Recent federal funding cuts to the Maine State Library and the layoff of nearly one-third of its staff could affect programs on which rural libraries rely.

The Bowdoinham Public Library uses the Maine State Library interlibrary loan program to borrow books from larger libraries. It also has downloadable e-books and audiobooks, and access to digital resources and databases provided through its partnership with the state library.

Those services are in flux now that the federal funding has been cut and the state library temporarily shuttered.

“Those programs are important to small and rural libraries like mine,” library Director Kate Cutko said.

The interlibrary loan system allows library patrons to access books unavailable in Bowdoinham’s collection. It helps Bowdoinham residents get around the small space and limited capacity of their local library. Cutko can track down a specific book of interest that a library patron requests and ask to borrow it from another library in the state instead of buying the book to add to her library’s collection. That option saves the Bowdoinham Public Library an estimated $2,000 per year.

“I couldn’t possibly in my small space with my small population, it doesn’t make sense for me to have every [genre of] book,” Cutko said.

According to Cutko, another program at risk from the federal cuts is the free, high-speed internet provided to public libraries and schools across Maine. If the program goes away, Bowdoinham’s library could supplement the lost wireless internet with municipal Wi-Fi, but libraries not tied to municipalities, such as the Patten Free Library in Bath, would have to adjust for the loss of internet service.

Amy Wisehart, president of the Maine Library Association, said the cut in federal funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) would reduce or eliminate library services, especially for libraries in small rural communities.

Bowdoinham patrons download hundreds of e-books and audiobooks for kids and adults every year. The program uses federal funding through the Maine State Library’s Maine Info Net, a popular cloud library with patrons.

Cutko said many people are homebound for various reasons, including elderly patrons or others unable to get a ride to the library during open hours.

“During COVID, our number of borrowing audiobooks and e-books spiked, and it has not let up,” Cutko said.

“My patrons want to know how [these cuts are] going to affect their local library. They love their library, they want to see it stay a vibrant place, and they want to know what impact the cuts are going to have.”

On March 31, the IMLS placed its entire staff of about 70 employees on administrative leave. In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order intended to dismantle the IMLS and six other agencies, despite having signed a continuing resolution for the fiscal year 2025 passed by the U.S. Senate the same day.

“It’s questionable, the process that is happening right now, and I will also add that the entire budget of the [IMLS] is 0.0046% of the federal budget, with the library portion being 0.003%,” Wisehart said.