the same time. I’ve packed in plenty of poetry, though, finding lots of wonderful and surprising voices emerging. It’s early, but totally time to check in with some of the best new poetry collections of 2025 so far.
It’s funny how timely these collections are. Keep in mind that publishing moves VERY SLOWLY, so books that have been released in the first quarter of 2025 were probably completed in late 2023 or early 2024, only seeing the light of day recently. So, these collections were written in the run-up to last year’s presidential election. Nevertheless, many of these collections feel like guttural reactions to the world right now. Amazing how prescient art and artists can be, huh?
These poetry collections run the gamut from deeply personal to powerfully political. Let’s face it, those two are often the same anyway, particularly when it comes to poetry. Most exciting to me is how many of these best new poetry collections of 2025 so far are fresh voices to the poetic scene. Let’s dig into those collections, shall we?
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