Within an hour, library leaders had been alerted to the suspicious activity, and the IT director had disconnected the servers, halting a ransomware attack mid-strike. “We caught them in the act,” says OTPL Director Chase McMunn. Ransomware attacks and cybersecurity incidents are no longer rare, with more than 15 million cyberattacks worldwide annually since 2020, … Continue reading Road to Recovery
The Librarians (2025) Director: Kim A. Snyder thelibrariansfilm.com Running time: 92 minutes About: The Librarians follows librarians in Florida and Texas as they work to protect children’s rights to access books from challenges like Texas’s Krause List, which targets 850 books focused on race and LGBTQ+ stories and has triggered book bans across the … Continue reading The Stacks on Screen
Here are several updates on the attacks against libraries across the US and the ways in which library supporters are pushing back. Hayden fired On May 8, Hayden learned in a two-sentence email from the Trump administration that she had been fired from her position as Librarian of Congress. On June 8, in Hayden’s first interview … Continue reading Five Months into the Trump Presidency
Now the Archive is under attack again, as a music industry copyright infringement lawsuit against it seeks nearly $700 million in damages related to the Archive’s Great 78 preservation initiative. American Libraries caught up with Kahle to discuss the lawsuit, the Archive’s future, and the developments making him feel “very encouraged.” What’s the latest with … Continue reading Newsmaker: Brewster Kahle
Harmeyer—who holds the 11th longest consecutive winning streak of any player on the show—spoke with American Libraries about her longtime love of the game, her least favorite category, and how she blazed her path to the Masters. As an adolescent, you auditioned for the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament and weren’t selected. And now you’re one of … Continue reading Newsmaker: Adriana Harmeyer
In response, the American Library Association (ALA), along with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. On April 30, a federal court hearing will rule on ALA’s motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the further dismantling of IMLS. Meanwhile, censorship attempts persist, IMLS staffers … Continue reading 100 Days into the Trump Administration
About a decade ago, Logsdon started documenting life in libraries throughout the country. Since she began filming, public libraries have been on the front lines of a battlefield over intellectual freedom as they face threats of closures and an unprecedented surge of book challenges and bans. In the upcoming PBS documentary Free for All: The … Continue reading Newsmakers: Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor
US Rep. Natalie M. Blais (D-Mass.), who grew up in nearby Derby Line, Vermont, calls the library her “entryway to other worlds growing up in a really small town.” The line on the floor delineating the border, she says, never seemed particularly important. “It just wasn’t something that we paid attention to,” Blais says. “Being … Continue reading Feds Curb Canadian Access to Library on the Border
In February, Kluwe was arrested at a city council meeting in Huntington Beach, California, after speaking out against the installation of a plaque to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the town’s central library. The plaque, as unanimously approved by the city council, features the stacked words “Magical, Alluring, Galvanizing, Adventurous” as well as the sentence … Continue reading Newsmaker: Chris Kluwe
American Libraries spoke with Bob about his longtime fascination with Tubman, as well as his inspiration for the novel and accompanying songs. What role have libraries played in your life? When I was younger, I used to go to the library in Clayton County [Georgia] near me all the time, and I would pick up … Continue reading Newsmaker: Bob the Drag Queen
While the legality of many of these actions is still being decided by the courts, librarians, archivists, and other information professionals have been working through the confusion to preserve access to information. Below are several examples of the challenges libraries have faced over the past two months and the ways in which librarians and advocates have … Continue reading Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Libraries
The bequest from Lewis, whose love for libraries dates back to his childhood in North Carolina, will provide needs-based scholarships for those training to be librarians. The gift will help fund ALA’s Spectrum Scholarship Program, which provides money for students of color pursuing their master’s degrees in library and information science. “Libraries are the most … Continue reading Newsmaker: James W. Lewis
