A March 14 executive order from President Donald Trump could threaten the future of a federal agency that helps pay to distribute books to libraries in Baker County and 14 other counties in Eastern Oregon.

The executive order calls on seven agencies to eliminate “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law” their “non-statutory components and functions.”

The list includes the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It was created in 1996. The agency has about 70 employees and awarded $266 million in grants last year.

That includes an annual grant of about $70,000 to the Sage Library System, which makes it possible for patrons in 15 counties to request books and other materials from about 80 libraries in the system.

The Sage system includes these counties: Baker, Grant, Union, Wallowa, Umatilla, Morrow, Malheur, Harney, Lake, Klamath, Wheeler, Gilliam, Sherman, Wasco and Hood River.

Last year the Sage system distributed almost 92,000 items to patrons in its counties.

According to a post on the system’s Facebook page, the system has money to continue the service through September 2026, although that is not guaranteed.

The post states that many libraries in the system struggle to pay the Sage membership, so it’s unlikely that libraries could make up for the loss of the IMLS grant.

“Our public libraries and museums are lifelines for education, research, and community connection,” said Jen Albright, president of the Friends of Baker County Library. “Defunding the IMLS would be devastating, particularly for our homeschool families and fixed-income seniors in our rural areas where these extraordinary library services are made possible by federal investment.”

The executive order doesn’t close IMLS, and it’s not clear what the agency’s “non-statutory components and functions” are.

Oregon’s U.S. senators, Democrats Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with the state’s five Democratic members of the House, signed a letter to Keith Sonderling, acting director of the IMLS, raising concerns over the executive order’s effect on the IMLS.

“Libraries and museums play a vital role in our communities, including in the great state of Oregon,” the lawmakers wrote. “Libraries offer access for all to essential information and engagement on a wide range of topics, including skills and career training, broadband, and computing services.”

In addition to the potential effect on the Sage system, the State Library of Oregon receives roughly 25 percent of its budget — about $5.2 million from the 2023-2025 biennium — from the IMLS through the Library Services and Technology Act.

The American Library Association sent a letter last week to Sonderling, warning him not to cut library programs required by federal law.