ALA leads historic win for libraries in new relief plan

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) that just passed the House provides $200 million in funding for IMLS, with $178 million for LSTA, and billions more in library-eligible programs. This is the single largest increase in funding for the IMLS in the agency’s 25-year history. 

In addition, ARPA establishes a $7.172 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund through the FCC’s E-rate program, which will reimburse eligible libraries for 100% of the costs of equipment necessary to provide off campus connectivity to patrons, including Wi-Fi hotspots, routers, laptops, and more. The final rules for the new program will be developed by the FCC within 60 days of passage, and ALA will provide input during the rulemaking process.

Please see the summary document below for a more detailed analysis on what ARPA includes for libraries.