Skip to main content
American Libraries Magazine Menu
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • Features
    • Trends
    • Columns
    • Newsmakers
    • Spotlights
    • By the Numbers
    • Bookend
    • People
    • Library Systems Report
    • Design Showcase
  • Trending
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
    • Intellectual Freedom
    • Sustainability
    • Advocacy
    • Inside ALA
    • Jobs
    • Library Systems Report
  • AL Direct
  • The Scoop blog
  • JobLIST
  • AL Live webinars
  • #ALA150
  • #ALAAC26
  • 3y

    Public library building with American flags draped in frontBrewster Kahle writes: “The US library system, once the model for the world, is under assault from politicians, right-wing activists, and corporate publishers. Book bans are at record levels, and libraries across the country are facing catastrophic budget cuts. In a separate line of attack, library collections are being squeezed by draconian licensing deals, and even sued to stop lending digitized books. This war on libraries directly contravenes the will of the majority in the United States. The profession of librarianship has become a hazardous one, because of the actions of a hostile minority. It’s time to reverse course.”

    The Guardian, Oct. 9; The Washington Post, Sept. 15; Fast Company, Apr. 14; The Nation, Apr. 20, July 18, 2022; New Republic, Dec. 22, 2020

  • Latest Library Links

    • 37m

      Graduates holding diplomasBen Rawlins writes: “Bryn Geffert’s recent Inside Higher Ed essay argues that the MLS degree is an obstacle to hiring, a barrier to diversity, and an increasingly optional credential in academic libraries. His survey data from R1 and R2 institutions, and the hiring challenges he documents, are real. His diagnosis, however, misses the mark. My concern is not with the idea that library education needs to improve, but with the slide from that legitimate observation to the conclusion that the credential itself is the problem.”

      ACRLog, June 25; Inside Higher Ed, June 16

    • 5h

      Cover of the 2025 Public Library Services for Strong Communities SurveyThe Public Library Association released its 2025 Public Library Services for Strong Communities Survey report on June 23. First conducted in 2022, the survey examines how libraries respond to diverse needs through programs, services, partnerships, and facilities. The 2025 results highlight how libraries have adapted to changing needs while continuing to build on core community services. The survey found that public libraries are increasingly offering food security support services, health and wellness programs, and spaces for cooling or warming centers during extreme temperatures. A free July 23 webinar will discuss the results.

      Public Library Association, June 23

    • 8h

      ALA logoALA’s governing Council considered a wide range of business at its three meetings during Annual, including hearing the Association’s Structural Deficit Closure Plan as part of ALA Treasurer Larry Neal’s financial report. Other notable business included approval of guidance for the use of artificial intelligence in libraries,  adoption of the Librarians’ and Library Workers’ Bill of Rights, a moratorium on new committees, and a resolution honoring ALA staff in honor of the Association’s 150th anniversary. See our reports on Council I, Council II, and Council III, and review all Council documents.

      AL: The Scoop, June 27–29

    • 1d

      From left: ALA Executive Director Dan Montgomery, ALA Past President Sam Helmick, OIF Executive Director Sarah Lamdan, and ALA President Maria McCauleyALA leaders discussed the current state of intellectual freedom, where it’s headed, and how to connect it to our other freedoms and to democracy in the Closing General Session of ALA’s Annual Conference. The session provided a capstone to a full slate of educational sessions, covering topics such as artificial intelligence, age discrimination, career preparation for teens, strategies for recommending games, addressing harassing reference callers, and Pokémon clubs. See our full coverage of Annual sessions.

      AL: The Scoop, June 26–29

    • 1d

      Rachel Maddow“You cannot make rational decisions in your own self-interest about what’s the right democratic choice for you if you don’t know what’s real,” declared MSNOW host Rachel Maddow at the Opening General Session of the 2026 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago. “When you lose access to knowledge, you can’t make decisions as a citizen or voter.” Other featured speakers included former First Lady Jill Biden, civil rights scholar Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, authors Lois Lowry and Min Jin Lee, and comedian Melissa Villaseñor.

      AL: The Scoop, June 26–29

    • 1d

      Show up for E-Rate logoOn June 25, ALA and partners in the Schools, Health, and Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB) launched an advocacy campaign after the Federal Communications Commission voted to advance a proposal that asks whether the E-Rate program should be terminated or limited to only rural areas. The E-Rate program has provided affordable broadband to schools and libraries for nearly 30 years. SHLB and ALA will also host a free webinar on July 16 at 2 p.m. Eastern to break down the proposal and walk stakeholders through how to make their voices heard.

      ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, June 25; AL: The Scoop, June 16

    • 5d

      Excel logoAdaeze Uche writes: “Even if you’ve never written one yourself, you’ve probably seen a formula that stretches so far across Excel’s formula bar that you don’t even bother trying to make sense of it. With so many moving parts, it’s easy to lose track of what the formula is actually supposed to achieve. I’ve found LET to be the best fix for this. It’s an Excel function borrowed from programming that makes complex formulas significantly easier to read, write, and maintain, and it hasn’t failed me yet.”

      MakeUseOf, June 22

    View more Latest Library Links

    AL Live

    al-live-logo@2x

    AL Live screenshot with laptop










    American Libraries Magazine

    A publication of the American Library Association

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • BlueSky
    • RSS
    • Advertising
    • About
    • Comment Policy
    • Contact
    • Subscriptions
    • Submissions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Copyright/Terms of Use Statement
    • Site Help
    American Library Association
    • ALA Home
    • JobLIST
    • ALA News
    • ALA Store
    • Strategic Directions

    225 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1300, Chicago, IL 60601

    1.800.545.2433

    © 2009–2026 American Library Association