For this installment of our weekly book reviews from Booklist, the American Library Association’s book and media review publication, we have Beth McGuire’s review of “Dolly Parton” by Betsy Rathburn and illustrated by Claudia Marianno.
September is Library Card Sign-up Month, a national campaign to emphasize the importance of library cards to a child’s education and to combat illiteracy. The campaign first started in 1987 as a response to then Secretary of Education, William Bennett, who stated: “Let’s have a campaign … Every child should obtain a library card and use it.”
Filmmaker Kim Snyder’s documentary about public and school librarians in Texas, Florida, and other states who unite to combat book banning in the United States was awarded a 2026 Emmy® for Exceptional Merit In Documentary Filmmaking at the Creative Arts Emmys, held September 5th and 6th at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
For this installment of our weekly book reviews from Booklist, the American Library Association’s nationally distributed book and media review publication, we have Kirsten Caldwell’s review of “The Year in Colors” by Jana Sedláčková.
It’s Library Card Sign-up Month, and this year’s festivities are set to a whole new beat with Grammy®-winning singer and honorary chair Laufey, who recorded a special video message for us about her love of libraries.
Back-to-school books are a must on every family’s seasonal reading list. In this batch recommended by Booklist, kids will find comfort in the relatable—and sometimes hysterical—stories about making friends, embracing individuality, and overcoming the various challenges that come along with a new environment.
The world is heartbroken at the passing of legendary country music superstar, cultural icon, and literacy champion Dolly Parton, who died August 25 at age 80. Parton’s award-winning Imagination Library initiative has put hundreds of millions of free books into the hands of children across America and was considered by her to be one of her greatest achievements.
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 update includes news from Arkansas, Utah, and Texas.
The Federal Communications Commission is considering a new proposal that raises the possibility of eliminating the E-Rate program, an essential source of broadband discounts for libraries and schools. It’s time for library advocates like you to raise your voices and remind the agency how much our communities rely on E-Rate.
On April 6, a federal court granted the Trump Administration’s request to withdraw its appeal of a federal judge’s earlier ruling that struck down the Administration’s dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services—the only federal agency dedicated to providing funding for the nation’s libraries.
The proposed Fiscal Year 2027 federal budget released April 3 by the White House would cut funding for the only federal agency dedicated to supporting all types of libraries, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the school library program Innovative Approaches to Literacy, and several library-eligible programs.
The American Library Association announced the winners of the 2026 I Love My Librarian Award, nominated by library lovers across the U.S.
For this installment of our weekly book reviews from Booklist, the American Library Association’s nationally distributed book and media review publication, we have Joelle Egan’s review of “The Tuxedo Society” by Paul Rudnick.
Throughout his life of activism and public service, Reverend Jesse Jackson consistently championed libraries as centers of knowledge where individuals and communities can learn about their past, present, and future.
Jane Goodall (1934–2025) advocated ardently for the preservation of the living world right up to the end of her extraordinarily courageous, creative, giving, and enormously influential life. She transformed wildlife studies through her groundbreaking work with chimpanzees, then expanded her conservation efforts to encompass all the planet’s plants and animals. These books recommended by ALA’s Booklist encapsulate Goodall’s legacy in the work of scientists and others deeply inspired and guided by her knowledge, wisdom, and convictions.
In a special episode of our “How I Library” podcast, show host and I Love Libraries editor Phil Morehart speaks with library historian and author Wayne Wiegand about the beginnings of the American Library Association as it celebrates its 150th anniversary.
“[A] raw, unflinching portrait of feminine rage, gender constraints, class resentment, and the corrosive pull of worldly ambition.” For this installment of our weekly book reviews from Booklist, the American Library Association’s nationally distributed book and media review publication, we have Andrienne Cruz’s review of “A Splintering” by Dur e Aziz Amna.
City dwellers are used to seeing lawn signs for politicians, schools, or reminders to pick up after your dog. But during the summer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a different kind of sign begins sprouting up across the city. These colorful, circular signs aren’t for an upcoming election but instead “lawn codes” for the Ann Arbor District Library’s (AADL) Summer Game.
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 update includes news from the U.S. House of Representatives and the states of Texas and Pennsylvania, as well as thoughts from author and scholar Ibram X. Kendi on the banning of his books.
Bookmobiles are a large component of library outreach—in fact, National Library Outreach Day was first called National Bookmobile Day. In honor of the bookmobile and its vital role in helping to get books and library materials to everyone, especially those unable to directly access their local library, we have a look at its history from the American Library Association Archives.
Sponsored by the National Book Committee, Inc., and in cooperation with the American Library Association, the first National Library Week was launched March 16–22, 1958. Citing a 1957 survey showing that only 17% of Americans polled were reading a book, the inaugural National Library Week slogan was “Wake Up and Read!”
In March 2022, the American Library Association (ALA) announced a new project in partnership with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries, under ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative, to expand support for hundreds of small and rural libraries across the country.
It’s National Library Week, the weeklong celebration of the important role libraries and library workers play in schools and communities across the United States. It also marks the release of ALA’s 2026 State of America’s Libraries Report and the highly anticipated Top 11 Most Challenged Books List.
This National Library Week, we are invited to “Find Your Joy.” The joy found in libraries isn’t incidental. Library joy is built intentionally, collectively, and often against the odds.
For this installment of our weekly book reviews from Booklist, the American Library Association’s nationally distributed book and media review publication, we have Donna Seaman’s review of “The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home” by Wil Haygood.
Belén (N.M.) Public Library was awarded two rounds of grant funding via ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities initiative. Those dollars have helped the library reach its goal of becoming a safe place for everyone—including those with mobility disabilities, low vision or blindness, hearing loss, and those who are neurodivergent.
This National Library Week, celebrated April 19-25, we want to know: What brings you library joy? Show us with your original creative work and you could win a $150 VISA gift card or an ALA READ poster!
For this installment of our weekly book reviews from Booklist, the American Library Association’s nationally distributed book and media review publication, we have Diego Báez’s review of “In the Blood” by Carl Phillips.
On April 6, a federal court granted the Trump Administration’s request to withdraw its appeal of a federal judge’s earlier ruling that struck down the Administration’s dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services—the only federal agency dedicated to providing funding for the nation’s libraries.
