Federal Cuts Imperil Library Databases

ORLEANS – The impact of cuts to staffing and programs at the federal level are being felt at local libraries.

Come July 1, access to a number of research databases will be cut off at libraries statewide, including those on the Cape.

 Snow Library’s website includes a notice of the discontinuation, citing federal cuts made to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the independent federal agency that provides support to libraries, archives and museums in communities nationwide.

 Among the listed databases that will soon be discontinued are the Boston Globe archives, Britannica Moderna, the science database ProQuest, databases for career and test prep, those related to the fields of U.S. history, literature, law, science and health and wellness and another geared toward middle school students.

 “What it comes down to is library use is booming, and libraries are very popular as parts of our community,” said Jamie Balliett, chair of the Snow Library board of trustees. “And all the resources that we get are resources that are cobbled together through federal, state and local funding and private funding.”

 In March, the Trump administration issued an executive order to eliminate the IMLS “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” Shortly afterward on March 31, the entirety of IMLS staff was placed on administrative leave.

In a press release last month, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, which oversees state distribution of IMLS funding annually, said that $3.6 million in funding was allocated to support local libraries statewide for fiscal 2025. But the proposed federal budget for fiscal 2026 calls for the IMLS to be eliminated.

 "The federal impact cannot be overstated,” MBLC Director Maureen Amyot said in the statement. “In Massachusetts, over 1,600 school, public, academic and special libraries from across the state benefit from federal IMLS funding. Millions of people rely on federally funded library services.”

 Attorney generals in a number of states including Massachusetts filed an injunction to put a stay on the order, which was allowed in May. 

 "Libraries change people’s lives,” Amyot said. “That’s why these reductions in critical library services hurt. But we’re in this for the long game and in the year ahead we’ll continue to work with local, state and federal partners to stabilize library funding and services."

But Balliett said while the injunction is “encouraging,” the legal pathway toward resolving the IMLS’s standing will likely be lengthy, and that the state needs to make cuts in the interim.

 “The state can’t sit here and say ‘we’re going to backfill all this money,’” he said. “Because it’s too much money to backfill.”

 The impending loss of the databases is expected to have a wide-ranging impact in Orleans, Balliett said. Patrons ranging from school-aged children to people who depend on the library for computer use and research make use of the databases, he said. 

 Absent a community hub such as the library where these databases can be accessed for free, database subscriptions can be cost-prohibitive for individual patrons, Balliett said.

 “We see any attempt to limit programming, any attempt to limit access to electronic materials…those are all efforts to reduce our community’s effort to access information, and access it in an affordable way,” he said.

 Access to some of the most widely utilized IMLS-funded databases will be preserved, the MBLC said in its May release. The MBLC and the Massachusetts Library System will jointly fund the continuation of databases including Britannica Escolar, Britannica Library and Britannica School. Together, financial support for databases between the two agencies will total $1.17 million for the new fiscal year, down from $2.8 million in fiscal 2025.

 Meanwhile, some Cape libraries will continue to provide access to databases that are funded outside of the IMLS. At the Eldredge Public Library in Chatham, those include patron access to Consumer Reports, the Cape Cod Times and Creativebug.

Beyond that, Library Director Amy Andreasson said that the library is exploring what discontinued databases can be salvaged by funding them independently. But she said it remains to be seen what can be budgeted for.

 “So I have to look at a lot of stats, get quotes and weigh my options,” she said.

 Brittany Taylor, director of the Brewster Ladies’ Library, said that some funding from the state’s Library eBooks and audiobooks (LEA) program for fiscal 2026 will also be used to help preserve some of the discontinued databases. But that would come at the expense of the LEA program itself, she said.

 “However, they will not be making up the federal deficit that is expected in funding, so a decrease in the LEA budget will [mean] less materials available, which equals longer wait times,” she said in an email.  

 But even more troubling to library officials than the impending loss of the research databases is the potential for deeper cuts that could come in the future. Balliett said that President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” also calls for more extensive cuts for fiscal 2027. 

Snow Library Director Tavi Prugno declined to comment when reached by phone Monday, but Balliett said he fears additional cuts could come in the way of staff reductions at the state level.

 “But we haven’t seen any evidence of that yet,” he said.

 Snow Library trustees have busied themselves with communicating with patrons via handouts and social media about any impending or potential changes that could come to the library’s programming, Balliett said. As for what residents and library patrons can do, Balliett encouraged people to use their voice.

 “I think the most important thing is for people to realize that they can make a difference by reaching out to their legislators and saying to them, ‘hey, this isn’t something that I want to see happen. It’s important for you to fight for every dollar.’”