Don’t Let Rural Libraries Disappear
The Issue
In towns like Tieton, Washington — population 1,610 — the local library is more than a room full of books. It’s a place where children read, immigrant families find connection, and neighbors gather. It’s a symbol of the town’s commitment to learning, community, and belonging.
Now, it’s closing.
Tieton’s one-room library is set to shut down this year, the latest casualty of rising local costs and devastating federal cuts.
An executive order by President Trump seeks to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) — the primary source of federal funding for public libraries across the U.S.
While a court temporarily blocked that order, uncertainty and budget shortfalls are already rippling across rural America.
Libraries in states like Mississippi, Maine, and Indiana have frozen interlibrary loans, laid off staff, or warned of closures. Many small towns simply don’t have the tax base to fund essential library services without federal help — especially as the economy slows and new laws reduce access to food and medical support.
Public libraries are not luxuries. They offer internet access, job applications, ESL classes, children’s programming, warmth, safety, and dignity — all for free.
We call on Congress, state governors, and the White House to:
- Fully fund the Institute of Museum and Library Services and protect it from elimination.
- Create a Rural Library Preservation Grant program to directly support library operations — not just construction or equipment — in high-need communities.
- Safeguard libraries as civic spaces that serve diverse, multilingual, and underserved populations without fear of immigration enforcement.
When a rural library closes, a whole community loses access — and for some, it was the only place left to turn. This isn’t just about books. It’s about who we are and what kind of country we want to be.
Add your name to defend libraries as public goods — and demand action before more of them disappear.
Photo: Katy Ulmer, a librarian in Naches, Wash., leads a children's story time at the local library, which was saved when frequent library users helped convince the town board to phase in the fee increase over three years. Photographs by Jordan Gale
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The Issue
In towns like Tieton, Washington — population 1,610 — the local library is more than a room full of books. It’s a place where children read, immigrant families find connection, and neighbors gather. It’s a symbol of the town’s commitment to learning, community, and belonging.
Now, it’s closing.
Tieton’s one-room library is set to shut down this year, the latest casualty of rising local costs and devastating federal cuts.
An executive order by President Trump seeks to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) — the primary source of federal funding for public libraries across the U.S.
While a court temporarily blocked that order, uncertainty and budget shortfalls are already rippling across rural America.
Libraries in states like Mississippi, Maine, and Indiana have frozen interlibrary loans, laid off staff, or warned of closures. Many small towns simply don’t have the tax base to fund essential library services without federal help — especially as the economy slows and new laws reduce access to food and medical support.
Public libraries are not luxuries. They offer internet access, job applications, ESL classes, children’s programming, warmth, safety, and dignity — all for free.
We call on Congress, state governors, and the White House to:
- Fully fund the Institute of Museum and Library Services and protect it from elimination.
- Create a Rural Library Preservation Grant program to directly support library operations — not just construction or equipment — in high-need communities.
- Safeguard libraries as civic spaces that serve diverse, multilingual, and underserved populations without fear of immigration enforcement.
When a rural library closes, a whole community loses access — and for some, it was the only place left to turn. This isn’t just about books. It’s about who we are and what kind of country we want to be.
Add your name to defend libraries as public goods — and demand action before more of them disappear.
Photo: Katy Ulmer, a librarian in Naches, Wash., leads a children's story time at the local library, which was saved when frequent library users helped convince the town board to phase in the fee increase over three years. Photographs by Jordan Gale
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Petition created on November 10, 2025