Stacked Against Us
On the growing precarity of our library systems
Catherine here behind this week’s Scout. I’ve been basking in the glory that is townie summer in Morgantown, now that WVU students have departed for break. These days, that mostly looks like gardening, walking the rail trail, watching basketball playoffs (my husband is a huge Pacers fan and will not stop talking to me about sports, send help!), and of course, gearing up to tackle my reading list in the 2025 MPLS Summer Reading Program. Registration opens next week for all ages, including the kids (grades 1-5), tweens & teens, and adults (18+) programs.
On our Minds
Threats to libraries.
Longtime readers may recall that I’m a librarian, of the academic flavor.1 I very much enjoy my work and believe in the value of my profession, but I am always hesitant to paint a too-pretty picture of libraries. My hesitance is very much informed by Fobazi Ettarh’s writings on vocational awe, or the extreme valorization of libraries to the point of insulating these institutions from criticism, which in turn contributes to the depreciation, under-compensation, and widespread burnout of library workers. It also masks or helps sustain harmful wrongdoings by libraries, arising from over-surveillance, racial profiling, a professional ethos of neutrality, reliance on police or contracting private security, and more. So I begin with an important caveat: like all institutions in this country, libraries reflect the society around them and are not exempt from systemic forms of oppression. To summarize my philosophy in the simplest terms: libraries are not perfect, but they are invaluable.
Libraries are not perfect, but they are invaluable.
Now that brings me to our local libraries in Morgantown and West Virginia more broadly. Given the limited resources in Appalachia, libraries here play a more vital role than almost anywhere else in the country—serving as both the social glue of civic life and a cornerstone of the community. In addition to their collections, libraries across our Mountain State are offering vital and innovative services. For example, the Cabell County Public Library in Huntington loaned out snow shovels during this past winter and extended its hours to serve as a warming station in the cold weather. Oak Hill’s Public Library hosted an elections-themed storytime meant to teach about the process and encourage youngsters to be voters one day themselves. The Marion County Public Library in Fairmont hosted a Beatrix Potter impersonator to provide immersive insight into the beloved children's author's life and literary significance. The Princeton Public Library just held a pet vaccination clinic, while the White Sulphur Springs Public Library just hosted one of its frequent blood drives. Meanwhile, the Gallaher Village Public Library promotes access to fresh vegetables and gardening knowledge through its garden beds. The West Virginia Regional History Center within WVU Libraries is preserving and digitizing collections that showcase West Virginia’s rich cultural history, including records of feminist activism and medical accomplishments. And Charlotte Chung, a librarian in Morgantown, was nationally recognized for bridging literacy gaps among reluctant readers at Suncrest Elementary School. Taken together, this sampling of stories (from just the past year alone!) are a powerful reminder that even amid imperfections, our local libraries remain essential spaces of care, creativity, and community resilience.
In many ways, libraries—especially public libraries—serve as a de facto safety net in a country where public support spending is relatively lacking when compared to other developed nations.2 For example, most public libraries offer some form of internet and technology access, job search support, after-school activities, tutoring or literacy education, certification and testing prep, daytime shelter, bathroom facilities, entrepreneurial assistance, and essential services like tax help, food distribution, dispensation of harm reduction tools, disaster response, legal aid, and health resources. In today’s political climate, where cutting back public support systems appears to be the top priority, it’s no surprise that these essential community hubs face growing threats. This reality has become especially clear in West Virginia, where several recent legislative actions threaten to undermine the stability and community-serving missions of libraries in Morgantown and across our state.
Funding Under Fire
In March 2025, the Trump administration announced plans to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)—a move that has sparked multiple lawsuits and left the agency’s future in legal limbo. The IMLS provides critical federal funding to libraries across the U.S., including about $1.6 million annually to West Virginia libraries via the State Library Commission. Though the IMLS draws on less than 0.003% of the federal budget, its impact is far-reaching, particularly in rural and under-resourced communities. Without this support, libraries in Morgantown and across West Virginia face growing uncertainty, with smaller systems at risk of losing essential services and larger systems forced to make difficult financial choices to maintain operations.
For the Morgantown Public Library System (MPLS), losing IMLS funding would jeopardize core operations. The system depends on these funds for internet service at 4 of its 6 branches and for access to its circulation software, used by the entire West Virginia Library Network. Without federal support, the library would have to pay out-of-pocket for internet service and technical infrastructure. This would leave MPLS facing an annual deficit in the many tens of thousands of dollars, thereby forcing cuts to essential services such as public programming, electronic materials, operating hours, and staffing. Yet the bleeding would not stop there. Cuts to internet and circulation software represent only direct consequences of losing IMLS funding. Because many of MPLS's funding sources are interconnected through matched funding, losing one stream—like IMLS monies—could indirectly trigger the loss of others, compounding the financial strain and forcing even more difficult cuts at our local level.
