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 a 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 Secret Life of Librarians has been nominated for a Webby Award! Watch the series, then cast your vote for America’s librarians by April 17!
It’s Take Action for Libraries Day! Observed on the Thursday of National Library Week each year, Take Action for Libraries Day rallies people across the U.S. to speak out and show their support for libraries. Because now more than ever, libraries need us. Here are 10 easy ways you can act, from calling Congress to advocate for library funding to spreading the word on social media and more.
In episode 16 of the “How I Library” podcast, show host and I Love Libraries editor Phil Morehart speaks with comic book artists—and honorary co-chairs of National Library Week—Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud.
Raina Telgemeier is practically a household name when it comes to kids comics, and Scott McCloud wrote one of the foremost books (Understanding Comics) explaining how comics work. Readers inspired by the duo’s latest collaboration, “The Cartoonists Club,” will appreciate these other titles that teach key elements of cartooning and offer stories of kids creating comics together—and sometimes both at the same time.
After wildfires tore through western Maui, bookmobile librarian Jessica Gleason rolled in to help a grieving community.
The American Library Association (ALA) is suing to protect libraries. ALA is joining forces with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the largest union representing museum and library workers, to challenge the Trump administration’s gutting of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The lawsuit asks the court to block the dismantling of IMLS as directed by a Trump executive order.
The American Library Association kicked off National Library Week with the release of new data on book censorship in 2024 and the Top 10 Most Challenged Books List, which includes “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George M. Johnson, “Gender Queer,” by Maia Kobabe, “The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison, and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky. The data shows that the majority of book censorship attempts now originate from organized movements.
A library in Connecticut has become one of the most rockin’ places in the United States. Dubbed “the hippest damn library in the country” by Talking Heads drummer Chris Franz and “the coolest damn library, ever” by The Doors drummer John Densmore, Westport Library has embraced rock ‘n’ roll, hip hop, and contemporary music to create vibrant programming.
On March 31, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) staff were placed on administrative leave and all grants and contracts were suspended and ultimately likely to be cancelled as a result of President Trump’s executive order requiring IMLS and six other federal agencies to “be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” American Library Association president Cindy Hohl pleaded with Congress to act and urged Americans everywhere to speak out against the move.
Advocates from the American Library Association and other public interest groups rallied on Capitol Hill in support of E-Rate, a federal program that funds broadband for libraries and schools, as the Supreme Court weighs its constitutionality.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Libraries play a critical and often overlooked role in helping their patrons and communities address mental health challenges. Libraries in Texas are taking this responsibility to heart, and one did so with help from the American Library Association.
The library world experienced a victory yesterday when the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a temporary restraining order to block President Trump’s dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the only federal agency dedicated to the nation’s libraries and museums.
The school year is wrapping up for many students, giving them even more time to discover some new favorite books. Thankfully, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, has released its 2025 Summer Reading Lists just in time. ALSC’s Summer Reading Lists feature books and digital media options to keep children engaged in reading and exploring throughout the summer. Here are some highlights.
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 Tennessee and Texas, as well as looks at two authors who are standing up against book censorship.
In episode 17 of the “How I Library” podcast, show host and I Love Libraries editor Phil Morehart speaks with filmmakers Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor about their new documentary, “Free for All: The Public Library,” which premieres April 29 on PBS’s Independent Lens.
Cocktails and banned books come together this week to raise awareness, funds for libraries, and spirits at a pop-up speakeasy in the Washington, D.C. area.
Receiving a grant from the American Library Association allowed an Iowa library to offer its community a safe space from tornadoes and other inclement weather.
The Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) rolled into town April 11-13 and proved—once again—to be a haven for library lovers.
NASA voyaged a little closer to home when it held a professional development workshop for Tribal libraries at New Mexico State Library in August 2024. Facilitated by the NASA Science Activation program’s NASA@ My Library project with input from area Tribal libraries, the program explored an array of space-related programming and activities that libraries could adapt.
The Secret Life of Librarians has been nominated for a Webby Award! Watch the series, then cast your vote for America’s librarians by April 17!
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