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ZEBULON - Many things that are done in Washington D.C. can be done without directly affecting the lives of individuals in the State of Georgia or even right here in Pike County, but a discussion is being held about federal funding that comes to the State of Georgia to fund part of the expenses for our state library system. This has the possibility of affecting the J. Joel Edwards Public Library here in Zebulon.

Pike County Times has gotten many questions about this situation and reached out to Natalie Marshall, the Executive Director for the Flint River Regional Library System that serves Butts, Fayette, Lamar, Monroe, Pike, and Spalding Counties for answers.

The short answer to what is going on is that people who are concerned about federal funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and our local library system are going to need to reach out to their representatives on the federal level and ask that the funding be released.

The long answer involves some pertinent questions like, What is IMLS, and what does it have to do with our library in Zebulon?

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

IMLS was established in 1996 as a way to combine several government agencies together to distribute thousands of grants across the nation with a mission to “advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development.” AP News Article

According to IMLS information provided to Pike County Times through the Georgia Public Library System, Georgia used $5,167,570 in federal funding to “expand learning resources, increase access to information, and provide lendable technology for individuals of all ages” during the fiscal year 2023-2024. This meant using federal dollars to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality library services regardless of where they live in the state.

But an Executive Order from the Trump Administration last month has directed IMLS to review its operations and obligations under the law with an emphasis on cutting budgets and staffing.

“The Executive Order dated March 14, 2025, directs agency heads to reduce “elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary … This includes the non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.” Every Library Institute

Every Library Institute, in the article linked above, states that the 2018 Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA) has both “shall” and “may” programs that it provides funding to with the “shall” programs including contracts, grants, and awards that are authorized by Congress within the annual federal budget or a continuing resolution.

The “shall” part of this process includes grants to states for library services that are used for expanding library services to the public, linking libraries, providing staff training, and more. In order to receive funding, states are required to submit 5 year plans to outline how the funds will be used including goals and priorities and compliance with internet safety requirements for public and school libraries receiving funding.

At this time according to the AP article above, it’s a waiting game with funding because IMLS has advised its members at the current time that “the status of the current grants remains unclear.”

What does that have to do with our library here in Zebulon?

The J. Joel Edwards Public Library

Funding from IMLS enables the Georgia Public Library Service to provide services to all Georgia public libraries with patrons from Zebulon being given the same access to books and materials that would be available in much bigger libraries around the state.

PINES is the name of our “borderless library” that allows its members to check out books and other materials from libraries and service outlets from around the state and have the items delivered to local libraries through a courier system which enables these interlibrary loans in all Georgia counties.

Zebulon library patrons also have access to the Georgia Library for the Blind and Print Disabled which provides braille, large print, audio books, and provides services to those with reading disabilities. GALILEO is an online library portal to information like learning a new language, learning job skills, and genealogy resources that aren’t available through regular, free search engines.

The Summer Reading Program, which will be kicking off at the end of next month and will run through the summer, is also a part of IMLS which helps children improve their reading skills over the summer months as well as coming to the library for programs geared for different age levels.

And the PLAY student library card provides nearly 550,000 Pre-K through 12 grade students from around the state to have fines-free access to their local library to complete homework and build literary skills.

Overall, why does this matter?

Libraries Impact Their Communities

At the end of 2024, there were 408 facilities in 60 library systems. That includes the J. Joel Edwards Public Library here in Zebulon. Over 44% of Georgians were cardholders at their public libraries around the state.

Throughout the state in fiscal year 2023-2024, there were 4,133,709 computer sessions, 35,741,298 total check outs, and 45,523,832 total library visits. There were also more than 2.3 million downloadable items checked out including electronic materials including e-magazines, e-books, audio books, and e-music. Here in Pike County, patrons come into the Zebulon library to attend programs geared toward specific age groups from pre-K to senior citizens, to use the computers, and check out books, hot spots, and more every month.

More than 1,300 people came into the Zebulon library just in the month of March, and Zebulon patrons have access to libraries in surrounding counties that are members of the PINES Library System in Spalding, Lamar, and Upson Counties. In fact, a PINES Library member from Zebulon could walk into another member library anywhere in the state and check out books and other items.

The Zebulon library also has items like Verizon Hotspots to help those who do not have access to decent internet and Chrome books that can be checked out to help those who do not have access to a computer at their home. These items have been provided through state grants that came from IMLS federal funding.

Natalie Marshall, Executive Director of the Flint River Regional Library System serving Butts, Fayette, Lamar, Monroe, Pike, and Spalding Counties, advised members of the J. Joel Edwards Public Library Board of Trustees at the April meeting that funding for the libraries around the state is roughly 80% local, 15-17% state funding, and 3-5% federal, but she said that nearly $5.2 million in federal funding is critical because of the services that it provides.

This funding provides a key role in critical infrastructure including PINES software, online access catalog, and the people to run it for the entire State of Georgia. It also pays for the courier service that allows the transfer of books, etc. from one library to another throughout the entire state, provides the Georgia Library for the Blind and Print Disabled with digital audio, physical audio, and Braille books, provides the statewide GALILEO database portal that provides research materials such as Consumer Reports, Mango Languages, LearningExpress test prep and resume builder, and Gale Legal Forms, and provides support for Summer Reading Programs including reading logs, posters, Beanstack, and other valuable summer reading program tools.

“We use our dollars efficiently, but we don’t know what will happen with this,” Marshall said during the meeting. “There has been a LOT of discussion about this in the community.”

Closing

“Libraries run on fairly slim budgets,” Marshall said after the meeting. She said that there is not a lot of waste, and that this is a good return on community investment.

She also said that the disruption of funds will disproportionately affect rural communities because rural communities don’t have a lot of extra money laying around.

When asked what supporters of public libraries can do to let Washington D.C. know how important this is to them, Marshall said that people should call their congressional representatives and senators and ask them to preserve IMLS and public libraries including our public libraries here in our area.

U.S. Congressman Brian Jack represents the 3rd District which includes Pike County. His office can be reached by phone through his Newnan office at (770) 683-2033 and at his Washington DC office at (202) 225-5901. www.jack.house.gov

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock is one of two senators for the State of Georgia. He can be reached through his Atlanta office by phone through his Atlanta office at (770) 694-7828 and his Washington DC office at (202) 224-3643. www.warnock.senate.gov

U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is one of two senators for the State of Georgia. He can be reached through his Atlanta office by phone through his Atlanta office at 470-786-7800 and his Washington DC office at 202-224-3521. www.ossoff.senate.gov