Jamie Loftus

So I first want to mention that the entire budget of IMLS for 2024 was something like $266 million. We're not talking about huge sums of money in terms of the federal government. It comes out to about 75% per person in the country. So we're not going to be saving on our taxes if this goes away. But that money makes a really big difference.

So I first want to mention that the entire budget of IMLS for 2024 was something like $266 million. We're not talking about huge sums of money in terms of the federal government. It comes out to about 75% per person in the country. So we're not going to be saving on our taxes if this goes away. But that money makes a really big difference.

So even smaller states that maybe have a million people in it might see a couple million dollars of these grants per year. And so what that would mean is that the things that, maybe not all of them, but most of the thing that these grants cover would not be there. So that means that there wouldn't be summer reading in some places.

So even smaller states that maybe have a million people in it might see a couple million dollars of these grants per year. And so what that would mean is that the things that, maybe not all of them, but most of the thing that these grants cover would not be there. So that means that there wouldn't be summer reading in some places.

So even smaller states that maybe have a million people in it might see a couple million dollars of these grants per year. And so what that would mean is that the things that, maybe not all of them, but most of the thing that these grants cover would not be there. So that means that there wouldn't be summer reading in some places.

That means that they wouldn't be able to buy the hotspots that they lend out to people who don't have internet at home. That means that maybe there wouldn't be the class that teaches your grandma how to not get caught in a phishing scam.

That means that they wouldn't be able to buy the hotspots that they lend out to people who don't have internet at home. That means that maybe there wouldn't be the class that teaches your grandma how to not get caught in a phishing scam.

That means that they wouldn't be able to buy the hotspots that they lend out to people who don't have internet at home. That means that maybe there wouldn't be the class that teaches your grandma how to not get caught in a phishing scam.

So all sorts of things, those things just wouldn't be there because there's probably not, especially in red states, other funds that are going to come to cover that.

So all sorts of things, those things just wouldn't be there because there's probably not, especially in red states, other funds that are going to come to cover that.

So all sorts of things, those things just wouldn't be there because there's probably not, especially in red states, other funds that are going to come to cover that.

It's so small, right?

It's so small, right?

It's so small, right?

You could like take the, I don't know, the gold toilets away from the Navy and cover it in a day, right? Like it's so small. Yeah, yeah. And yet it has this enormous... outsized impact, you know, the statistics say that every dollar spent on IMLS returns $2 to the economy. So it's actually, if you're going to measure it that way, highly beneficial, especially to these more marginalized areas.

You could like take the, I don't know, the gold toilets away from the Navy and cover it in a day, right? Like it's so small. Yeah, yeah. And yet it has this enormous... outsized impact, you know, the statistics say that every dollar spent on IMLS returns $2 to the economy. So it's actually, if you're going to measure it that way, highly beneficial, especially to these more marginalized areas.

You could like take the, I don't know, the gold toilets away from the Navy and cover it in a day, right? Like it's so small. Yeah, yeah. And yet it has this enormous... outsized impact, you know, the statistics say that every dollar spent on IMLS returns $2 to the economy. So it's actually, if you're going to measure it that way, highly beneficial, especially to these more marginalized areas.

Yeah. So for better or for worse, public libraries in the United States have become the social safety net of last resort because they already exist almost everywhere. And it's so hard to get you know, not right now, but even in the past couple decades, other social programs started in many parts of the U.S. that things kind of just get lumped into the library.

Yeah. So for better or for worse, public libraries in the United States have become the social safety net of last resort because they already exist almost everywhere. And it's so hard to get you know, not right now, but even in the past couple decades, other social programs started in many parts of the U.S. that things kind of just get lumped into the library.

Yeah. So for better or for worse, public libraries in the United States have become the social safety net of last resort because they already exist almost everywhere. And it's so hard to get you know, not right now, but even in the past couple decades, other social programs started in many parts of the U.S. that things kind of just get lumped into the library.