The Maine State Library announced Wednesday that it will close for two weeks to reorganize and lay off 13 staff members, or one-third of its staff, after a line of federal funding was cut off.
The affected positions were supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, an independent federal agency that provided 30 percent of the Augusta library’s funding.
The IMLS was targeted for elimination under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on March 14.
According to the Maine State Library, it last heard from the IMLS on March 24 and has not received any communication since then about if or when the funding would be restored.
The Maine State Library was established in 1837 and has received funding from the IMLS since the passage of the Library Services and Technology Act in 1996.
In fiscal year 2024, the state library was awarded $1.5 million from the IMLS Library Services & Technology Act, Grants-to-States program to library services and programs across the state, according to the library.
The state library location at 242 State St. in Augusta will be closed starting Thursday.
