1. United States
2. Fla.
3. Letter

Restore the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). How is this different from book burning???? Un-elected Elon Musk placed the staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) on administrative leave after his staffers took control of the agency’s offices and gained access to its computer systems. Following several additional visits by Musk staffers, approximately 70 IMLS employees were informed by their supervisors that they would be placed on 90-day administrative leave and barred from accessing the agency’s premises or systems. The move appears to be part of a broader plan to dismantle the primary source of federal support for the nation’s museums and libraries. Established in 1996, the IMLS provides funding to libraries and museums in every U.S. state and territory—primarily supporting essential but low-profile functions such as database infrastructure and collections management. Its largest initiative, the Grants to States program, distributes roughly $160 million annually to state library agencies, covering between one-third and one-half of their operating budgets.