Oscar-winning actor and lifelong advocate for equity and education, Geena Davis believes libraries are magical spaces—full of discovery, imagination, and opportunity for all. That’s why she proudly supports the American Library Association. Join Geena in standing up for libraries and the freedom to read.
In episode 20 of the “How I Library” podcast, show host and I Love Libraries editor Phil Morehart speaks with magician, actor, and author Penn Jillette from the Emmy Award-winning magic and comedy duo, Penn and Teller. Jillette joins the show to discuss his new novel, “Felony Juggler,” and its influences, magic and skepticism, the importance of libraries in his life growing up, book bans and information access, and of course, how he libraries.
MSNBC’s Ali Velshi sat down with author Max Brooks recently to learn why Brooks’ book “World War Z” has been banned and to break down its message, exploring why it inspires fear not just in the reader, but also in those in power.
This month’s report on attempts to censor library materials in the U.S., and efforts by librarians, parents, students, and concerned citizens to push back against them, includes news from New Hampshire, Maryland, and Alabama, as well as a look at how psychologists are fighting censorship to keep culturally diverse books available to everyone.
“How the Boogeyman Became a Poet,” written by Tony Keith Jr., is a coming-of-age memoir in verse. Teen listeners seeking similar vulnerability and authenticity in poetic form will love these audiobook picks from Booklist Reader.
In a special video message for ALA, author Judy Blume—whose work has been subjected to numerous challenges and bans across the country—encourages everyone to unite against book bans.
Help protect libraries and win your way to the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2026 Annual Conference in Chicago!
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Libraries in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, created a program to encourage Native individuals living in the region to consider running for non-Tribal elected offices themselves to help ensure that diverse perspectives are part of community conversations and policy decisions. They used resources provided by the American Library Association’s 2024 Peggy Barber Tribute Grant to facilitate the initiative.
Congratulations to librarian Mychal Threets for being named to the Time100 Creators: Most Influential Digital Voices list for 2025, Time’s inaugural celebration of the digital creators who have emerged to shape our culture. “They are changing what we watch, how we spend our time, what we buy, and how we vote,” says the magazine.
While court cases related to President Trump’s attempt to gut the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Department of Education move forward, we urgently need Congress to ensure that library programs receive full federal funding in the next fiscal year. We need everyone to call and urge Congress to support libraries before the July 21 deadline. It’s vital for the future of our libraries.
Dr. Carla Hayden spoke on Friday at the American Library Association’s 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia, and librarians, library workers, and book lovers in attendance greeted the former Librarian of Congress with a wave of love, respect, and applause when she took the stage. It was an unforgettable, moving tribute to Dr. Hayden, who was unceremoniously fired from her position leading the Library of Congress by President Trump in May.
Libraries and schools across the country are experiencing unprecedented levels of attempts to ban or remove books from their shelves. I Love Libraries will continue to raise awareness by highlighting attempts to censor library materials, as well as efforts by librarians, parents, students, and concerned citizens to push back against them. This report includes news from Florida, Tennessee, and Texas.
Encouraging an appreciation for our natural surroundings is always in season, and it’s no secret that libraries often provide garden areas, flower beds, and other outdoor areas for patron and community enjoyment and use. Wright Memorial Public Library in Oakwood, Ohio, took that a step further—and was rewarded a grant from ALA as a result.
In episode 19 of the “How I Library” podcast, show host and I Love Libraries editor Phil Morehart speaks with Nick Brooks. Brooks is the critically acclaimed author of the award-winning young adult (Y.A.) thriller, “Promise Boys,” a filmmaker, and a musician from Washington, D.C. His new book, “Up In Smoke,” is another page-turning Y.A. thriller that follows the events that spiral after a murder is committed during a Black Lives Matter protest. It’s part murder mystery, part call to revolution.
Former Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden sat down with Robert Costa on CBS Sunday Morning this weekend to discuss a variety of subjects, most notably her May 8 firing by President Trump.
Looking for your next great read this #PrideMonth? Our friends at Booklist Reader have you covered. From unforgettable queer fiction to timely memoirs and history, this New & Stellar LGBTQ Reads list has it all.
The library world—and Americans in general—received bad news late today when a federal judge declined to block the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The ruling, issued in ALA v. Sonderling, will allow the administration’s cuts at the independent agency while the case proceeds.
The international library community is rallying around its peers and colleagues in the United States as they endure challenging times that have seen the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under attack by President Trump and Dr. Carla Hayden fired as the Librarian of Congress.
Alexis Chanthachack, assistant director of Beals Memorial Library in Winchendon, Massachusetts, knows how difficult it can be to find activities and events—especially in rural areas—that are welcoming to autistic youth. That immediacy led the mother of two sons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to become the driving force behind the library’s accessibility work—work that led the library to receive a Libraries Transforming Communities Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant from the American Library Association to enhance accessibility for patrons on the autism spectrum.
Oscar-winning actor and lifelong advocate for equity and education, Geena Davis believes libraries are magical spaces—full of discovery, imagination, and opportunity for all. That’s why she proudly supports the American Library Association. Join Geena in standing up for libraries and the freedom to read.
In episode 20 of the “How I Library” podcast, show host and I Love Libraries editor Phil Morehart speaks with magician, actor, and author Penn Jillette from the Emmy Award-winning magic and comedy duo, Penn and Teller. Jillette joins the show to discuss his new novel, “Felony Juggler,” and its influences, magic and skepticism, the importance of libraries in his life growing up, book bans and information access, and of course, how he libraries.
MSNBC’s Ali Velshi sat down with author Max Brooks recently to learn why Brooks’ book “World War Z” has been banned and to break down its message, exploring why it inspires fear not just in the reader, but also in those in power.
This month’s report on attempts to censor library materials in the U.S., and efforts by librarians, parents, students, and concerned citizens to push back against them, includes news from New Hampshire, Maryland, and Alabama, as well as a look at how psychologists are fighting censorship to keep culturally diverse books available to everyone.
“How the Boogeyman Became a Poet,” written by Tony Keith Jr., is a coming-of-age memoir in verse. Teen listeners seeking similar vulnerability and authenticity in poetic form will love these audiobook picks from Booklist Reader.
In a special video message for ALA, author Judy Blume—whose work has been subjected to numerous challenges and bans across the country—encourages everyone to unite against book bans.
Help protect libraries and win your way to the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2026 Annual Conference in Chicago!
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Libraries in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, created a program to encourage Native individuals living in the region to consider running for non-Tribal elected offices themselves to help ensure that diverse perspectives are part of community conversations and policy decisions. They used resources provided by the American Library Association’s 2024 Peggy Barber Tribute Grant to facilitate the initiative.
Congratulations to librarian Mychal Threets for being named to the Time100 Creators: Most Influential Digital Voices list for 2025, Time’s inaugural celebration of the digital creators who have emerged to shape our culture. “They are changing what we watch, how we spend our time, what we buy, and how we vote,” says the magazine.
While court cases related to President Trump’s attempt to gut the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Department of Education move forward, we urgently need Congress to ensure that library programs receive full federal funding in the next fiscal year. We need everyone to call and urge Congress to support libraries before the July 21 deadline. It’s vital for the future of our libraries.
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