Library and Academic Institution Movements & the Law

Thank you to everyone who took the time to write a letter to the editor during National Library Week! Your voices made a big difference.

What's at stake isn't merely buildings with books and artifacts, but our shared commitment to an informed society.

Anecdotal evidence suggests a rise in requests to take books off shelves, particularly LGBTQ+ titles

The IMLS Grants to States program previously supported technology, materials and literacy services in correctional facilities

The two research collections state officials ordered for deletion included material from professional journals, conference papers, books, student dissertations, periodicals and newspaper articles.

The Arizona House is set to vote on whether to eliminate state funds for universities and colleges that offer courses on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Statement from the AAU Board of Directors.

For decades, the Internet Archive has preserved our digital history. Lately, journalists and ordinary citizens have been turning to it more than ever, as the Trump administration undertakes an ideologically-driven purge of government websites. But the Archive itself faces an existential threat. In this episode, Close All Tabs Senior Editor Chris Egusa joins Morgan to discuss his visit to the Internet Archive and its colorful founder Brewster Kahle, the legal battles that could shut it down perma

The Trump administration's erasure of federal data has put the Internet Archive in the spotlight. The organization, with its small but mighty team, is working to help save the world's digital history.

The staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services was placed on administrative leave Monday morning, following a meeting between IMLS leadership and DOGE staff.

Here is the full list of books removed from the U.S. Naval Academy’s library collection March 31-April 1. LINK HERE

A University of California at Los Angeles grant story from the Mellon Foundation.

When Brigitte Weinsteiger became the vice provost and director of the Penn Libraries last year, she took the helm of what she characterizes as “one of the most consequential research libraries in the country.” With 19 libraries, 300-plus staff, a $95 million budget, and 10 million volumes across print and digital formats, she now leads an intellectual ecosystem that reaches across Penn’s campus and beyond.

While individual colleges have been relatively quiet, groups like the American Council on Education and the American Association of University Professors are fighting the administration in the courts.

The administration’s research funding and DEI cuts present an existential threat to regional public universities like Southern Illinois University, the economic backbone of the conservative rural region it serves.

In a March 24 letter, the National Museum and Library Services Board laid out the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ statutory obligations for its acting director, Keith Sonderling, as supporters continued to speak out on behalf of the embattled federal agency.

Data losses have impacted professors’ research and led to concerns about the future of federal data.

You’ve spoken up. Now it’s time to lead. Here are simple, powerful ways to boldly advocate for issues that matter to you.

Through clever usage of APIs, the Library Innovation Lab at Harvard Law School has created an archive of Data.gov, home to 311,000 public datasets

U.S. officials say the U.S. Naval Academy has removed nearly 400 books from its library after being told by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office to review and get rid of books that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

Prudent state-level stakeholders should be engaging with their state legislators, particularly on appropriations, finance, budget, or ways and means committees, about federal FY2025 IMLS funding contingencies.

The "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" order removes "divisive, race-centered ideology" from Smithsonian museums, educational and research centers, and the National Zoo.

The Scholarly Communication & Information Policy (SCIP) office is pleased to announce the release of our comprehensive Oral History Agreement Toolkit—a collection of templates, guidance documents, and resources designed to help transform how institutions approach oral history agreements. Why We

On Friday night, March 14, President Trump issued an Executive Order that called for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and six other agencies. In FY24, the IMLS budget was $294.8 million, of which more than $211 million was dedicated to library services through the Library Services Technology Act (LSTA), the leading source of federal funding for America’s libraries. According to a statement from the American Library Association (ALA), “Libraries translate .003 percent of the federal budget into programs and services used by more than 1.2 billion people each year.”

We will continue to update this roundup as we learn of additional statements.  Latest Additions (Last Update: 9:00am; March 27, 2025) Most Recent Addition Bolded Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) iFederation Lyrasis Sen. Jack Reed Leads Bipartisan Effort to Preserve Support for Public Libraries & Museums ALA Applauds Bipartisan Opposition To Attempt To Eliminate […]

Nearly 60 days into his second term in office, Trump followed through on his campaign promise to dismantle the Department of Education. Now it’s up to Congress to decide if the agency will be abolished entirely.

Attacking colleges and universities has reverberations far beyond campuses.

A federal judge says Iowa for now cannot continue to enforce part of its book ban law. The decision Tuesday gives major publishers that sued the state their latest temporary reprieve.