Marylanders love their libraries. Not only that, they use them in droves.

A recent Baltimore Sun article titled “On the Chopping Block in Baltimore-area Libraries: Adult Literacy Programs, seed swaps” explored the ramifications of the Trump administration’s March 14 executive order to dismantle and defund the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS is the only source of federal funding for Maryland’s libraries. Prior to the executive order, the Maryland State Library Agency (MSLA) was expected to receive $3.3 million this fiscal year. MSLA uses this federal aid to fund programs in each of Maryland’s 24 public library systems, along with staff training, strategic planning, certifications and Agency operations.

To date, MSLA has received $1.4 million of the federal funds allocated this fiscal year to Maryland by Congress (less than half of what has been appropriated) with no certainty that the remainder will come through, potentially leaving MSLA and every county in Maryland on the hook for unpaid contracts, salaries and expenses. While The Sun reported on the status of these grants from the perspective of Baltimore-area library systems, which represent some of the best and largest systems in Maryland, it did not explore the reality of federal funding losses for our rural and semi-rural counties, which make up the majority of the state.

From Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore, rural counties operate on smaller local budgets, making their ability to offset the loss of federal funds much more challenging. They also lack the private fundraising capabilities of their metropolitan counterparts. While the generosity of private fundraising is certainly a boon to Maryland libraries, the notion of supplanting public dollars with private funds to staff and operate an institution as democratic as the public library threatens its ability to serve the public good.

A decade ago, a Vietnam War veteran entered a branch of the Cecil County Public Library, where I served as director, in search of employment help. He had suffered a multitude of challenges since returning from war and was living in a tent in the woods nearby. Library staff quickly got to work. Over several weeks, they taught him how to use a computer, create an email account and a resume, and, ultimately, apply for jobs. They also connected him to a nearby VA hospital to begin receiving treatment and housing.

In a short amount of time, this veteran acquired not one, but two jobs — as a peer support specialist at the VA hospital helping other veterans in recovery, and as a transit driver, often transporting other veterans to the library for services. He secured long-term housing and became one of our greatest ambassadors. The experience even inspired us to develop a series of classes that equipped local veterans with much-needed technology and job skills.

In 2015, Cecil County Public Library was awarded the IMLS National Medal — the country’s highest honor for libraries that achieve extraordinary impact in their communities. When we traveled to Washington, D.C., to receive the award from then-first lady Michelle Obama, we brought this veteran with us. I remember him exclaiming, “I went from being homeless to being employed and hugging Michelle Obama at the White House, all because of the library!”

This is the power of libraries and librarians. Few community institutions care for people and their problems in this way, not to mention are sufficiently resourced and positioned to help people do something about them. This is especially true in rural communities, where the library often delivers the only access to the internet, to job help, to safe spaces and to books and literacy — essentially, to everything that makes a difference in a person’s life. This is precisely what we celebrate and fight for every day, whether it is National Library Week (happening now) or just another Tuesday. This is also what is at stake for Maryland and our country should institutions like IMLS continue to be undermined.

IMLS funding accounts for 0.004% of the federal budget. State funding for public libraries represents 0.17% of the total budget. It is difficult to reconcile claims of “wasteful government spending” with an institution that is so efficient at stewarding public dollars and generating tremendous returns. More than 3.2 million Marylanders are active library card holders. They checked out 52 million items last year. Our 192 public library branches served nearly 16 million visitors seeking not only access to books and learning, but also to transformative experiences, inspiring spaces and community.

Marylanders get it. We hope Washington will, too.

Morgan Lehr Miller is state librarian of the Maryland State Library Agency. She served for more than eight years as the executive director of the Cecil County Public Library.