(Radio Iowa) – A state program that allows libraries to borrow books from each other is on hold until August, after which, the State Library of Iowa will scale back deliveries and pickups of inter-library loans from twice a week to just once. Shenandoah Public Library director Carrie Falk says in the past year, her library received more than 400 books and sent out another 500, so this change due to federal budget uncertainty -will- have an impact.

“It’s just going to slow some stuff down, and we’re all going to have to learn to have a little bit more patience, and it’s going to take a little bit longer to get things,” Falk says, “but I don’t see that it would change a lot, other than the length of time it’s going to take to get stuff in.” After the pause, books will be delivered through a partnership with Iowa’s Area Education Agencies. A-E-As will start fulfilling deliveries August 4th. Falk says the program gives her patrons in southwest Iowa access to a large number of materials the library otherwise wouldn’t have space for on its shelves. “While we have a ton of stuff, we don’t have everything,” Falk says, “and so it’s phenomenal to be able to have the rest of the state’s material at our fingertips.”

The state service to transport materials to and from libraries is supported by a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. President Donald Trump moved to eliminate the agency earlier this year.