If I could only have one hobby for the rest of my life it would be reading, and mind you I have many hobbies. This year alone I have read over 100 books, it is something I love to spend my time doing, but there is no way I could have read all of these without e-books. So, you can imagine my surprise when I opened the app Libby earlier this year and found an announcement that due to federal funding cuts wait times would increase and access to books would decrease. Digital library platforms are a vital part of literacy development for children and are therefore a resource that we should be funding instead of limiting. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the department which handles the funding of all of the museums and libraries across the US. The IMLS faced massive budget cuts from an executive order issued by President Trump on March 14. Not only did he shut down the entire department, but this order also implemented massive cuts to the funding that 123,000 libraries are reliant on. “The proposed budget would cut federal funding for libraries and museums from nearly $300 million to $5.5 million” (Wire). This severely limits the amount of resources that libraries can provide for their patrons. These cuts are extremely unfair for libraries who now have only State based funding to rely on, this means they are no longer able to serve their communities to the fullest potential.

One of the resources that takes the biggest hit is online platforms. Even though usage of e-books and audiobooks has been on the rise following the pandemic, these resources cost more money than the libraries can afford without federal aid. The platforms most commonly used by libraries are Libby and Hoopla. As libraries are losing much of their budget with these federal cuts it makes it hard to afford these platforms, this means limitations are being set on these apps or they are being shut down all together. These cuts to funding are entirely unfair to the patrons, especially those who rely on these resources. In our world of technology, access to e-books has become a vital part of childhood literacy. Despite hesitancy to increase screen use for children there are so many benefits to reading on e-readers, “ the devices help children understand words by highlighting and defining those they struggle with” (Deam). E-readers become more than just a new way to read they become a vital literacy tool for children, especially those who struggle with reading. This is a key part of why e-books are so important, because it is bringing excitement back to reading. In a world where children are growing up surrounded by technology it is important to have a literacy resource that meets children in the environment they are comfortable in. People deserve to have access to resources that best fit their needs and I believe that e-books are one of these resources. The federal government should not be a reason why thousands of people are unable to read. 

I am petitioning for a budget to be created to help to fund e-books and digital libraries. I believe this is possible because budgets like these have been implemented in other States. Massachusetts, has created their own budget to help support online resources. They have a longstanding program, the Library E-books and Audiobooks program (LEA), that has helped to make e-books accessible to all residents. In order to make up for the lost funds of the federal government the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners “approved $500,000 in grants to Automated Networks to purchase eContent for the Library eBook and Audiobook (LEA) program... The LEA collection has grown 37% over the past three years and totals almost 1.5 million eBooks and Audiobooks” (MBLC). Massachusetts is a great example of how to allocate funding, they understand that e-platforms are expanding and the budgets need to be representative of that. In the past few years there have been dramatic increases in e-content usage and therefore they have created these grants to allow programs to grow rather than shutting them down. Rather than limiting online libraries during what is arguably their peak, the government should be instead supporting this vital resource that is helping thousands if not millions of people access books. Therefore, I believe that President Trump should create an allocated budget for online library platforms to help libraries afford e-books for their patrons. Massachusetts showed that this is possible and now it is up to the government to implement it on a bigger scale. 

References
Deam, J. (2019). E-Books vs. Print: What Parents Need to Know. Scholastic.com. https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/reading-resources/developing-reading-skills/e-books-vs-print-what-parents-need-to-know.html

MBLC - News - News Releases - 2025. (2025). State.ma.us. https://mblc.state.ma.us/news/news-releases/2025/nr250807.php

Wire, S. D. (2025, July 29). E-books are on the line as Congress considers future of library funding. USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/29/trump-end-library-funding-for-ebooks/85312065007/