Penn Museum assessed its impacts to funding after an executive order calling for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Credit: Siri ChallaThe Penn Museum is assessing impacts to its funding after an executive order called for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which awarded Penn over $1 million in fiscal year 2024.
On March 14, 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump issued an executive order dismantling the IMLS, which serves as the primary source of federal funding for American museums, libraries, and other educational institutions. The order reduced the function of the institute to be "eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law."
"We remain focused on identifying ways to sustain serving communities locally, nationally, and globally through ongoing research and programs in the long term," a Penn Museum spokesperson said to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
The recent federal action instructs the Office of Management and Budget, which oversees the funding of federal agencies, to reject any financial requests from IMLS apart from those required for its dismantling.
The order — which "continues the reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary" — also calls for the elimination of six other federal agencies.
Although the order does not directly terminate any agency, the Office of Management and Budget is likely to narrowly interpret what functions are required by law, according to the American Library Association. In Section 2 of the order, the White House emphasizes "an expected termination" of the listed agencies.
According to the IMLS website, the institution aims to make the nation’s "diverse natural and cultural heritage" publicly accessible by financially supporting museums and libraries through a variety of grant programs. The institute aids libraries and museums in all U.S. states and territories, along with individual library entities.
During fiscal year 2024, IMLS awarded the Penn Museum $1,103,699 in federal funds for the creation of the Museums: Missions and Acquisitions Project, an initiative designed to "investigate the current policies and practices surrounding museum collections." The funding was specifically allocated through the "National Leadership Grants - Museums" program.
The three-year research project — referred to as M2A — examines the current "inflection point" facing museums across the country in which objects enter collections "sometimes as the result of armed conflict, theft, and looting."
"The M2A Project seeks to inform solutions to these challenges by identifying how museums are acquiring objects today and how collecting fits within the broader social purpose of museums now and in the future," the project's website reads.
The project was created in collaboration with the Penn Cultural Heritage center and its Cultural Property Experts On Call Program, which helps the U.S. Department of State identify and investigate cultural objects.
The future of the M2A project is currently unknown. According to an FAQ sheet released by the American Library Association, it is currently "unclear how the executive order may impact current or future grant rounds." Although the Penn Museum continues to serve its surrounding community, IMLS funding plays a significant role in the project’s ability to carry out its mission.
On March 20, Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling was sworn in as acting director of IMLS, replacing Cyndee Landrum, a library professional of over 20 years.
"I am committed to steering this organization in lockstep with this Administration to enhance efficiency and foster innovation," Sonderling wrote in a statement following his appointment. "We will revitalize IMLS and restore focus on patriotism, ensuring we preserve our country’s core values, promote American exceptionalism and cultivate love of country in future generations."
In a separate statement released by the ALA, the association called the executive order a "short-sighted decision" that will imperil the "nation’s only federal agency for America’s libraries."
The statement outlined several services provided by the IMLS, including "early literacy development and grade-level reading programs," "summer reading programs for kids," and "high-speed internet access."
The ALA also urged the reconsideration of the federal action and advised taking action through its "show up for our libraries" movement.
"Americans have loved and relied on public, school and academic libraries for generations," the statement read. "By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer."
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