As National Library Week comes to an end, libraries across the area are reflecting on their role in the community.

"Libraries really do exist for the community," Kansas City Public Library director and chief executive Abby Yellman said. "Your community really reminds you what the library means to them."

Public libraries are the latest institutions to be at risk of losing federal dollars under the Trump administration.

From the smaller desks in Cass County to the larger circulation numbers in Kansas City, an executive order to reduce the Institute of Museum and Library Services [IMLS] affects nearly every library nationwide.

According to the American Library Association, the reduction has already suspended half of the institute's workers and cut programming grants for several states.

"Our [Missouri] state library receives about $3.3 million [from IMLS] and that money comes directly to the libraries through mostly service and technology grants," Yellman said. "The funding that we get for our summer reading program, which was record breaking last year, we won't receive those funds potentially."

Federal grants make up about 1% of the Kansas City, Missouri, Public Library's $30 million budget. The rest is supplemented through state and local funding.

But federal dollars make up a bigger percentage for communities like Cass County, in addition to local tax dollars that support libraries.

"My concern is how are we going to ensure that we are having the funding to provide the resources that includes our e-books, our audio books and our physical collection," Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator Danielle Gardner said.

Federal grants through IMLS provide for Cass County Library's book sharing with other libraries, which saves the branches about $700,000 on books every year. If the grant for the $30,000 membership is cut, programs like summer reading and child literacy could be scaled back.

"Our patrons heavily rely on our books, but they also heavily rely on our programming," Gardner said. "There's a balancing act that we then have to go into."

Libraries across the metro are waiting to see what happens at the federal level, and in the courts with the American Library Administration's Lawsuit against the Trump administration.

The Kansas City Public Library's deputy director of youth and family engagement believes change can still be made.

"I have to believe that the people still have a voice," Crystal Faris said.

For librarian like Faris, it's hard to imagine having to readjust or even cancel some of her programming for children and teens.

"I'm going to bet that the majority of politicians, the majority of our representatives went to story time when they were a child," Faris said. "I want them to want that for other people."

Metro librarians are still in talks with the Missouri State Library to go over what funding and possible cutbacks will look like.

"The library is more than just books," Gardner said. "I'm optimistic we will be able to get the funding that we need."