The Maine State Library partially reopened Tuesday after a loss of federal funding last month forced its temporary closure and several layoffs.

The library has resumed offering all its regular services — including interlibrary loans, curbside pickup of library materials and digitization work — though patrons are required to make appointments for in-person visits, State Librarian Lori Fisher said in an email.

The library was closed for nearly two months, after losing access to federal funding that had been available through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which President Donald Trump vowed to eliminate “to the maximum extent” legally possible. The closure began April 10 and was initially slated to last only two weeks, but was extended multiple times.

During that time, library officials attempted to restructure the organization, and it laid off eight staffers whose salaries relied on federal money. The library regained access to half its federal allotment this month, reversing three of 13 originally planned layoffs. Two other workers were shifted to new positions unrelated to federal funds.

All told, about a fifth of the staff was terminated, Fisher said.

“At this time, the library is awaiting guidance on the future status of its federal funding through IMLS,” Fisher said.

The state library has taken in about $1.5 million from the federal government annually over the last three years, and it anticipated receiving a similar amount this fiscal year, Fisher said last month. Federal funding typically makes up about a third of the agency’s operating budget. That money funds statewide programs and is further passed to local libraries, which typically do not get money directly from the federal government.

Local librarians warned of serious downstream impacts, including loss of programming among libraries in rural and low-income communities, when Trump first announced plans to terminate the library institute.

Fisher said the terminated workers include three positions in the library development department, which supports local libraries across the state through data collection and continuing education programs; three public outreach positions; one position in the collections department; and one worker at Maine InfoNet, which helps connect Maine libraries and academic institutions.

The three positions for which funding was restored work with interlibrary loans, books by mail and “talking books” for blind and visually impaired patrons, Fisher said.

“Those positions are funded right now through the middle of December given the partial (fiscal year 2025) funds that have been officially awarded,” she said.

The federal agency did not immediately return a phone call or emailed questions about the status of Maine’s funding and when the state might hear back about its next steps. Trump placed the entire institute’s staff on a 90-day leave at the end of March.

The temporary closure and staffing shakeup come as the library plans to move its roughly seven miles of collections from its current, temporary site at 242 State St. in Augusta to a newly renovated space in the state Cultural Building.

“A reopening date for the Cultural Building, which houses the State Library, State Archives, and State Museum, has not been determined yet. We will provide more information on this move and reopening in the coming weeks,” Fisher said.