Trump will nominate KC Library’s Crosby Kemper III to federal agency he wants to close
President Donald Trump will nominate Crosby Kemper III, executive director of the Kansas City Public Library, to lead a little-known independent federal agency that the White House has repeatedly sought to shutter.
Kemper, who has headed the local library since 2005, will become director of the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS), pending confirmation by the U.S. Senate. The agency is tasked with supporting the nation’s museums and libraries with research, policy and grants.
That institute, which says it is the primary source of federal funding for museums and libraries, has an annual budget of about $242 million. But Trump’s federal budget proposals for the last three years have sought to close the agency.
On Thursday, Kemper said he was under orders from the White House not to comment on the nomination. He did say he plans to commute to Washington, D.C. His wife, Deborah Sandler, will continue her work as general director and CEO of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City.
Kemper, 68, said the local library has created a succession plan for its direction. But a spokeswoman for the Kansas City Public Library said she could not comment because of the pending confirmation process.
U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, applauded the president’s plans to nominate Kemper. In a statement, the senator said Kemper’s work has made Kansas City’s library “one of the best in the nation.”
“His background in public service and business will be an asset to the Institute of Museum and Library Services. I was proud to recommend him to President Trump for this role and will do everything I can to support his confirmation.”
The Kemper name in Kansas City is synonymous with banking: family members created both Commerce Bank and United Missouri Bank, now known as UMB. Crosby Kemper III is former CEO of UMB and co-founder and current chairman of the Show-Me Institute, a libertarian think tank.
He’s also well known in Kansas City for vocally criticizing public incentives that aid private developers. Those tax breaks redirect revenue from jurisdictions like schools and libraries — a point he made several times during a Thursday panel discussion about incentive programs hosted by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.
He’s also a well documented bibliophile: In a 2016 interview with The Star he estimated his personal book collection contained some 25,000 volumes.
The American Library Association celebrated Kemper’s nomination and called for a swift Senate confirmation. In a statement, ALA President Wanda Brown said the agency’s next director “needs to highlight the many ways America’s libraries and museums bring opportunity for all.”
“One thing is certain: Crosby knows his community and has done a good job bringing in a diversity of programs so there is something for everyone in Kansas City,” Brown’s statement said. “He will bring that community work, along with his business acumen and extensive museum experience, to bear at the national level. ALA supports a swift and unanimous confirmation in the Senate.”
The IMLS director is appointed to a four-year term, an agency spokesperson said. The director alternates each four years between someone with a museum background and the library community. The current director, Kathryn Matthew, confirmed in 2015, worked in museums and nonprofits.
The agency is operating on short-term budget that expires Nov. 21. It will require passage of a formal budget or more stopgap funding to remain open.
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 5:36 PM.
