Photo of ALA President Emily Drabinski

Food for Thought

March 1, 2024

At an academic library conference in Edison, New Jersey, I discovered that a Taylor ham and a pork roll are somehow both the same and different. In Morgantown, West Virginia, I learned that a pepperoni roll is indeed a delicacy, and I was grateful to be stuffed full of them at an event. And at … Continue reading Food for Thought


From left, Sherry Scheline, Eboni M. Henry, Emily Drabinski, and Nicole T. Bryan

In Celebration of Librarians

January 21, 2024

In her Main Stage Panel on January 21, titled “It’s All Happening at the Library!” Drabinski spoke with three other librarians about the ways their libraries serve as community connectors. Eboni M. Henry, school media specialist for District of Columbia Public Schools, said that finding out who makes up her library’s broad community is as … Continue reading In Celebration of Librarians


Photo of ALA President Emily Drabinski

Stories That Resonate

January 2, 2024

Silver made us each a cup of tea as we talked through the challenges and joys of her job. She had taught a class that morning using the book Drum Dream Girl—for which illustrator Rafael López won a Pura Belpré Award—that sparked the imaginations of her 3rd graders. When she asked what the main character … Continue reading Stories That Resonate


Photo of ALA President Emily Drabinski

Our Shared Mission

November 1, 2023

As president of ALA during this critical moment in history, I get asked this question a lot. Libraries and library workers are both in the spotlight and under the microscope, and people want to know who we are and what we do. Maybe you’ve even asked this question yourself. One of the joys of this … Continue reading Our Shared Mission


Photo of ALA President Emily Drabinski

A Welcoming Space

September 1, 2023

Whether it’s marveling at the dome inside Carnegie-Stout Public Library in Dubuque, Iowa, the vibrant entrepreneurship lab at University of Rhode Island in Kingston, or the bright carpets and colorful student art at P.S. 28 in Manhattan, those first few moments through the door always call home the magic that happens inside our buildings. We … Continue reading A Welcoming Space



Native Hawaiian teacher, author, filmmaker, and transgender woman Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu speaks at at the American Library Association’s 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 25.

Role and Responsibility

June 27, 2023

Wong-Kalu was a featured speaker at the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 25. In conversation with ALA President Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada, Wong-Kalu discussed what it means to be māhū, her recently released picture book Kapaemahu, and what advice she would give to young people in these contentious … Continue reading Role and Responsibility


Lessa Kanani‘opua Pelayo-Lozada

Until We Meet Again

June 1, 2023

As I contemplate the future of libraries, I am reminded of adrienne maree brown’s book Emergent Strategy. In the chapter “Intentional Adaptation: How We Change,” she describes the need to be an active participant in change—to not resist but embrace it—and to be as intentional as possible during the process while being in community with … Continue reading Until We Meet Again


Photos of speakers from the US Book Show

Standing Together

May 30, 2023

The four-day hybrid conference, now in its third year, is designed by and for authors, publishers, booksellers, and librarians. The first day of programming covered two curated tracks: “Libraries Are Essential” and “Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities in Conversation.” The tracks addressed several common themes, including how librarians are experiencing burnout as a result … Continue reading Standing Together


Lessa Kanani‘opua Pelayo-Lozada

A Global Impact

May 1, 2023

For me, this was on full view during my international travels representing ALA last year. When other library workers and I attended the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ World Library and Information Congress (IFLA WLIC) in Dublin, Ireland, in July, we heard from Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland who now … Continue reading A Global Impact