A Library for Firefighters: Teaching Fire Literacy Through Reading and Discussion

The Illinois Fire Service Institute Library in Champaign, Illinois, provides fire and emergency library and information assistance to the Fire Institute’s instructional staff, students, and more than 1,000 Illinois fire departments and 42,000 Illinois firefighters. Through ALA’s American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries, the library is creating the Children Fire Safety Literacy Reading and Discussion Program, which uses history, biography, and fiction to teach children about fire safety.

ALA Turns 150

2026 marks the 150th anniversary of the American Library Association (ALA). To kick off the year’s festivities, ALA President Sam Helmick has penned a thoughtful piece on ALA’s anniversary and the year ahead for the Association, ALA members, and library and book lovers everywhere.