Chattanooga library may lose $435,000 as result of Trump order

By Mason Edwards, Chattanooga Times Free Press

TFP Staff photo / The downtown branch of the Chattanooga Public Library is seen in 2014. The library system could lose as much as $435,000 as a result of an executive order by President Donald Trump.

The Chattanooga Public Library is at risk of losing $435,000 in federal funding following an executive order by President Donald Trump that defunded the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a congressionally established agency that supports more than 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums nationwide.

"At this time, we have had no indication of when or how our funding will be impacted this year or in years to come," said Dionne Jenkins, a member of the Chattanooga Public Library board of directors. Jenkins answered questions via email. "The only thing we know right now is that funding has not been approved beyond September 2025 and that the March 14 executive order directs the elimination of IMLS, which is the agency that provides the funding to states."

In a joint news release issued by the library board and the Chattanooga Public Library Foundation, leaders urged residents to contact members of Congress and ask them to support the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

"While the elimination of IMLS only creates a minimal savings of 0.003% to the federal budget, the negative effects on communities across the country will be felt for decades," the release said.

Trump's March 14 order called for dismantling seven federal agencies as much as legally possible, which included Museum and Library Services. In response, attorneys general from 21 states sued the Trump administration. According to National Public Radio, a federal judge ordered Trump to pause the library funding cuts May 6.

In Chattanooga, the federal agency funds the library's digital lending services, technology upgrades, makerspace equipment, staff training, archival preservation and educational programming, according to the release. The city budget covers operational expenses like building maintenance and salaries.

For parents of homeschoolers like Carrie Bourgo of Hixson, the library is irreplaceable.

"There's not a lot of community spaces for homeschoolers who are not affiliated with faith of some sort," Burgo said via phone. "The library is one of those places where we can go to and meet, and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg."

Bourgo, who has three young children and lives outside city limits, said it's worth paying $50 annually for a library card.

"We've done a lot of literature-based homeschooling," she said. "Lots of picture books versus a few chapter books ... to buy all those would be insane, it would be so much. That would be a huge loss for people who are utilizing the library as a curriculum, and then the enrichment space, the story time, the computers, the arts class ... the downtown library even has a music studio."

Beyond materials and community spaces, Bourgo talked about the role the library can play in the success of future generations.

"I can't even imagine having a community without a library," she said.

She compared the threat to modern libraries to the ancient loss of knowledge when the famous Library of Alexandria was destroyed.

"I just don't think burning the library has ever been the way to propel humanity forward," she added.

Those feelings are shared by Curtis Cecil, cofounder of the Soddy-Daisy Community Library — a nonprofit operation built outside government infrastructure. Since 2018, he and cofounder Kelly Flemings have grown the free library into a hub offering over 25,000 items and around 40 programs per quarter.

"We're more of a community center with books as the hook to get people in," Cecil said. "When Trump started all the cuts and the executive orders and stuff, we just looked at each other and said 'thank God we started it the way we did."

To make ends meet, Cecil said the cofounders received only half their expected pay last year and contributed more than 2,000 hours of unpaid labor. Still, the Soddy-Daisy team strongly supports the efforts of the Chattanooga Public Library and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. While Cecil and Flemings have never received direct grants from the federal agency, Flemings credits the agency with raising standards and best practices nationwide.

"Because of the ILMS, all libraries are better at caring for their communities," he said over the phone.

The public library board, appointed by the city of Chattanooga, oversees library operations and long-term planning. The separate, nonprofit library foundation focuses on advocacy and fundraising. With federal funding uncertain beyond September 2025, Jenkins said the foundation is already exploring new strategies to expand its financial support.

"Like public education and public health, public libraries impact all people in our community," she said. "Even if you are fortunate enough not to rely on these institutions, you still benefit from living in a community that is well informed, healthy and has equitable access to knowledge and tools."