There has been an assault on knowledge institutions in the past 8 months. Added to attacks on libraries are attempts to shape and control universities, museums, and federal agencies like the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the National Institutes of Health. Besides executive actions, there have been important judicial decisions that have massive implications for libraries, such as defining libraries as government speech and challenging book banning laws.

The goal of these attacks on our knowledge institutions is "enDumbification." "Dumbification" refers to the act or process of making something less informative or someone less intelligent, often to the point of decline in critical thinking skills. The prefix "en-" generally means "in," "into," or "cause to be" indicating a state of being or transformation.

In this episode, we dig into this ongoing enDumbification, aka epistemicide, playing out across our cultural and educational institutions. From the Smithsonian framing history through a sanitized, white-centered lens, to school curricula that erase Indigenous, Black, and marginalized perspectives, we’re seeing a dangerous pattern of knowledge destruction. It’s showing up in the surge of book bans targeting authors of color and LGBTQ+ voices, and in political moves from the Department of Education that suppress critical inquiry. We’re also living in a media landscape where celebrity fitness trainers like Jillian Michaels are bizarrely asked by major news outlets to comment on the legacy of slavery, while PragerU’s agenda-driven videos are floated as replacements for trusted information sources like PBS. It's time for us to talk about how we respond when truth itself is under siege.

Aughhhh!!! We knew this was coming, but it still hurts – even more. As part of the chain-saw destruction of much of the US federal government, the Institute for Museum and Library Services has been eliminated to the maximum extend of the law and ordered to reduce services and personnel to the minimum required by law. All budget requests from IMLS are rejected except those to shut down the agencies. And yes, the Executive Order usurps the intent of Congress.

According to ALA, “[l]ibrary funding draws less than 0.003% of the annual federal budget yet has enormous impact in communities nationwide.” The Libraries Lead team knows this firsthand having received R&D funding from IMLS and through working with libraries of all kinds across the US. It’s a tsunami and the effects are massive.

In this episode, we share our disgust and anger at the devastating actions by the Tump administration. This is a gut punch and we need to catch our collective breaths, celebrate this outstanding agency, and then figure out what we can do individually and together to fight back.

With Dave on vacation, Beth & Mike also take a break from the challenges and issues facing the library & information field. Since both are both avid sports fans and since it’s “March Madness” (college basketball’s post-season extravaganza) time, they build on last month’s “information perspective” by taking a look at the entire phenomenon while wearing their library & information-colored glasses. So, fill out your brackets, grab a beverage and snacks, root for your favorite teams, and join Beth & Mike as they share and challenge each other’s perceptions and predictions.