This book, originally published in 1972, was ordered through an interlibrary loan by a New Ulm library patron. The book was not part of New Ulm’s collection, but fortunately, the St. Catherine University Library in St. Paul had a copy and sent it to New Ulm.

The copy of “Medicine & Society in America” that arrived in New Ulm was an older book. The barcode at the top of the book read College of St. Catherine Library, a holdover from before the institute changed its name.

This exchange of materials between libraries was made possible through the Interlibrary loan program, which allows all libraries in Minnesota to share materials. A borrower from New Ulm Public Library can request nearly any material on loan at any library in the state and have it sent to them free of charge. This is a service every Minnesota resident has access to, at least for now.

On March 14 President Donald Trump issued an executive order to defund the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The IMLS is the federal agency responsible for funding library services across the United States. Cuts to IMLS could potentially lead to the loss of services, specifically the interlibrary loan program.

A shelf at the New Ulm Public Library is dedicated to holding items requested through interlibrary loans. New Ulm Public Library patrons requested 18,536 items through interlibrary loans. The New Ulm Library sent out 18,928 items to different libraries across the state.

New Ulm Public Library Director April Ide said the interlibrary loan program is heavily utilized in New Ulm. In 2024, New Ulm Public Library patrons requested 18,536 items through interlibrary loans. The New Ulm Library sent out 18,928 items to different libraries across the state.

Ide said these figures were roughly the same every year.

It’s not just books either. There is a wide range of materials shared through the interlibrary loan program, including videos, microfilm and articles. The New Ulm library also has access to several databases that include historic archives and well as e-books.

“Any resident of Minnesota can access these resources now,” Ide said. “But with these cuts, all Minitex resources are at risk.”

Minitex is Minnesota’s state-funded library organization and serves as the connection point for libraries across the state and facilitates most interlibrary loans. If an interlibrary loan comes from outside of a library’s local region, the request gets sent through Minitex and materials are transferred through the organization.

Ide said currently Minitex is the coordination organization for Minnesota’s interlibrary loan program, but if the federal cuts to IMLS filter down to the state level, there could be staffing cuts and no one available to coordinate loan requests.

New Ulm Public Library is part of the Traverse de Sioux library system. This encompasses nine area libraries all of which share materials with one another. Couriers regularly carry materials between the libraries in the Traverse de Sioux.

Ide said the cuts to IMLS should not affect the material sharing in the Traverse de Sioux system but anything outside the nine library cooperative could be lost. If a patron of the New Ulm Public Library wanted to borrow an item from a Rochester library, that could prove impossible.

Ide said the current interlibrary loan program was a huge benefit to the library and community beyond simply checking out books.

“We have access to academic libraries and that is great for people doing deep research,” Ide said “but it’s also great because we can’t get a hold of every book.”

Ide said the library works hard to order materials patrons want and will circulate well in the library, but there is a physical limit to how much can be stored. Often when deciding what material to order, the library will see what other libraries have in their collection. New Ulm library might not need to order copies of a certain book if it can be accessed from another library in the state.

“It’s a balancing act,” Ide said. “You look at what you need, but also what can be accessed elsewhere. It’s great to have that resource.”

It is for this reason that Ide and other libraries across the state and the country are asking supporters to contact their Senators and Representatives and urge them to overturn the executive order and protect IMLS funding.

Ide said the New Ulm library has been working to get the word out about this risk to the interlibrary loan program, realizing it is important to a lot of their patrons.

“I don’t think people realize how much they have access to through the library,” Ide said, “and just want to let people know the interlibrary loan is being used, because it is being used.”