An uphill battle is beginning to emerge between physical conditions and library funding. 

According to the United States Government Accountability Office, at least “38 percent (about 6,000) of the nation’s public libraries have at least one building system, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning,” their December 2025 report stated. 

To follow up from that same report, an estimated “61 percent, or 9,800 libraries, have at least one building system or feature that poses a potential health or safety concern.” 

This includes HVAC, roof plumbing and other systems that have been labeled in deplorable conditions. 

Now, deferred maintenance is seen as the forefront of the issues when repairing these libraries. 

Issues such as lack of student usage and fewer visitors are results of deferred maintenance. 

“We have noticed a decrease in student usage when furniture is removed.  At times, furniture may need to be repaired or cleaned, and we have noticed that fewer students tend to stay when there is nowhere comfortable available for them to work,” Flossmoor Public Library board member Jamie Paicely stated.

“Deferred maintenance can lead to equipment breaking down unexpectedly. If we are wanting to host an event (for example a cram session during finals), we would have to put off getting the boiler serviced and the heat would go out the day before the event. That can really damage our trust and reliability with the school,” she continued. 

And where do these issues within our public libraries come from? Well, let’s take a look at the back-and-forth between government action and library organizations. 

On March 14, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). On March 20, the Department of Government Efficiency entered the IMLS and attempted to fire its staff, but none complied.

In the same month, the National Museum and Library Services Board, the advisory body to the IMLS, sent United States Deputy Secretary of Labor and Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Keith Sonderling, their rules and regulations of IMLS. 

A week later, staff was told that they were on administrative leave for up to a 90-day stretch. 

Moving to the month of April, this would cement itself as one of the most tense periods of a legal battle. 

Starting on April 3, 2025, the National Museum and Library Services Board would send their second letter to Sonderling, demanding the amount of IMLS members still left on the board. The board themselves would then be fired. 

Through the rest of the month, lawsuits pertaining to preventing IMLS dismantling and federal court hearings would occur. 

Fast forward to May of 2025, Judge John McConnell would halt the elimination of the IMLS on May 1. 

Right after, the Trump Budget proposal for 2026 would completely annihilate funding for IMLS. 

May 6 would mark a temporary win, as Judge McConnell would announce a “preliminary injunction”, which ordered the Trump administration not to implement executive order to eliminate IMLS. 

Two weeks later, the Trump administration would release a report calling all IMLS staff back to work. 

And on June 6, the administration’s efforts to dismantle IMLS would be blocked. 

The “Good Fight,” as many call it, is prevalent. The March 14 executive order is still being called on to be shut down by the ALA and many other library organizations. As of now, libraries are still fighting to stay in the fiscal year 2027 budget and maintain the IMLS. 

The uphill battle for libraries across the world is still a climb, and they have yet to reach their goal. 

“People need access to information. We need to be an educated populus,” says H-F school librarian Alicia Rodriguez.