The threat of IMLS budget cuts comes amid years of stagnant state funding for libraries that hasn’t kept up with inflation or rising operating costs, forcing libraries to meet growing financial demands with shrinking budgets. These pressures are especially urgent as Morgantown's system navigates aging infrastructure and prepares a Facilities Master Plan to determine how best to maintain or update its six branches on a $2.3 million annual budget.3 The plan will assess what is feasible under current funding realities but also will outline an ‘ideal’ vision based on community needs and future growth, should additional funding be secured.
In short, federal disinvestment in libraries could trigger cascading losses, forcing our already strained local library systems to make difficult trade-offs that directly affect the communities they serve. Federal funding threats alone would deal a serious blow to libraries in Morgantown and across West Virginia, but the situation is made even worse by harmful legislation at the state level.
Undermining Library Leadership
Recent legislation in West Virginia has reshaped how public libraries are managed at the state level—raising serious concerns about the future of statewide library leadership.
House Bill 2009, passed during the most recent legislative session, dismantled the Department of Arts, Culture and History and moved its functions—including oversight of public and state libraries—under the Department of Tourism. While the reorganization was presented as a cost-saving move, library advocates worry it reflects a shift in how the legislature views libraries: from vital educational and community-building institutions to now, leisure-focused entities.
More troubling is the bill’s removal of longstanding credential requirements for the state’s library section's director. Previously, this role required the standard master’s degree in library and information science (MLIS) and a minimum of three years of administrative experience in cultural institution settings like museums, archives, or libraries. Now, the position is codified to merely require someone “be qualified, with relevant experience”—language critics say is vague and devalues the professional standards that have long guided state library leadership.
Library advocates argue that the change undermines the expertise needed to lead and support over 170 libraries across the state. This is very much a part of a broader trend of sidelining library professionals, threatening the quality and equity of library services. Indeed, it sets the stage for West Virginia to move in parallel to federal actions that have led to the dismissals of qualified library leaders with extensive backgrounds in the field, such as President Trump’s recent firings of the Librarian of Congress and the National Archivist of the United States.
Efforts to restore the credentialing requirements were rejected in the West Virginia Senate, despite warnings that removing them could lead to unqualified appointments and a weakening of the public library system’s ability to serve communities effectively.
Criminalizing Librarians
House Bill 4654 and Senate Bill 539, which would have made it a felony for librarians to provide materials deemed "obscene" to minors, has surfaced in the West Virginia Legislature for two consecutive years now. While it ultimately has yet to pass, its repeated introduction—and the inflammatory rhetoric surrounding it—has created a climate of fear and uncertainty for library professionals across the state.
The bill’s vague language raised serious concerns about self-censorship, a chilling effect on library professionals, and the potential criminalization of librarians for simply doing their jobs. Critics of this legislation, including the West Virginia Library Association and the American Library Association, argue that library obscenity laws like this one disproportionately target authors of color and materials that discuss age-appropriate topics such as reproductive health, LGBTQ+ issues, or other sensitive subjects (e.g. the Holocaust, mental health, slavery, immigration, etc.). Opponents of these bills emphasize that West Virginia libraries already have long-established, localized processes for reviewing and challenging materials, and formal challenges remain rare.
Though defeated for now, the legislation’s persistence is deeply troubling for those working in libraries and signals an ongoing threat to intellectual freedom, professional integrity, and equitable and community-responsive access to information. These bills reflect a growing trend of politicized attacks on libraries—making continued community vigilance and advocacy all the more important.
Fighting for Our Libraries
In regards to funding cuts, the American Library Association has a number of concrete actions you can take to meaningfully support libraries today — from calling representatives, sending action alerts to your personal network, sharing your library story to enable ALA to humanize the impact of these cuts, and more.
But there are many ways to support your local library beyond contacting elected officials. One important opportunity right now is participating in the Facilities Study currently underway at the Morgantown Public Library. This planning effort will shape the future of library spaces across the system, and your feedback as a community stakeholder is vital. Stay informed and share your input to help ensure the library continues to meet local needs. You can also support long-term library success by backing levies, attending Morgantown's Library Board of Directors meetings (held the second Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. in Meeting Room B of the downtown library), and reading the detailed and photo-filled library reports in the posted meeting minutes. To make it even easier, subscribe to agenda and minutes updates through the City of Morgantown’s “Notify Me” system.
And my favorite call to action is perhaps the most simple, yet powerful measure: USE YOUR LIBRARIES! Simply using your library—checking out books, attending programs, or accessing services—is itself a powerful form of advocacy, showing decision-makers that libraries are vital, valued, and actively serving the community. To that end, here are some secrets from your very own librarian insider to guide you in maximizing library use.
