Service & Solidarity Spotlight: AFSCME and American Library Association Prevail in Fight to Protect Libraries and Museums Nationwide

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

AFSCME and the American Library Association (ALA) have reached a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice that protects the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and ensures the agency will continue to support libraries and museums across the country.

IMLS has a congressional mandate to provide essential coordination, research and funding for the nation’s libraries, museums, public gardens, aquariums, zoos and other cultural institutions that enrich our lives and educate our communities. The lawsuit was filed last year amid the Trump administration’s attacks on the federal agency, including major staff reductions.

“Today is a victory for every community that depends on libraries and museums as gateways to opportunity, learning and connection,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “As the nation’s largest union of cultural workers, AFSCME members fought tirelessly to protect this essential institution, which supports the vital services we provide to communities across the country. Thanks to these efforts, this vital funding is protected in every state in the country, so our communities can continue to have access to these essential places of learning.”