I have had a lot of people come and talk to me about the funding cut from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The question is usually how this impacts us on a very local level. And the short answer is that it really doesn’t too much. 

Public Libraries in Wisconsin are funded through their home municipality as well as the surrounding counties. Sometimes we get creative and get grants or have foundations or endowments, but we are very locally cared for. 

However, that is not true of our library systems. Every library – with the exception of the Milwaukee Public Libraries, which do their own thing – is a part of a library system. They are the ones that receive federal and state funding to operate as well as their member’s fees. We are a part of the South Central Library System, which has shared with us that a small percentage of their funding comes from federal money. But as of right now, we are doing fine; it is really what this means for 2026, which we won’t know for a bit. 

I should give out a shout to DPI’s (Department of Public Instruction) Library Services Team. They will be very impacted by the funding cuts to IMLS. They are 75% funded by the IMLS money. And they support the work of the state’s public libraries. 

If anyone has any questions about this, please feel free to reach out. And if you want to help out, then writing to elected officials at the federal level is the way to go. If you need help finding them, let me know. 

The library is open Monday through Thursdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  

If you have questions about library services, we are here to help! Call us at (608) 588-2276 or email ewhitmore [at] springgreenlibrary.org (ewhitmore[at]springgreenlibrary[dot]org). Ongoing library updates will be posted to our website (www.springgreenlibrary.org) and Facebook page. The Library is located at 230 E. Monroe Street.  

 Vicky Lilla is the featured artist in the Community Room Gallery. She is a working artist with a studio in southwest Wisconsin. While living in Wisconsin Vicky became fascinated with the local landscape, rural buildings and regional wildlife especially the native sandhill cranes and the endangered whooping cranes. Her work is included in private and corporate collections throughout the United States. Her current work is an exploration of reflection and transparency, color and contrast. My goal is to recreate and share with the viewer a venue or impression indicative of the Midwest experience. The exhibit is available for viewing in the Community Room Gallery during regular library hours. Please ask for the key to the Community Room at the circulation desk.

Don Greenwood’s photography exhibit is in the Glass Case Gallery and is sponsored by River Valley Birders. Greenwood‘s adventures in photography began more than 60 years ago when he received a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye camera as a birthday present. Since that time he has been a photojournalist, a camera store manager, and, in retirement, a wildlife photographer. He especially enjoys spending time observing and photographing the incredible spectrum of species found in the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway and the surrounding Driftless Area. The photo display is viewable during regular library hours.