7 Pro Tips for Advanced Library-ing:
Interlibrary Loan & Suggest a Purchase
Think you only have access to what the library immediately has in its collections? Think again! Your public library can track many materials down from another library (contact a reference librarian)—or better yet, you can help shape the collection by suggesting something new for purchase!4Meeting Room Spaces
Your secret weapon for book clubs, study sessions, or that totally professional Zoom call—yes, you can reserve a room, and yes, it’s free. Personally, I spend every month in Meeting Room B of the Morgantown Public Library. It is truly rad - comfortable chairs, an impressive teleconferencing setup, and the ability to register in advance.
Digital Cards & Book Dash delivery
Don’t want to leave the house? Hey, as a self-proclaimed hermit, I totally resonate. Sign up for a digital card to access library collections online, or let the library bring materials to your door every Thursday with Book Dash. No judgement if you’re still in your pajamas.Borrow from a Library of Things
Need a birding backpack? A board game? A citizen science kit? The Library of Things at the Morgantown Public Library is your ticket to fun and curiosity beyond book checkouts.5Reader’s Advisory a.k.a. Staff Picks Just for You
Feeling stuck in a reading rut? Librarians are like literary matchmakers—tell them what you like, and they’ll handpick your next favorite read.Online Platforms for Leisure, Learning, and Research
From streaming shows and learning a new language to prepping for a new job or tracing your family tree—your library card is basically a magic key to all this digital content.
Explore Beyond the Public Library
Did you know that West Virginia University Libraries has a community member program? We have some restrictions in our licensing agreements, so we must offer this at a cost. Our Annual Friends of the Libraries cards can be purchased in-person for $60 per year. This card permits borrowing privileges for our collections and in-person access to our vast array of databases that can aid in legal research, finding grant funds, genealogy inquiries, and more. The general public can also make use of our Ask a Librarian service for guidance on your research questions. The public is also welcome in our facilities during open hours — I’d recommend popping up to the 6th floor of the Downtown Campus Library to visit the Regional History Center, which always has a wonderful exhibit with neat artifacts on display.
In the Community
I could cry with how beautiful and green our city is during these early summer months. I challenge you to do something new in the community this upcoming week. Here are some ideas to help you explore the town and see Morgantown in a new lens:
📜 On Tuesday, May 27 at 7pm, catch the Committee of the Whole meeting at City Hall or the livestreamed broadcast. The agenda indicates there will be presentations from representatives of Mon Power, Grace Shelter, Ruby Summer Concert Series, and the Housing Advisory Commission.
🩸 Celebrate World Menstruation Day at Pour Choices Pub & Grub on Wednesday, May 28 from 6-8pm, in collaboration with Planned Parenthood. Be entered to win prizes for bringing in boxes of pads or tampons for donation. An 18+ only event.
🧘♀️ Looking for an affordable sweat and stretch? Stop in at & Yoga’s $5 Community Yoga series this Friday, May 30 at 5:30pm, for hot Vinyasa. I can personally vouch that this is a beautiful studio and features approachable instructors, especially for the chronically inflexible like myself.
🎺 If you’re looking for glitz and glamor on the evening of Friday, May 30, join the Monongalia County Child Advocacy Center in its largest annual fundraiser: Girls' Night Out: Roaring '20s. This year, they’re taking you on a journey to the roaring 1920s as its theme, promising an evening of elegance and excitement. Dinner, music, dancing, raffles, silent/live auctions, and more!
😻 Not Morgantown, but close enough! I found out earlier this week at my vet appointment that Fairmont has a new cat café. Mugs N Mittens serves coffee, boba, and baked goods that you can enjoy in their café area. After you’re done sipping, hop over to their cat lounge to pet permanent kitties and adoptable foster cats alike. Closed Wednesdays & Thursdays, open 8am-6pm at 900 Fairmont Ave Suite 201. No time limits, no age minimum, $5 entry fee.
Let us know what’s missing from our calendar for this upcoming week in the comments below!
Keep reading, keep rallying, and until next time,
Catherine & the Scout
Libraries come in all types – public libraries, corporate libraries, hospital libraries, prison libraries, military libraries, school libraries, and more!
This is reflected in OECD data on social spending. As of 2024, public social spending in the United States accounted for 19.8% of the country’s GDP, placing the country 22nd among 38 OECD member nations. Notably, we rank 2nd in private social spending expenditure at 12.8% of GDP as of 2021. Private social spending inflates the overall social spending figures for the U.S., but this higher ranking in total net social spending doesn't translate to more equitable outcomes—since low-income workers are far less likely to have access to private benefits.
According to reporting out of the Dominion Post, the Morgantown Public Library System’s $2.3 million operating budget for the current fiscal year includes $1 million from the city, $600,000 from the countywide library levy, $600,000 from the state, and $80,000 from the Mon County Board of Education. The remainder comes from external funding in the form of grants, donations, fundraising, and fees.
Bonus points for recommending the purchase of a print copy over an electronic version, which is a more affordable and sustainable method of collection building.