April 4, 2025 Editor, The News-Gazette: If you’ve visited any museum or library recently, chances are high that they have been directly or indirectly funded by two federal agencies whose combined budgets represent .000073 of federal spending.
DOGE has recently decimated both the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The majority of their staff have been fired and their budgets cut by 80-100%. Previously awarded grants have been canceled and awardees left with expenses that won’t be reimbursed.
Both agencies provided funding to Virginia which made its way to our local public libraries, researchers, and community organizations. You can access digital copies of the Lexington High School yearbook because of IMLS. The recent “Interwoven” exhibit at the Brownsburg Museum was made possible by a grant from the Virginia Humanities who in turn get their funding from the NEH. If you have a copy of “The Architecture of Historic Lexington” on your shelf, its creation was funded by the NEH.
The Jackson House, Marshall Foundation, SVU, VMI, and W&L have all received direct grants (totaling more than $2 million) from these agencies to conserve artifacts, produce research, or pay summer salaries and student assistants.
Our local libraries and museums are already fighting to keep the lights on and the doors open - it costs more to actually preserve history and to provide quality services to all visitors. It’s hard to argue for the humanities, libraries and museums when so many other jobs and essential services are being cut, but this is an attack on our local access to information and our ability to produce knowledge for future generations.
MACKENZIE BROOKS Glasgow
