Trump gutted museums & libraries. Here's why that matters

Hey everybody, happy 2025. How are you doing? I'm unwell. It is not a good time to be a scientist or a science communicator in the United States right now. I was supposed to start 2025 in January on campus at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland. My partners and I were going to make a minieries of Brain Scoop videos that explore the sort of research that happens at NIH and how American taxpayer dollars are used for research into everything from kidney disease to Alzheimer's and aging and the blood transfusion lab and the tissue collection and the National Medical Library. All of these places were really excited. I can't emphasize enough just how big of a deal this was going to be for me and for the channel. Talking about my sudden, unexpected, and debilitating unemployment isn't the only reason that I'm asking for your attention today. Donald Trump just moved to completely eliminate the Institute for Museum and Library Services here in the United States. And if you don't know what the IMLS is, I don't blame you. It's a pretty nuanced thing. The IMLS is the government agency that redistributes the money that is allocated for museums and library services across the country. They represent more than 34,000 museums 125,000 libraries. And the irony of the move to eliminate them is under the guise that these are somehow unnecessary services. But nothing could be further from the truth. To start with, more than 30 million people rely on the internet access that is provided by libraries. In 2024, the IMLS redistributed more than $260 million to libraries and museums across the United States. And if you're like, Emily, I don't go to library programs. I don't have a kid that goes to summer camp. I don't need Wi-Fi. I don't like reading. You know what? If you're watching this video right now, you have benefited from IMLS services because among many other things, IMLS money has gone on to support Brain Scoop videos. Every year, the IMLS budget is voted upon by both branches of Congress, the House and the Senate, and ultimately signed off on by the president. If you want to know how that funding was distributed, you can go on to IMLS's website, and they have an interactive map where you can read the project proposals. So you can see that most of this money goes toward things like professional development for teachers or school trip or volunteer programs. The IMLS exists in order to make museums and their objects and their collections more accessible. We're not just talking about creating new bus routes to go to those museums. We're also talking about the digital services they provide. Online library services are supported by the IMLS. I think part of the reason I love museums so much is that they are just irrefutably good. Everybody likes museums. The American Alliance of Museums did a survey in 2018. Out of the 2,000 people who responded, 96% of them say they agree with the amount of federal dollars going toward museums and would even be happy to see that amount of money increased. Museums and libraries are the second most trusted aspects of our entire society, second only to somebody's friends and family. Statistically, you're going to go to a museum before you trust another media outlet, before you trust a politician. The $260 million that was redistributed by the IMLS last year is 0. 004% of the country's budget. It exponentially goes on to pay for itself as a result of people visiting museums. More people visit art museums, science centers, zoos, aquariums, and historical sites than we'll go to a professional sporting event in a year. It's pretty amazing that with so many things that are divisive in this world. People will come together over a shared mutual love and appreciation of museums. Those places give us permission to be curious and introspective and to just enjoy spending time with people. We can't lose these spaces in our society. The negative impact from the elimination of the IMLS is something that I don't think we'll be able to measure for a really long time. It could mean anything from no longer providing any kind of public programs at libraries might mean that your museum goes from being open seven days a week to five or maybe it closes entirely. It also means that all the projects that had already been funded are no longer going to receive that funding. So it will have an immediate impact in terms of many people losing their jobs. This is not good. Allowing the IMLS to shutter would be an act of monumental neglect. Museums and libraries need your support. And I say this as somebody who is completely independent of both of those things

right now. Call your state representatives and tell them just how much museums and libraries mean to you. And if you can't think of anything, talk about your favorite Brain Scoop video and know that this channel has benefited from the services that IMLS provides. Visit your favorite museums. Follow them on social media. Follow the American Alliance of Museums and the American Library Association to see what else they're doing and how else you can support. I am really disappointed that I didn't get to spend this year on campus at the NIH talking about cool medical stuff. I'm having to reset again, which I don't love to do, but if you want to help make this process a little bit easier, I would love your support on Patreon. We have a good time over there. I do a hangout for our patrons on Discord every month. Even if you're not a patron, come hang out in our Discord. It's a very wholesome little corner of the internet. Or if you want to have a little bit of my artwork in your house, that's also a really great way to support me. I make paintings about nerdy stuff and landscapes and places I've filmed. Randomly had a painting of a space monster that was on the International Space Station. So, you know, there's something for everybody. Okay, take care. Goodbye. It still has brains on