Chris Kluwe speaking into a microphone atop a podium

Newsmaker: Chris Kluwe

April 4, 2025

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



Collage of people and topics mentioned in this article: Colleen Shogan, former archivist of the United States; the National Archives logo; text of executive orders; and books Freckleface Strawberry and No Truth Without Ruth

Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Libraries

March 19, 2025

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


An illustration of a person on a book bike pedaling in the direction of the library

The Sustainability Issue

March 3, 2025

That’s what science librarian René Tanner—one of the dozens of librarians and experts whose actions American Libraries highlights in our Sustainability Issue—tells us. At a time when climate change seems impervious to the realities of workplace budgets and staff bandwidth, Tanner’s words ring as a salve and an appeal. When our team began planning this … Continue reading The Sustainability Issue


Illustration of people using sustainability tools in a house, in a garage, and outside

Green Lending

March 3, 2025

These Library of Things collections allow carbon footprint–conscious locals to buy less, monitor their usage of natural resources, appreciate nature, and create a more sustainable environment. Most items are returned in their entirety, while others—like seeds and weather stripping—are intended for borrowers to keep what they need and return the rest. Click to open an … Continue reading Green Lending


Photo of the January 2025 Palisades fire

Sustaining for the Future

March 3, 2025

But providing access to technology, shelter, and information after extreme weather is only one way libraries are grappling with sustainability. Many are also guiding communities with information to address urgent and emerging ecological threats, such as air and water pollution, food insecurity, and diminishing natural resources, as well as economic, political, and social disruptions. Libraries … Continue reading Sustaining for the Future


Illustrated timeline, detailed in text below

Commitments to Conservation

March 3, 2025

1989 ALA creates the Task Force on the Environment, timed with Earth Day’s 20th anniversary in 1990. The task force is now part of the Sustainability Round Table (SustainRT). 1990 ALA introduces Environmental Issues to its Policy Manual, urging librarians and library governing boards to “collect and provide information [to patrons] on the condition of our … Continue reading Commitments to Conservation


Rebekkah Smith Aldrich headshot

From Anxiety to Action

March 3, 2025

This hope comes from the efforts to take action, both large and small, that I have seen among my colleagues locally and nationally over the past decade: American Library Association (ALA) members who started ALA’s Sustainability Round Table (SustainRT) in 2013; members of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI), which launched the same year and partners … Continue reading From Anxiety to Action


Grid of images including a person picking up trash, a seed packet, vegetables, a bee and flower, and a yoga mat and blocks

27 Sustainability Ideas to Implement Right Now

March 3, 2025

Organize a swap. Sul Ross State University Library in Alpine, Texas, hosted a clothing exchange for students, while Bring Your Own Plant is a popular, low-cost event at Lancaster (Wis.) Public Library. Facilitate food security. Charleston County (S.C.) Public Library installed community fridges stocked with fresh produce at three of its branches, while Summers County … Continue reading 27 Sustainability Ideas to Implement Right Now


Photo of Lindsay Cronk

Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Lindsay Cronk

March 3, 2025

I seek the office of president to help us meet this moment and shape a future worthy of ALA’s legacy, its promise, and above all, the library workers who make it all possible. Libraries aren’t just essential—they’re transformational. Whether we’re safeguarding intellectual freedom, ensuring equitable access, or improving financial sustainability, the challenges we face require … Continue reading Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Lindsay Cronk


Photo of Andrea Jamison

Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Andrea Jamison

March 3, 2025

Now more than ever, ALA needs radical leadership—a president who will engage in meaningful dialogue with allies and critics alike, to emphasize how equitable library services and social justice are not anti-American. Andrew Carnegie once stated, “There is not such a cradle of democracy on earth as the free public library, this republic of letters, … Continue reading Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Andrea Jamison


Photo of Maria McCauley

Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Maria McCauley

March 3, 2025

We are living in a time of uncertainty: We have seen significant censorship attempts, librarians targeted, and adverse library legislation, while social and economic inequities persist. We have also seen remarkable services and programs created, curated, and offered by gifted library workers and partners across the US and internationally. We are community connectors, teachers, guides, … Continue reading Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Maria McCauley