Library Funding Update: What’s Ahead for MCFL

July 17, 2025

Library Funding Update: What's Ahead for MCFL

Dear Library Supporter,

Thank you for being a valued part of the Monterey County Free Libraries (MCFL) community. While local, state and federal funding decisions are final yet, we now have a clearer picture of what changes may be ahead for our library materials and services in the coming year.

Note: MCFL runs on a fiscal year, and these budgets reflect the upcoming fiscal year July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026.

As a follow-up to my message from April 4, here's the latest update on library funding at the local, state, and federal levels:

Local Funding - County of Monterey

On June 17, the Board of Supervisors approved the County's operational and capital project budgets following a public hearing on May 28. The current operational budget does not project any changes to branch library hours or significant reductions in major services at this time.

The good news: The County approved funding to renovate the Pajaro Library (Porter-Vallejo Mansion) for full three-floor use and begin construction of the Bradley Library. These projects are vital to these communities and will bring important services to both North and South County. Additionally funding has been approved to complete long-awaited projects, including facility improvements, and the move of the Gonzales Library. East Garrison Library will begin construction this year as well.

The challenge: in order to balance the operational budget, we've had to make some tough choices. MCFL will be discontinuing several online resources including Flipster, Ancestry.com, New York Times Online, and Learning Express. We continue to analyze every expense and negotiate with vendors to maximize impact with limited funds.

State of California

California Library Services Act (CLSA)

The Governor's May Revise of the State budget maintained CLSA funding at the same level for the upcoming fiscal year. This funding supports regional library cooperatives, which provide essential shared services-most notably, interlibrary delivery through the region. This allows us to move materials among libraries at significantly reduced cost, improving access to materials critical for our rural communities.

California State Library Funded Programs

While some state-supported programs (like Lunch at the Library, ZipBooks, and Adult Literacy) remain funded by the state, the loss of federal support means fewer direct funding resources will reach MCFL libraries, as well as libraries across our state and we may still see significant budget reductions in the future. The teams in charge of each of these service areas is contingency planning.

We're still awaiting final confirmation on some services. The Palace eBook app (California's Bookshelf) has been funded for one more year, and we are actively evaluating which programs we can sustain using local operational dollars.

Positive news: The California State Parks Pass program has funding through 2026, and libraries will remain connected to CalREN high-speed internet, which is critical to providing high-speed low-cost internet as a resource for all library patrons. Without this funding, internet services would far exceed local budgets.

Federal Funding

Together with our County partners, we are closely monitoring a range of federally funded programs-many of which are facing cuts or are at risk of being eliminated. An impact study was done by the Community Foundation of Monterey County - Center for Nonprofit Exellence. The complete study can be found HERE.

This will have devastating and far-reaching effects to many agencies that support programs in our county. The two programs that will have the most direct effect on our libraries is the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Digital Equity Act.

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

This is where we face the most significant uncertainty.

The federal budget as proposed and in development effectively closes the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)-the agency responsible for distributing all federal library funding. This will eliminate all federal funding flowing to public libraries. A court injunction approved partial funding, but this will be limited if the IMLS is dismantled. For IMLS to continue-and for these critical funds to reach libraries-Congress must both fund the Library Services and Technology Act, and reauthorize the agency.

Digital Equity Act Eliminated

One immediate loss for MCFL was the Digital Equity Act, a telecommunications program that funded a digital literacy initiative. With that grant eliminated, we've had to halt active planning work on this important project to improve digital equity and access to technology.

Other Federal Programs and Services

We're also keeping a close eye on federal support for school lunches and food aid, academic enrichment in schools, social services, public health, adult employment services, and literacy programs. These areas deeply affect the lives of the people we serve-and directly shape how MCFL can respond to community needs.

As we face these challenges, we continue to develop contingency plans-both for the coming year and the long-term sustainability of our services. These cuts deeply affect the families and individuals MCFL serves-and shape how we must adapt to meet evolving community needs.

We remain committed to delivering services, planning for flexibility, and advocating for the long-term future of your public libraries. For more information on any of these funding sources, projects, or impacts, please contact me.

As always, your feedback and support are welcome and appreciated. Thank you for standing with us-and for being part of what makes Monterey County Free Libraries such a vital community resource.

With gratitude,

Hillary Theyer
Library Director
Monterey County Free Libraries