Libraries have been a vital part of my life ever since I was young. I have memories of wobbling up to the then-large metal doors of the Shorewood Public Library with my mother, who was already hushing me before we entered, and exiting the same way except with a stack of books in my arms. I still get the same thrill of anticipation now as I did before. Even before leaving, sometimes trying to peek at the pages I’m about to read, at the stories I can hardly wait to enter.

I distinctly remember attending a sewing class with my grandparents, where we each made a little stuffed bird. I thought it was so cool to finally fasten blue beads to the eyes of the robin I made after about an hour of meticulous sewing and stuffing.

When I was little, I took for granted the fact that I not only had access to a public library, but was within walking distance of multiple, and now that I’m older, I appreciate them more every day. As a junior in high school, I go to the library to study almost every week, oftentimes more. It has always been a place for me to focus when I know I won’t be able to anywhere else. Oftentimes, I’ll see people I know, and whether it be classmates from school or parents of friends, the library is a space for everyone.

Libraries are among the few places, along with parks, beaches, and (usually) churches, that provide a place for anyone to gather without any transactional expectation. In fact, the library functions with the predisposition of the visitor gaining knowledge without giving anything in return. Libraries actively fight the idea that knowledge is a commodity to be hoarded, and instead embrace the opportunity to teach.

In addition to providing books, many libraries also offer various technologies, such as computers, headphones, chargers, outlets, and free Wi-Fi, all of which I and many others have taken advantage of. This also allows for people who are homeless to have steady and reliable access to these services, which so often require payment. 

Furthermore, public libraries give a space for open attendance community events to be hosted. Due to a law issued by the Wisconsin Department of Instruction, counties are not only required to provide funding for their own people, but also for 70% of non-resident users of the library. This allows for a more inclusive space, as those without access to libraries in their own county, as well as those who are unhoused, have their usage of their library and attendance of community events accounted for. American industrialist Andrew Carnegie himself stated that “there is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.”

Today, however, the existence of our libraries is being threatened. In March of 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to significantly reduce the capacity of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the only program at the federal level that provides funding for library services, along with other social programs. The entirety of the department, around 70 people, were put on leave. After months of lawsuits from over 21 states, libraries were able to regain millions of dollars of funding and the IMLS was reinstated. But the fight was far from over. Later in the year, Trump’s proposed budget called for a complete elimination of the IMLS in 2026. 

Trump’s call for the withdrawal of all federal funding towards libraries is not only anti-intellectual, but anti-homeless. A reduction in funding could mean one less space for homeless people to obtain access to shelter, education, and community in a world where there are already so few.

If the president’s plan were to be passed, it would disproportionately affect rural and small town libraries, as they obtain a much higher percentage of their funding from the federal government. Functional necessities such as access to books and the internet would be cut, and many of these beloved pillars of knowledge and community would likely have to temporarily, or even permanently, close their doors.

I and many others hold their library in extremely high regard, and defunding public libraries, schools, and other social institutions is dismantling the structural bonds of our society and the fundamental principles of democracy it is built on.