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The Institute of Museum and Library Services’ empty booth at the 2025 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia. Terra Dankowski/American Libraries In the first year of Donald Trump’s second presidency, libraries have been buffeted by a string of policies and executive orders. Some changes have been sweeping, while others were smaller in scope but […]
Freedom to read faces federal scrutiny Following the Trump administration’s executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the US Naval Academy removed nearly 400 books deemed DEI-related from its Nimitz Library (later returning most of them to circulation). Meanwhile, in April, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a case brought by […]
Illustration: Мария Пестова/Adobe Stock At a time when libraries are facing immense, unprecedented challenges—fiscal, logistical, institutional, existential—the role of library supporters has never been more critical. These types of challenges were top of mind at United for Libraries (UFL) Virtual 2025, held in late July. Every year, UFL brings together trustees, foundation and Friends members, […]
Illustration: Antonio Rodriguez/Adobe Stock The world of college admissions drastically shifted in 2023, when the Supreme Court’s landmark rulings in two cases—Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. University of North Carolina—rejected race-conscious affirmative action policies. Just two years later, as some schools report declining enrollment of students of color, a flurry […]
Brian Selznick Photo: Brittany Cruz-Fejeran Until recently, Caldecott Medal–winning author-illustrator Brian Selznick had never written for young adults, nor written a full-fledged love story. That changed with Run Away with Me (Scholastic, 2025), a YA novel about a transformative summer romance between two teenage boys in 1980s Rome that is interwoven with love stories spanning […]
Getting started with web accessibility improvements can feel overwhelming. The ultimate goal should be a website that maximizes accessibility and considers inclusive access in all decisions. But even incremental improvements have real benefits. A good approach is to look at the most high-impact changes you can make early in the process to improve accessibility for […]
Master storyteller Angela Lloyd’s “sunbrella.” Everyone knows Cinderella, the story of the unfortunate young woman who, thanks to her fairy godmother, rides in a pumpkin, misplaces her glass slipper, and ends up marrying a prince. But have you heard the version where she’s aided by a magical fish instead? Or the one where she loses […]
Looking for clever and thoughtful gift ideas for the book lover in your life? Bookmark this article: American Libraries has gathered an eclectic list of literary-themed gifts—covering all price points and ranging from apparel to tech to kitchen accessories. $10 or less Book Club Cocktail Napkins ($9) Make your book club laugh with these “Welcome […]
Games—whether of the board, video, or trivia variety—help people connect, escape, and learn. Information professionals see the transformative power of games firsthand in their libraries through programs and events, instruction, patron recommendations, and outreach. In honor of International Games Month, held every November, these stories center games and gaming as community-building, teaching, and self-improvement tools. […]
Danielle Costello explains game jams for creating tabletop roleplaying games at the American Library Association’s 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago. Photo: Rebecca Lomax/American Libraries What do you need for a game jam? “Two tables. Done,” says Danielle Costello, student success librarian at University of Georgia Libraries in Athens. While game jams—accelerated game creation […]
Patrons play the videogame Rocket League at an open-house-style Adaptive Arcade event at Deerfield (Ill.) Public Library. Growing up, Steve Spohn’s primary way to connect with others was through videogames. Diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy as an infant, Spohn spent significant time in the hospital as a child. “The only way to reach out to […]
ALA’s Games and Gaming Round Table (GameRT) announced in April its second cohort of classic titles—games that are more than 10 years old—to be included in the Classics Hall of Fame for its Platinum Play Award (the “Platy”). GameRT’s Awards Committee chose these titles based on their historical and ongoing excellence for library use, whether […]
Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings (left) with contestant Adriana Harmeyer Photo: Disney/Christopher Willard With total earnings of $441,600, Adriana Harmeyer, clinical associate professor and archivist for university history at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, is the winningest library professional ever to have appeared on the legendary game show Jeopardy! Harmeyer—who holds the 12th-longest consecutive winning […]
Traditional professional development plans in libraries may satisfy organizational or certification needs but do not necessarily satisfy employees’ needs, wants, and interests. What if we put employees’ needs and wants center stage by looking at professional development through the lens of an employee well-being program? A well-being program is an investment in the whole person, […]
Sean Sherman, a member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe and founder of the restaurant Owamni in Minneapolis, was not widely known in 2017, when he released his first cookbook, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, with Beth Dooley. But since then, he has become perhaps the most recognizable Indigenous chef in the country, racking up […]
Squash and pepita tartlets, one of the recipes in Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America (November, Clarkson Potter), written by Sean Sherman with Kate Nelson and Kristin Donnelly. Photo: David Alvarado Reprinted with permission from Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America (November, Clarkson […]
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 […]
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 […]
