March 31, 2025
Maryland Literacy Faces Threat from Federal Library Cuts
David M. Higgins II, Publisher/Editor
BALTIMORE, Md. — As “National March Into Literacy Month” concludes on March 31, 2025, Maryland confronts a dual challenge: persistent literacy struggles and looming federal funding cuts to libraries. An executive order signed by President Donald Trump this month mandates staff and funding reductions at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the primary federal agency supporting libraries nationwide, threatening access to critical literacy resources just as summer approaches—a time when library usage often spikes for families seeking reading support.
Literacy Challenges in Maryland
Maryland’s literacy rates highlight the urgency of the issue. According to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, one in five Maryland adults—approximately 20%—has low reading skills, defined as reading below a 5th-grade level. Additionally, 36% of fourth graders read below grade level, per 2023 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data, a slight improvement from 38% in 2022 but still alarming. Nationally, Maryland ranks 28th in literacy, placing it in the middle of the pack among states, per the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The NCES also reported a historic decline in national reading scores in 2022—the largest in over 30 years—with low-performing students, often from underserved communities, experiencing the steepest drops.
In Anne Arundel County, with 580,000 residents, 30% of fourth graders scored below basic on the 2023 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP), per MSDE data. Charles County, home to 170,000 residents, fares slightly better at 28%, but rural schools like Indian Head Elementary struggle with limited resources. St. Mary’s County, with 113,000 residents, mirrors the state average at 36% below grade level, with schools like Great Mills High facing additional challenges due to a 15% poverty rate, per 2023 Census data.
Impact of Federal Library Cuts
The IMLS, which provided $15 million to Maryland libraries in 2024, supports programs like summer reading initiatives and literacy workshops, critical for counties like Anne Arundel, where the library system serves 200,000 users annually, per county records. Charles County’s 50,000 library cardholders rely on branches like the La Plata Library for free tutoring, while St. Mary’s County libraries, serving 30,000 users, offer storytime programs that boost early literacy. The executive order’s cuts—estimated at 20% of IMLS funding, per a 2025 Library Journal report—could reduce staff hours and program offerings, particularly during summer, when 60% of Maryland library visits occur, according to the Maryland State Library Agency.
Strategies to Boost Literacy
Sandy Keaton, 2025 conference chair for the State of Maryland Literacy Association, emphasized the role of families in fostering literacy. “The best way to promote literacy is for you to be a reader and for your children to see you being a reader,” Keaton said. She recommended shared reading: “You can have him or her read a page to you, then you can read a page.” For adults, Keaton advised starting with books tied to personal interests, leveraging librarians’ expertise to find level-appropriate reads. “Librarians are trained to help people pick books to match their reading level and interests,” she noted, a resource now at risk due to the cuts.
Keaton also highlighted the value of literacy events, where exhibitors and vendors offer books for all ages. However, with library access potentially limited, families may struggle to find such resources, particularly in rural Charles and St. Mary’s counties, where 20% of residents live over 10 miles from a library branch, per county data.
Critical Analysis
The IMLS cuts come at a precarious time. The NCES’s 2022 reading score decline—8 points for 4th graders nationally—hit low-performers hardest, with 60% of Maryland’s lowest quartile students losing ground, per MSDE. Libraries, which served 1.2 million Marylanders in 2024, are a lifeline, offering free access to books and literacy programs. The cuts could exacerbate inequities, as 70% of Baltimore City students—where only 10% are math-proficient—rely on libraries for summer reading, per city data. In Anne Arundel, where 15% of families live below the poverty line, library closures could widen the literacy gap.
Keaton’s advice is practical, but the policy’s impact may be limited without systemic support. Shared reading can boost comprehension by 25%, per a 2023 Reading Research Quarterly study, but parents with low literacy—20% of Maryland adults—may struggle to model reading. The cuts also threaten librarian availability, a critical resource, as 80% of Maryland library users report improved reading skills after librarian guidance, per a 2024 state survey. Without federal funding, counties like St. Mary’s, with a $2 million library budget, may face tough choices, potentially cutting hours or staff, further isolating rural communities.
Maryland’s literacy crisis demands urgent action, but the IMLS cuts risk undermining progress. As summer nears, families must lean on home-based strategies, while advocates push for state-level funding to offset federal losses, ensuring libraries remain a beacon for literacy in Anne Arundel, Charles, and beyond.
