As credible sources of information are cut off in the United States, from lost newspapers to deleted government data, the nation’s public libraries play a crucial role in educating the public and serving communities.
by Tina Casey
The United States lost more than 270,000 journalism jobs over the past two decades as almost 3,500 newspapers shut down. Even as independent news outlets are forced to close, a well-capitalized network of partisan platforms that some have likened to propaganda machines is growing quietly in the background.
Media critics have long focused attention on Fox as a mainstream news outlet singularly dedicated to coloring the news with a formulaic ratings strategy that promotes and amplifies conservative talking points on issues like climate change and transgender rights. Even casual Fox News viewers can determine pretty quickly the network has a partisan bent, but that’s not always the case.
In one concerning example, investigative journalist Judd Legum recently identified a new network of Republican-affiliated news websites aimed at influencing voters in key swing states under the guise of reliable media outlets.
“One Nation, the Senate GOP’s primary dark money group, is producing propaganda masquerading as journalism,” Legum reported in his Popular Information newsletter earlier this month. So far, he found half a dozen such operations, covering key races in Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire and Ohio in the runup to the November midterm elections.
These outlets are branded as neutral and credible local news platforms like Maine Policy Updates, which publishes under the tagline “Maine’s News Source,” and Iowa Voice (“Stay Informed. Stay Iowa”), making it almost impossible for readers to tell the sites are entirely owned and operated by One Nation. Legum also identified factual inaccuracies reported in the outlets that match messaging used in One Nation political ads.
The loss of credible news outlets alongside the rising prevalence of fake news is not the only concern. The decline of trustworthy information resources in the United States takes many forms — from social media platforms, where over half of Americans are exposed to misinformation on a daily basis, to the Donald Trump administration’s systematic elimination of evidence-based federal programs and resources.
In the face of these challenges, a group of often unsung heroes are still fulfilling the role of professionally trained, reliable information and community outreach specialists, even as budget cuts threaten their mission. Yes, we’re talking about your local librarians, who perhaps are more important now than ever before.
Libraries remain a trusted resource, but staffing and budget shortfalls pose problems
Trump took office last year with a reputation for criticizing public libraries, among other independent social and cultural institutions. But the latest numbers from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent federal agency Trump unsuccessfully tried to eliminate, tell a story of an essential community resource.
“This year’s data make clear that public libraries remain one of the most trusted and utilized institutions in American life. With over 800 million visits, millions of programs offered, and a steady rise in both physical and digital circulation, libraries are demonstrating their enduring relevance and reach in communities nationwide,” according to the most recent IMLS report tracking over 9,000 U.S. public library systems. “A total of 93 million people attended 4.6 million programs, addressing critical needs in early learning, digital and financial literacy, workforce development, and public health.”
The use of digital library services is also on the rise. Earlier this year, the Ohio-based e-lending firm OverDrive noted that digital lending broke records last year among the 114 countries where it provides services, with U.S. library systems listed in nine of the top 10 library systems providing e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines.
Yet the gap between library budgets and the rising demand for library services is widening. While library room reservations and e-resources increased alongside in-person visits from 2021 to 2024, staffing and budgets have not kept up, the advocacy organization Every Library warns. In 2024, staffing levels remained 8.2 percent below pre-pandemic levels and a 5 percent budget increase failed to match the pace of inflation.
“Smaller libraries have been hit especially hard. Their staffing levels were down 11.5 percent, more than three times the average,” Every Library emphasized. “They also saw a decrease in e-resource usage, contradicting the trend seen in larger systems.”
Changes to federal broadband program could threaten digital access and restrict access to content at public libraries
Libraries are also beacons of digital literacy for people with limited access to the internet, undercutting educational and employment opportunities among other life goals. Around 66 million U.S. households have “low levels of digital readiness,” and 33 million do not use the internet at home, according to the American Library Association. People of color, rural residents, low-income families and people with disabilities are most impacted by digital opportunity gaps, according to the ALA.
“America’s libraries — 120,000 strong — are essential to addressing these gaps and realizing the vision of universal broadband adoption and ability to use,” the organization argues. Even so, smaller libraries are more likely to cut e-services when budgets fall short.
Despite these concerns, in June the Federal Communications Commission signaled that it will propose new rules impacting its E-Rate program, which provides schools and public libraries with low-cost broadband access.
The FCC followed up on August 14, filing a document in the Federal Register in which it opened several proposed rules for public comment. Although the FCC previously stated that no facilities would be cut from the E-Rate program, advocacy groups continue to raise alarms over the potential for paring down the program, if not eliminating it entirely.
Equally concerning is the FCC’s apparent willingness to impose new content restrictions on E-Rate users that target minorities, particularly transgender individuals. Specifically, the agency’s proposal references CIPA, the Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000, which is intended to prevent minors from accessing pornography online. However, words like pornography are subject to interpretation, and Trump swept into office under a social agenda targeting “transgender ideology” as pornographic.
Although the text of the FCC filing emphasizes general concerns over “children’s screen time,” the initial reference to CIPA is of a piece with the Trump administration’s persistent efforts to demonize transgender persons, providing powerful momentum for ongoing attempts to prevent LGBTQ materials from circulating in public libraries.
Library advocates fight back
This summer, the American Library Association partnered with the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition to launch a national campaign calling on the public to lobby their representatives in Congress to preserve E-Rate. “E-Rate is a congressionally-mandated program, and we need Congress to help us defend E-Rate now,” the partners emphasize.
The campaign also includes an online tool to help people submit comments to the FCC before the October 13 deadline.
While the result remains to be seen, raising awareness about the potential impact on library services is a solid first step. For communities already impacted by cuts to food assistance benefits and new Medicaid work requirements, losing free services at a local public library is yet another cut that runs deep.
Featured image: Mitya Ivanov/Unsplash
