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In this new online column, American Library Association (ALA) Senior Endowment Trustee Brett Bonfield will update members about the ALA Endowment Fund, its role in ALA finances, and additional topics related to investment decisions and how they are made. ALA’s endowment is a major component of the Association’s finances, contributing millions of dollars each year […]
The pop-up Star Wars Library at Singapore’s Changi Airport. Chile Librarians at the National Library of Chile in Santiago discovered a cache of hidden texts from the government of 1970–1973 President Salvador Allende, the Latin American Post reported. After the September 11, 1973, military coup, dictator Augusto Pinochet sought to destroy “dangerous” texts, including leftist […]
While the drumbeat of news stories of libraries and schools relocating or removing books continues, it’s important to remember that librarians have allies in the fight against book-banning. Here’s how a few notable figures American Libraries spoke to or covered over the past year reflected on advocacy, diverse stories, and censorship-free libraries. “There’s a reason […]
Conversations about censorship and book bans tend to exclude the voices of the very population they claim to protect: young people. Now a rising generation is bristling at these restrictions, seeking a more active role in advocating for their own freedom to read. “A core front in the culture wars is: What does it mean […]
Despite measures to continue operations and preserve pending contracts with libraries, the book distributor Baker & Taylor (B&T), a longtime fixture in the library technology industry, will shutter. B&T is in the process of closing following financial difficulties experienced over the last two years, according to Publishers Weekly; Shaw Local, a media group in northern […]
In 2023—as book challenges, relocations, and removals in the state’s public and school libraries were reaching unprecedented levels—16-year-old Iris Mogul started the all-ages Banned Books Club in Coral Gables, Florida. The club’s largely but not exclusively adult membership includes English teachers and retired professors. They read and discuss titles like James Baldwin’s Go Tell It […]
Banned Books Week takes place October 5–11. This year’s theme is “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.” 1982Year that ALA held its first Banned Books Week. 2,452Total number of unique titles challenged in libraries in in 2024 that were documented by ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. While that number is a sharp decline […]
Students explore the tables at the Freedom Walk program at Clark High School. Three years ago, after a difficult state legislative session in Texas that aimed to restrict access to books and disparage the work of librarians, I recognized the urgency of helping my community understand how our libraries operate. I am a school librarian. […]
Dan Montgomery will start his role as the American Library Association’s (ALA) new executive director on November 10. He will become the first nonlibrarian to serve in that position in the Association’s nearly 150-year history, overseeing a membership of 45,000 people and 180 staffers. Montgomery comes to ALA from the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), […]
A sign outside the Columbia branch of Seattle Public Library announcing that “All library computer systems down,” on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, after the system suffered a ransomware attack. Photo: KUOW On a morning in October 2023, an accountant at Orion Township (Mich.) Public Library (OTPL) saw something in her accounting software that alarmed her: […]
Welcome to the 2025 Library Design Showcase, American Libraries’ annual celebration of new and renovated libraries throughout North America. Today’s libraries are places where people from diverse communities can connect, learn, and grow. The institutions featured in this year’s showcase embody the library’s role as a true third space while honoring local histories and cultures […]
The following libraries are winners of the 2025 Library Building Awards, sponsored by Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures (a division of the American Library Association) and the American Institute of Architects. The awards recognize the best in library architecture and design and are open to any architect licensed in the US. Projects may be located anywhere […]
Illustration: Tom Deja Librarian Sondra Eklund spends her time stocking books for the public library system she works for in Virginia. One of her patrons recently asked the library to acquire a children’s book about pets other than cats or dogs, so she went looking. When she came across a book titled Rabbits: Children’s Animal […]
Every year, the American Library Association (ALA) recognizes the achievements of more than 200 individuals and institutions with an array of awards honoring their service to librarians and librarianship. Chosen by juries of their colleagues and peers, winners embody the best of the profession’s leadership, vision, and service as well as a continued commitment to […]
A patron at Orange County (Fla.) Library System takes the wheel of a virtual driving simulator. The technology has helped people with limited access to traditional driver’s education feel more confident on the road. Photo: Orange County (Fla.) Library System Not everyone has access to a safe, reliable car. And even those who do sometimes […]
Author Andreas Souvaliotis appears at Toronto Public Library’s sensory-friendly Autism Employment Expo, which drew nearly 200 autistic adults and support people. Photo: Toronto Public Library In 2022, as part of the City Librarian’s Innovation Challenge, Toronto Public Library (TPL) asked staff to submit ideas for workforce development initiatives. Recognizing Canada’s high unemployment rate among autistic […]
Author Rebecca F. Kuang Photo: John Packman For Rebecca F. Kuang, academia is more than a fictional setting. After writing The Poppy War in 2018 as an undergraduate at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Kuang went on to study at two of the world’s most famous universities, Cambridge and Oxford in the UK. Her fourth […]
20th-century vintage sewing and knitting patterns in the library at Arizona State University’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. Photo: Arizona State University’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising London, Milan, New York, and Paris will host their Fashion Weeks throughout September and October. 754Number of 20th-century vintage sewing and knitting patterns […]
Photo: Aaron Clamage First things first: Legends don’t need middle names. “It’s Smokey Bear, not Smokey the Bear,” says Sara Lee (pictured), lead librarian for special collections at the National Agricultural Library (NAL), who oversees the US Forest Service Smokey Bear Collection. That’s just one of many intriguing tidbits to be learned while visiting the […]
Sustainability is a promise we make to future generations that libraries will continue to be cornerstones of community life and prosperity. Recognized as a core value of our profession, sustainability is one of the five essential values guiding our work and decisions to balance environmental stewardship, societal well-being, and economic feasibility. Aldo Leopold, a writer […]
