Recent federal actions have placed a critical source of funding for public libraries and museums in jeopardy. Within weeks following an executive order from President Trump, the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) staff was placed on administrative leave and grant processing was suspended, which has put rural communities across the country, including those in Nebraska and South Dakota, at risk of losing access to essential library services.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is currently facing threats of privatization, which would jeopardize mail service to the 51 million people living in rural areas who might otherwise not have mail access.

Five years ago, a community in rural Iowa came together to save a vital part of their small town: the grocery store. With a population of approximately 900 people, Gowrie is in many ways an idyllic small town.