Theatre Library Association Statement on Proposed Cuts to NEA, NEH, and IMLS
TLA affirms its support for our partner and affiliate organizations and the nation’s endowments in the Arts and Humanities. While we are not a political organization, we do inform and empower our communities through support to archivists, librarians, practitioners, and scholars.
TLA will continue to advocate for and participate in the open exchange of information across international borders, as our professions embrace diversity and inclusion for all. We recognize the dangers of assaults on funding for the arts, humanities, and the libraries that steward our cultural memory. We remain steady in our resolve to defend them.
These programs benefit Americans in all fifty states of all identities: race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, geographic region, and country of origin. The arts serve as an economic engine and job creator in their communities.
TLA acknowledges that our members persist in the intersections of what the current administration seeks to devalue. As a consequence, we stand with our patrons, colleagues, communities, and institutions that uphold the values of a civil society. TLA will continue to advance our work in access, preservation, and outreach to further secure the invaluable legacy of the artists, organizations, and artistic works that constitute our great nation. If you feel called to do so, we encourage you to visit this site and explore actions you can take today to contribute to this critical cause: http://www2.archivists.org/groups/alasaaaam-joint-committee-on-archives-libraries-and-museums-calm/calm-tips-for-supporting-iml. (Many thanks to the ALA/SAA/AAM Joint Committee on Archives, Libraries, and Museums (CALM) for creating this resource!)
Colleen Reilly, PhD
President, Theatre Library Association