Fresno Co. Library prepares for possible end to federal grants

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A nationalist root to the assemblage mightiness soon beryllium looking for different sources of backing for the programs it provides.

Last month, the Fresno County Public Library applied for a assistance done the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the IMLS.

However, connected March 14th, President Trump issued an enforcement bid directing fiscal cuts to the agency.

Earlier this week, according to a connection from the national representing IMLS workers, the full agency's unit was enactment connected administrative leave.

The connection went connected to say, "The presumption of antecedently awarded grants is unclear. Without unit to administer the programs, it is apt that astir grants volition beryllium terminated."

"We bash person grants that are funded through," said Sally Gomez, Fresno County Public Library Director. "The Library Services and Technology Act, which the IMLS serves arsenic similar a pass-through for that funding, truthful they usually volition get the funds. They'll walk them done to the State Library, and past usually the State Library volition administer grants."

IMLS was 1 of the agencies the Trump medication said it wanted "eliminated to the maximum grade accordant with applicable law" arsenic portion of the effort to trim the national government.

According to the American Alliance of Museums, the bureau lone receives a tiny fraction of the national budget.

Fresno County Library Director Sally Gomez said the grants aren't utilized for their regular operations but assistance supply further programs for the community.

"It does assistance america supply further services," said Gomez. "It does instrumentality distant from immoderate of the outcomes that we tin lend to successful the communities that we serve."

Gomez said they person respective grants done IMLS; if they end, they'll person to pivot oregon look for different funding.

She expected to get absorption from the State Library System soon.

On apical of directing assistance money, Gomez said IMLS besides collects information from libraries astir the state to assistance unafraid different funding.

"The different portion is the information collection," said Gomez. "So you know, we person e-rate, which is the backing that it that helps america supply low-cost networking and Internet connections passim each of our room branches. So without them being determination arsenic benignant of the information collector, we're not definite however those programs are going to beryllium continued."