ALA elections now open | American Libraries Magazine

ALA election polls are now open! ALA members are encouraged to cast a digital ballot to vote for association-wide leadership that will shape the future and direction of the association. ALA’s annual election will close on Wednesday, April 7. Members can learn more about this year’s candidates by reviewing “Your Guide to the 2021 ALA Elections” and read statements from 2022–2023 presidential candidates Stacey A. Aldrich, Ed Garcia, and Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada.

ALA Governance Office, March 8

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Jan Wolfe writes: “On December 8, the US Supreme Court opted not to hear an appeal by a group of residents of Llano County, Texas, of a judicial decision allowing local officials to remove 17 books that these officials deemed objectionable from public libraries. The justices let stand the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision allowing the removal of books including ones dealing with themes of race and LGBT identity from its public library system. The decision applies to Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, but does not set a nationwide legal precedent.”

Reuters, Dec. 8; United Press International, May 24
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ALA’s Games and Gaming Round Table (GameRT) announced in April its second cohort of classic titles—games that are more than 10 years old—to be included in the Classics Hall of Fame for its Platinum Play Award (the “Platy”). GameRT’s Awards Committee chose these titles based on their historical and ongoing excellence for library use, whether in collections or programs. Board games, card games, videogames, tabletop games, and games in other formats are eligible. 2025 inductees are Car Wars, Ticket to Ride, Zork, ESPN Fantasy Sports, Madden NFL, and Uno.

American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec.
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ALA celebrated the December 3 Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announcement that it had reinstated all the agency’s grants, including those to libraries and library organizations across the country. The grant reinstatements come as a direct result of a November 21 federal court decision in a lawsuit brought against President Trump by 21 states. Citing the benefits of ILMS-funded research, ALA President Sam Helmick said, “Restoration of these grants is a massive win for libraries of all kinds in all states. We are breathing a sigh of relief, but the fight is not finished.”

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, Dec. 3; Nov. 21
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Award-winning librarian, author, and new host of the children’s program Reading Rainbow Mychal Threets will serve as honorary chair of ALA’s 2026 National Library Week, a weeklong celebration of the important role libraries and library workers play in schools and communities across the US. The 68th annual event, to be held April 19-25, will have the theme “Find Your Joy,” an invitation for people of all backgrounds to explore and discover what sparks joy in them at the library. National Library Week posters and bookmarks and a new READ poster featuring Threets are available for purchase in the ALA store.

ALA Communications and Marketing Office, Dec. 4
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Donald W. Crankshaw writes: “Traditional professional development plans in libraries may satisfy organizational or certification needs but do not necessarily satisfy employees’ needs, wants, and interests. What if we put employees’ needs and wants center stage by looking at professional development through the lens of an employee well-being program? A well-being program is an investment in the whole person, not just the part that is an employee, and therefore the concept of professional development can easily be built into a well-being program.”

American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec.
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Jenni Diaz Garcia updates the Christmas carol to reflect the first days of a new library job. She writes: “On the twelfth day at my library job, my library gave to me: Twelve minutes in a lunch line and one very honest thought. ‘Sometimes I get an idea, and it’s exciting and cool to me, but I am not the coolest person I know.’ The secret, I’m learning, is that librarianship isn’t about being the coolest person in the room. It’s about backing your ideas anyway, even when you feel like a slightly panicked baby duck running from one meeting to another.”

New Members Round Table Notes, Dec. 1
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Elizabeth Hutchinson writes: “I want to focus on the people who choose to become school librarians and why their mindset is one of the curriculum’s most undervalued assets. Most people assume school librarians are drawn to books. The deeper truth is that librarians tend to be wired in a way that schools desperately need and frequently overlook. They think differently. They notice what others skim past. They connect ideas that sit miles apart in the curriculum. And in a climate where students, teachers, and leaders are battling information overload, that mindset isn’t a luxury. It’s a strategic advantage.”

Engaging and Empowering School Libraries, Nov. 27

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