C&RL News February 2020 98

Kevin Maher is deputy director of government 
r e l a t i o n s  a t  A L A’s  Wa s h i n g t o n  O f f i c e ,  e m a i l : 
k maher@alawash.org

W a s h i n g t o n  H o t l i n eKevin Maher

Federal funding for libraries increases 
in FY 2020 and the 2020 Census is 
underway  
Congressional appropriators needed over-
time to complete the FY 2020 budget, but 
the result was good news for libraries: a 
$10 million increase for the Institute of Mu-
seum and Library Services (IMLS), includ-
ing $6.2 million for the Library Services 
and Technology Act (LSTA) – the largest 
increase in LSTA funding in 12 years. The 
final federal spending bill also includes in-
creases for other library and higher educa-
tion programs, including the Carl D. Perkins 
Career and Technical Education Act, Library 
of Congress, National Library of Medicine, 
National Endowment for the Arts, National 
Endowment for the Humanities, and pro-
grams for students and institutions of higher 
education.

Congress appropriated $252 million for 
IMLS, including $6.2 million increase dedi-
cated to LSTA. Highlights from the $195.4 
million for LSTA ($189.3 million in FY19) 
include: 

• $166.8 million for LSTA Grants to States 
($160.8 million in FY19),

• $10 million for LSTA Laura Bush 21st 
Century Librarian Grants ($10 million in 
FY19), and

• $13.4 million for LSTA National Lead-
ership for Libraries ($13.4 million in FY19).

Overall education funding for the Depart-
ment of Education was increased by $1.3 
billion, raising the department’s total budget 
to $72.8 billion. Higher-education, library-el-
igible, programs receiving increases include:

• $1.09 billion for federal TRIO programs 
($1.06 million in FY19),

• $1.18 billion for federal work-study 
($1.13 billion in FY19), and

• $84 million for Strengthening HBCUs 
($72 million in FY19).

Level funding in the current fiscal environ-
ment is considered a win. Increased funding 
is a major accomplishment. Without a doubt, 
the reason why library funding has steadily 
grown over the past three years is the active 
commitment of library advocates. In 2019, 
every member of Congress heard from ALA 
and our advocates about the importance of 
libraries and their impact in communities 
across the country. In addition, new advo-
cates from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. 
Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C., joined 
the #FundLibraries campaign.

As advocates continue to demonstrate the 
impact libraries have on our communities, 
libraries are in a stronger position than ever 
to start the FY 2021 budget cycle. However, 
none of these gains have come swiftly or 
easily, and we do not expect any different as 
the FY 2021 appropriations process begins. 

If you want to be part of next year’s suc-
cess, sign up to be an ALA advocate and 
register to participate in ALA’s 45th National 
Library Legislative Day in Washington, D.C., 
on May 4-5, 2020. 

2020 Census
As reported in this column last month, aca-
demic libraries are well-positioned on cam-
puses to generate awareness about the 2020 
Census. ALA just released a tip sheet with in-
formation and best practices for ensuring a 
complete count of college students, a group 
that historically has been disproportionately 
undercounted in the decennial Census. 

Visit ala.org/census, to learn more about 
libraries and the 2020 Census, read a series 
of tip sheets and the Libraries’ Guide to the 
2020 Census, download graphics, and view 
recorded webinars. 

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