Your Library Story

Your story matters. Not just because you curate collections or answer reference questions, but because you build bridges between people and knowledge. You have witnessed quiet triumphs: a child learning to read, a student discovering their passion, a senior reconnecting with history. These moments are part of our ­collective story, and they deserve to be shared.

Stories have extraordinary power to connect people across cultures, ages, and experiences. By curating diverse narratives, libraries promote inclusion and understanding. Librarians are natural storytellers, yet many of us stay behind the scenes. Perhaps it’s humility. Perhaps it’s the belief that the work speaks for itself. But in a world filled with noise, your steady, informed, compassionate voice is needed more than ever.

Telling your story isn’t self-promotion. It’s advocacy. It shows the world what libraries truly do. Behind every book spine and digital login is a human being who cares deeply about access, equity, and lifelong learning. Sharing your story helps others see the difference you make and why your work matters.

Storytelling deepens the connection between libraries and their communities. It fosters education, promotes inclusion, and sparks imagination. As guardians and facilitators of stories, library workers can shape narratives that inspire change, nurture empathy, and cultivate lifelong learning. Embracing storytelling in all its forms ensures that libraries remain vibrant centers of human connection and knowledge.

That is why ALA’s Show Up for Our Libraries campaign invites every library worker and supporter to speak up about their impact. When you share what your library makes possible, you help secure funding, defend intellectual freedom, and inspire others to act.

Through Friends groups, trustees, advocates, and ALA’s United for Libraries, we can help turn stories into action, mobilizing neighbors, business leaders, and voters who understand that libraries strengthen every community they touch.

And when our stories are challenged, Unite Against Book Bans helps us stand together to defend them. Every challenge to a book is an attempt to erase a lived experience or silence a perspective. Our shared advocacy reminds the nation that the freedom to read and the freedom to tell our stories are inseparable.

At the national level, advocacy and storytelling intersect through ALA’s National Library Legislative Day, to be held February 25–26 in Washington, D.C. Library workers and supporters will gather and meet with legislators, share personal stories, and advance federal policy to strengthen access, funding, and the freedom to read.

So how do you begin?

Start small. Share a moment that moved you. Write a blog post about a program that matters. Speak at a local event. Mentor a new librarian. Use social media to highlight the heart behind the stacks.

What you have to say is important. Your story does not need to be dramatic. It needs to be honest. Real. Yours.

When we tell our stories, we remind the world that libraries are not just buildings or budgets. They are living testaments to human curiosity and care. Together, we become not just keepers of knowledge but beacons of it.

Step out from behind the desk. Lift your voice. Tell your story.

Our stories are worth sharing. Let us keep writing them and telling them together. The world is listening.