In the ever-escalating battle over culture and education, recent developments highlight the growing influence of right-wing policies on public institutions. From the Trump administration’s gutting of federal cultural funding to military school censorship and local book bans, the landscape of American libraries and classrooms is shifting rapidly. Meanwhile, the sudden shutdown of a conservative book review site signals a potential shift in strategy among censorship advocates. As communities push back against these sweeping changes, the fight for intellectual freedom and access to diverse perspectives continues.
Trump takes over funding conduit for libraries and museums
On March 14, President Donald Trump signed another executive order that eliminated seven federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), one of the most important conduits for federal cultural funding in the U.S. In 2024, the IMLS distributed over $266 million in grants to libraries, museums and related institutions. Also in 2024, the IMLS distributed $11.8 million to 66 organizations in Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania. Past local recipients of IMLS grants include William Way LGBT Community Center, Philadelphia FIGHT, the African American Museum, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Barnes Foundation, and the School District of Philadelphia.
While not completely dismantled, the agency has essentially been gutted, under the thumb of Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling, who was sworn in as IMLS Acting Director. Sonderling released a statement, saying, “It is an honor to be appointed by President Trump to lead this important organization in its mission to advance, support and empower America’s museums and libraries, which stand as cornerstones of learning and culture in our society. I am committed to steering this organization in lockstep with this Administration to enhance efficiency and foster innovation. We will revitalize IMLS and restore focus on patriotism, ensuring we preserve our country’s core values, promote American exceptionalism and cultivate love of country in future generations.”
The American Library Association released a statement following the news, saying in part, “Americans have loved and relied on public, school and academic libraries for generations. By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer: As seedbeds of literacy and innovation, our nation’s 125,000 public, school, academic and special libraries deserve more, not less support.”
Moms for Liberty shuts down its conservative book review site
Extreme right-wing organization Moms for Liberty is shutting down BookLooks, the conservative book review website that they have used effectively to convince school boards to ban books. The decision was sudden and without explanation. The announcement was made on the BookLooks site: “As of Sunday March 23, 2025 BookLooks.org will be ceasing operation and taking down all of our reports from the site. It has been quite the ride with many ups and downs since God called us to this work in 2022, but after much prayer and reflection it has become apparent that His work for us here is complete and that He has other callings for us.
“We give thanks to Him for the opportunity to do this work, and we are grateful for the kind words of support from all those who found this work useful. Our charge was always to help inform parents and it would appear that mission has been largely accomplished. We pray that publishers will take up the torch and be more transparent regarding explicit content in their books so that there will be no need for a BookLooks.org in the future. Thank you and God bless!”
Moms for Liberty has not made any public comment as to why the site has been shut down.
Trump censors target military school libraries and curricula
On Feb. 7, administrators at Department of Defense Education Activity Schools received a memo directing them to pull certain lessons and materials from their curriculum pending review. Materials include books that are out of alignment with the new administration’s “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” and “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” executive orders. This order comes after the Department of Defense signaled they would be following the Pentagon’s Jan. 31 directive to end all celebrations related to identity and race.
The Department of Defense Education Activity includes 161 schools across seven states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and 11 countries. It serves approximately 67,000 students in military families.
However, students at Ramstein Air Force Base schools in Germany and other DODEA schools overseas walked out of class to protest censorship and discrimination. Classic books like “1984,” “Fahrenheit 451” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” have been pulled from base school library shelves. Black Student Unions, pride clubs and cultural organizations have been shut down.
Radnor Township School District to review policy due to book ban backlash
Radnor Township School District school officials said they would review their library selection process due to community backlash over the removal of three graphic novels: “Gender Queer,” “Fun Home” and “Blankets.” But the promise of a review did not stop community members from speaking out during meetings Tuesday against the district’s process in banning the three books—two of which are LGBTQ-themed — and objecting to a lack of transparency around the removals, which stemmed from challenges filed by a single parent in January who alleged that the books contained “child pornography.”
While insisting the book removals were in line with school policy, the board policy committee acknowledged the complaints. The administrators said they would research other school policies, consult with librarians, and review best practices from the American Library Association before bringing information to the committee in April.