ALA Decries Dismissal of Librarian of Congress

Association praises service of Carla Hayden, urges support for libraries

May 9, 2025

On May 9, American Library Association (ALA) President Cindy Hohl released a statement condemning President Trump’s May 8 firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who had been in the role since 2016. The full statement reads as follows:

As the president of ALA, I am deeply disappointed in last night’s decision by President Trump to fire Carla Hayden from her position as Librarian of Congress. I salute Hayden, a wise and faithful steward of the Library of Congress—the library she has called our national treasure.

Her abrupt and unjust dismissal is an insult to the scope and breadth of work she has undertaken in her role leading the Library of Congress.

Hayden’s legacy is so much more than the “firsts” often spotlighted—first woman, first African American [to hold the role]. We are proud that Hayden, 2003–2004 ALA president and lifetime ALA member, embodies leadership that puts the public at the heart of public service. Our nation needs leadership like hers now more than ever.

Hayden has exceeded the greatest expectations of the many advocates who endorsed her nomination in 2016, when ALA wrote that she “understands what a library at its best is and can be for every community of users—young and old, corporate and individual, rich and poor, connected or not—in our diverse and complicated country.” The US Senate agreed and confirmed her to her position with overwhelming bipartisan support.

By throwing open the doors of the venerable Library of Congress to welcome everyone, Hayden has revealed what the highest library in the land, and what every library, is: a bastion of knowledge and a beacon of opportunity.

We offer our thanks for Hayden’s exceptional leadership with our words and our actions. Now is the time to urge members of Congress to publicly show their support for our nation’s libraries.

We invite everyone who cherishes America’s libraries to reach out to their elected leaders by visiting bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries. There, you can send a customized message to your elected leaders that expresses your passion for including federal funding for libraries in the 2026 budget.

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Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden speaks with former ALA President Courtney Young on June 23.

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Emma Roth writes: “If you’ve ever wondered how the Internet Archive uploads all the physical documents on its site, now you can get a behind-the-scenes look at the process. The Internet Archive launched a new YouTube livestream that shows the digitization of microfiche in real time—complete with some relaxing, lo-fi beats. The livestream shows a close-up look at one of the five microfiche digitization stations at the organization’s Richmond, California, location, along with a look at the document that it’s working on. It runs from Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern.”

The Verge, May 22
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Saikat Basu writes: “Listening to audiobooks is great for multitasking. It helps me take ten-kilometer walks without boredom or wash that foamy pile of dishes. But, unlike a physical book, I struggled to remember most of what I heard. After trying different methods, I found simple ways to make audiobooks stick. It is a matter of being intentional and active while listening. It starts with choosing the right titles and then taking notes to set the stage for better memory. In between, adding visual summaries and creating action plans helps make audiobooks stick to your memory.”

MakeUseOf, May 27
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Mark Dahlquist writes: “A two-year pilot program at Miami University Libraries in Oxford, Ohio, tested a system developed in-library for digitally providing library users with semester-long licenses to access a student-oriented commercial cloud-based collaborative video editing tool (WeVideo) and explored the development of related learning resources and instructional sessions. Collected usage and survey data reveal a strongly positive user response to this tool and library service. Significant obstacles, including accessibility problems, were encountered during the pilot study. However, subsequent platform improvements may have mitigated or resolved many of these challenges.”

The Journal of Creative Library Practice, May 20
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Blake Brittain writes: “Shira Perlmutter, the US Copyright Office director fired by the Trump administration sued President Donald Trump and other government officials on May 22, arguing her firing was unconstitutional and should not be allowed to take effect.” According to Copyright Lately, Perlmutter’s motion for a temporary restraining order “lays out a broader purpose: to block what she portrays as an Executive Branch power grab—one that’s already disrupting operations, stalling critical policy work, and threatening the independence of the agency tasked with administering the nation’s copyright laws.”

Reuters, May 23; Copyright Lately, May 26
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Lizzie Ramirez writes: “Library board meetings have become ground zero for debates about banning certain books or making them harder for children to access. But Assemblywoman Brittney Miller (D-Las Vegas) is hoping to defuse the controversies through AB416, a bill that takes decisions about book removals out of local school and library officials’ hands and instead moving them to court. The bill would also criminalize trying to share sensitive information about library employees or threatening them as felonies.” The bill passed the Assembly May 21, but must pass several other legislative steps to become law.

Nevada Independent, May 22
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Mike Heuer writes: “A Texas public library did not violate patrons’ right to free speech by removing books due to their content, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled on May 23. The entire appellate court, in a 10–7 decision, overturned federal district court and appellate court rulings finding the Llano County (Tex.) Library System erred in removing 17 books due to their content. The majority decision also ruled that the library’s collection decisions are government speech and not subject to First Amendment–based free speech challenges.”

United Press International, May 24; Bloomberg Law, June 6, 2024
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On May 19, Teresa “Teri” Anderson became executive director of the Association of College and Research Libraries, one of the largest ALA divisions. Before joining ALA, Anderson spent more than three decades at ASIS International, a professional organization for security management professionals. She held several positions at the organization, most recently serving as vice president of innovation and outreach, a role in which she provided subject matter expertise and liaised with partners across the security industry. Anderson is a certified association executive through the American Society of Association Executives. She answered our 11 Questions to introduce herself to ALA members.

AL: The Scoop, May 27