We’re still buzzing from National Library Week (NLW), which wrapped on Saturday, April 29. The awareness, advocacy, and love for libraries, librarians, and library workers that we saw throughout the country was outstanding. While it would be a near-impossible task for us to highlight every single way that libraries were championed during NLW 2023, one …
California Governor Pens Love Letter to Libraries Read More »
Today, the American Library Association (ALA) kicked off National Library Week with the release of the State of America’s Libraries Report, which tells the story of how libraries are innovating and adapting to improve the well-being of their communities in the midst of censorship challenges. It also includes the highly anticipated list of the most challenged books …
Adaptation and Innovation in a Time of Censorship: The State of America’s Libraries 2023 Read More »
Today is the Independence Day of Ukraine. But despite the celebration, Russia’s invasion of the country persists, entering its sixth month this week. The war has affected people globally, including American librarians and their work. The latest episode of the Call Number with American Libraries podcast looks at how the library profession is supporting Ukraine. …
Library and book lovers who want to help the Ukrainian library community are encouraged to donate to the ALA Ukraine Library Relief Fund. Established by the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Ukrainian Library Association (ULA), the fund will gather donations for the Ukrainian library community as they face the challenges of war. …
Today is Earth Day, but did you know that libraries around the country celebrate it on a daily basis? Libraries play an important and unique role in promoting community awareness about resilience, climate change, and a sustainable future. In acknowledgement of this, the American Library Association (ALA) adopted sustainability as a core value of the …
On April 4, the American Library Association (ALA) released the State of America’s Libraries Special Report: Pandemic Year Two, a snapshot of the library community’s resilience, determination, and innovation in unprecedented circumstances. The report, which comes out annually during National Library Week, highlights how US libraries navigated the second year of the pandemic, an upswing …
Art Spiegelman is speaking out after his graphic novel Maus was banned by a Tennessee school board last week. Maus chronicles Spiegelman’s family’s history during the Holocaust, with Jewish characters rendered as mice and Nazis as cats. It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1992—the first graphic novel to win the award. The 10-member board in McMinn County chose to remove the two-volume book …
January 18 is the National Day of Racial Healing. In its sixth year of observance, it is a time to contemplate our shared values and create the blueprint together for how we heal from the effects of racism. Libraries, librarians, and book lovers across the country are participating in the National Day of Racial Healing …
2020 was a year like no other—and libraries were no exception. Amid the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, libraries had to act fast, transforming their resources and services to meet the rapidly changing needs of their communities. The American Library Association’s State of America’s Libraries Special Report: COVID-19 sheds new light on the challenges libraries faced in …
This Is What 2020 Was Like at America’s Libraries Read More »
A new decade means a new U.S. census—and libraries are doing their part to ensure that everyone gets counted. The nation depends on a fair, accurate, and inclusive census to make sure billions of dollars in federal resources (from education funding to transportation infrastructure) are allocated appropriately. But counting millions of Americans is no small …
