Recollection Wisconsin Urges Continued Support for the Institute of Museum and Library Services

President Trump issued an executive order on March 14, 2025, that would eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the only federal agency dedicated to supporting American museums and libraries. On March 31, 2025, all employees of the IMLS were placed on administrative leave, effectively shutting down the agency. Without IMLS, Wisconsin’s libraries, museums, and cultural organizations stand to lose millions of dollars in funding for digital projects, public access to historical records, and hands-on training for library staff and students. 

Recollection Wisconsin joins libraries, archives, and museums statewide in advocating for IMLS. Without their crucial support, Wisconsin’s local history collections, digital stewardship programs, and archival training initiatives face devastating cuts.

We need your help to stop the elimination of IMLS and protect access to Wisconsin’s rich cultural heritage. Contact your federal representatives today and tell them that Wisconsin values its history and the institutions that preserve it. 

Call your U.S. Senators and Representatives: 

  • Senator Tammy Baldwin – (608) 264-5338 (Madison) or (202) 224-5653 (Washington D.C.)
  • Senator Ron Johnson – (608) 240-9629 (Madison) or 202) 224-5323 (Washington D.C.)
  • Use this lookup tool to find your U.S. Representative

Since its inception, Recollection Wisconsin has relied on IMLS support to expand access to Wisconsin’s history and provide critical training for those who safeguard it. Without IMLS, these key projects would not have been possible:

  • Enhancing Digital Collections Stewardship training (2023 – 2025): Provided no-cost training to 60+ participants on digital stewardship, with another cohort set to begin in Fall 2025. Without IMLS, this program’s future is uncertain.
  • Community Archiving Workshop (2019–2021): Recollection Wisconsin served as an anchor site for an IMLS-funded Training of Trainers workshop on audiovisual preservation and digitization. Through this initiative, Recollection Wisconsin received three traveling A/V kits for film and audio preservation, which continue to be used statewide. 
  • Curating Community Digital Collections (2017–2019): A partnership between WiLS, Recollection Wisconsin, UW-Madison’s iSchool, and UW-Milwaukee’s School of Information Studies, this initiative provided 16 library students and 14 host institutions with hands-on digital stewardship training during semester-long practicum internships. Funded by an IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant.
  • Early IMLS-Funded Support (FY15–FY19, FY22–FY23): Provided essential funding to establish and sustain Recollection Wisconsin. Without this investment, the program simply wouldn’t exist today.
  • The Digital Public Library of America was the recipient of IMLS funds in 2012 to pilot a hub program, which set DPLA up to be the national digital collections infrastructure it remains today.

More than 15% of the 450 collections in Recollection Wisconsin were created with IMLS funding.  These grants don’t just support history—they preserve stories, identities, and voices that would otherwise fade away.

Eliminating IMLS would be a devastating loss for Wisconsin and the entire country. Public investment in cultural heritage ensures that future generations can learn from the past. Join us in fighting for IMLS. Contact your federal representatives today and tell them to stand up for museums, libraries, and the history that connects us all.

For more information on Recollection Wisconsin and its IMLS-funded projects, visit www.recollectionwisconsin.org

Institute of Museum and Library Services