With Federal Library Grants Frozen: Trinidad Rancheria Library Faces Uncertain Future
Press release from the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria: (Trinidad Rancheria Library)
On March 31, 2025, the entire Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) staff was placed on administrative leave. According to a statement from the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403 “Employees were required to turn in all government property before exiting the building, and email accounts are being disabled today. Museums and libraries will no longer be able to contact IMLS staff for updates about the funding they rely upon.”
In addition to multiple other grants for museums and libraries, IMLS supports Tribal libraries specifically through their Native American Basic grant program which is a yearly grant of up to $10,000 providing supplies, new books and travel for conferences. The Trinidad Rancheria has relied on IMLS funding for years to support existing operations and to maintain core library services for our community. IMLS also funds a Native American Library Services Enhancement grant, designed to assist eligible Native communities in sustaining and improving library services with their communities.
The Trinidad Rancheria Library is a full service public library with an extensive Native American book selection, public access computers, and is intended to be the holding place for the history of the Tribe, through the preservation of both oral histories and written documents.
Currently the Trinidad Rancheria Library has both a Basic grant and an Enhancement grant through IMLS, and it is unclear as to whether or not the funds will be available to support the work that we proposed. The Enhancement grant funding awarded in 2024 is intended to be used to furnish the Library as we are in the midst of a long awaited remodel. Without those funds the Tribe will be left with an empty building and will no longer be able to provide our community or the public with access to this important resource. IMLS grant applications for 2026 are due in April 2025 and without IMLS staff to administer awards, it seems as though all future work is in jeopardy. Reports in the media suggest that most grants will be terminated. Unfortunately, we have not received any communication from IMLS regarding the status of our open awards and are left to wonder whether we will be able to open our doors as planned once the remodel is completed.
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That’s what happens if you are a “woke” library.
To many Native American books not enough copies of Mein Kampf.
Mein Kampf ? You mean the one written by the maniac socialist. You know, the guy that led The National German Workers Socialist Party. I doubt it, America is fed up with leftist ideology and the violence that accompanies it.
No, I mean the one written by the dictator who was never a socialist.
Try going to the library, (if it’s open) and read a history book.
You mean ‘Too many Native American books; not enough copies… ‘. If woke means educated people capable of critical thinking vs hostile ignorance, woke wins.
What is the definition of” educated people capable of critical thinking” cause I’ve met many people with no college, some JC degrees some bachelor degrees and some ph degrees. Not sure that college was the main contributor to being smart.
College has nothing to do with being “smart”.
I agree with you 100%. I mean educated by any means.
I am sure the casino can fund the library.
Time for people to start supporting themselves. Time for companies to support themselves. The liberal communist idea that every Tom, Dick and Harry is entitled to government support must be changed to the true American way of earning your own way. The American dream is not and will never be government support. It is and always will be an opportunity to work hard and achieve your dream. Any business that can’t make it on its own has no reason to exist.
A public library is not a business.
If it’s tribal, let the tribes fund it. If it’s part of a school, it’s already funded by the school. If it’s a county library, let the county fund it. If it’s private, then fundraising is possible. Never should the federal government give grants to anything that isn’t federal. This is exactly why DOGE is so important. Whenever a bill goes to Congress, individual state representatives refuse to vote for it until countless dollars for their own pet projects are added to the bill. It’s referred to as pork, but what it is in reality is unconstitutional government waste and abuse. That must stop.
Wait, you think libraries should be self funded or they have no reason to exist? Same for public transportation, hiway systems, museums, schools, etc. ?
he probably has never been to one.
The days of grants from the government are over, these budget cuts are a long time coming. Government is operating in the red , unacceptable.
USA 2024… in one year… 2 trillion in deficit.
Overall… 31 trillion in debt !!!
Paying 1 trillion in interest… per year.
—
Yee hah…
Go figure.
Pretty disappointing that we have let it get this bad. Completely ridiculous on a 5 trillion budget. Proves more taxes is not the solution, typical American thinking more money in one’s budget will keep them from going in debt, crack me up.
Are you aware that it has been the republican presidential administrations that have left office with higher deficits? That’s what happens when there are tax cuts for the very wealthiest. I can’t understand why so many low income rural folk support a administration that is cutting services not to save $$ but to enable a tax cut for our country’s very wealthiest.
Price of oil dropping like a rock, this is key to getting inflation turned around. Orange man policies seem to be working quick, haven’t seen oil this cheap since 2017 . Probably best thing for climate change is tariffs, slows down the big polluters but what do I know? Keep protesting, crack me up.
Oil fell into negative territory in 2020.
Prices are falling because of trade jitters and recession fears.
Trump just signed an EO about producing more coal power. So more pollution not less.
His obsession with coal. A coal fired power plant should be built next to one of his golf courses. TBH I’d laugh. He hates wind power because Scotland “ruined his view” at his Scottish course by putting offshore windmills in. He lost his suit against them, even having to pay Scotland’s legal fees. Of course, Scotland wasn’t going to fall for his BS again after his promises regarding the curse were all horseshit. They were beyond giving a shit after that.
But coal was part of the “good old days”. He lives in the past and wants to drag all of us back with him.
Nuclear is the cleanest, but most the population is afraid of Nuclear powerplants. Kind of like them being afraid of anyone coughing. My favorite past time is to cough in public and watch the people run , cracks me up.
Do you think a coal plant in India produces less emissions than in America? Climate change is a world wide thing. The less we produce here the more a less regulated country will produce. It’s called” LEAKAGE” your very own state of California came up with that term years ago. They know it goes on but continue to push useless policy due to leakage.
Let get that hotel built ! Add a few more floors and the library will be self funded. Trinidad is starving for visitor services. Most of the town people have created a hostile environment for vacation rentals so we need the Rancheria to save the day. Doubling its size would be ideal. Water could come from Mckinlyville and the size increase would make it more cost effective as well as lowering everyone’s fire insurance rates. I find it selfish that the towns elites have used the system to impose their will upon the visitor public
TDS down vote but you don’t get to censor on RH BB ,Mam
Don’t they make enough money off their casino and the countless other federal and state grants they receive.