ALA President Archives | Page 8 of 17 | American Libraries Magazine

In Midnight Deal, Florida Legislature Reprieves Public Library Funding

By Gordon Flagg | November 20, 2012

Last-minute wrangling in the Florida legislature produced a deal to preserve state funding for libraries at the current-year level. At just before midnight on April 26 the House, which originally wanted to zero out all funding for the State Aid to Public Libraries program, accepted a Senate offer to restore it to the FY2009 appropriation … Continue reading In Midnight Deal, Florida Legislature Reprieves Public Library Funding →

Trust in Your Trustees

By Will Manley | October 30, 2012

It frustrates me profoundly to have someone in the library profession approach me at a conference to challenge my credibility as a speaker—usually in view of the fact that I’m retired, out of touch, and behind the times. In other words, I’m no longer actively involved in library matters. My defense is immediate. I explain … Continue reading Trust in Your Trustees →

Georgia Archives to Stay Open

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | October 18, 2012

“Georgia’s Archives are a showcase of our state’s rich history and a source of great pride,” Deal said. In September, following the announcement of the closure, ALA President Maureen Sullivan wrote a letter to Gov. Deal, expressing her concern and dismay. Calling the Georgia State Archives a “treasure trove of unique documents and official records,” … Continue reading Georgia Archives to Stay Open →

An Interview with John Chrastka

October 10, 2012

John Chrastka, ALA’s director of membership development from 2003 to 2011, didn’t leave library advocacy behind when he resigned from ALA to devote more time to his start-up consulting agency. First, he was already on the Berwyn (Ill.) Public Library board (where he has served for six years). Now, in characteristically maverick fashion, Chrastka has … Continue reading An Interview with John Chrastka →

Community Connections

Has your library ever thought about using technology and communitywide projects to connect with customers? It’s not easy to pull off, but if you’re successful, your library can make new friends and contacts and can provide useful knowledge or entertainment for the community along the way. Topeka, where David works, has done a number of … Continue reading Community Connections →

Forbes Folly

By John Carlo Bertot and Lindsay C. Sarin and Paul T. Jaeger | September 17, 2012

Yet another major reason why the Forbes.com article received so much traction in the library community is that it reflects the current fears and apprehension that exist among librarians and other public service professionals. The underlying issue is that there’s a significant problem for librarianship when it comes to articulating a public benefit message. In … Continue reading Forbes Folly →

The Campaign Is On to Form the Nation’s First Library PAC

By Beverly Goldberg | September 4, 2012

The tweet announcing the formation of the EveryLibrary.org campaign came a day earlier than its founder and executive director John Chrastka had intended, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Within four hours of Kate Tkacik’s post to Tumblr, donors had contributed $400 toward EveryLibrary’s goal of raising $50,000 by November 7 with the interests … Continue reading The Campaign Is On to Form the Nation’s First Library PAC →

New Research Finds Public Awareness Gap about Ebooks in Libraries

By Larra Clark | July 11, 2012

A new report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project finds that 12% of readers of ebooks borrowed an ebook from their libraries in the past year, and a majority of respondents (62%) don’t know if their local library provides ebooks. Somewhat startlingly, even 58% of library card holders were unsure if … Continue reading New Research Finds Public Awareness Gap about Ebooks in Libraries →

The Matter of the Master’s

By Will Manley | June 5, 2012

Don’t get me wrong, I loved library school and I think programs that comprise a master’s degree in library science form the foundation of our profession. But what happens if the MLS degree withers away and dies? Let’s suppose that some time in the preapocalyptic future, the MLS ceases to be a financially viable degree. … Continue reading The Matter of the Master’s →

A Publisher’s View

By Lisa Long Hickman | May 29, 2012

Librarians and publishers are not effectively communicating with each other. There, I said it. Many of us already know this to be true, but as someone who comes from the publishing side, I came to this realization during my yearlong process of selling ebooks across the country and through my many conversations with library directors, … Continue reading A Publisher’s View →

Navigating the Ebook Revolution

By James LaRue | May 23, 2012

It’s here. Long heralded, the e-revolution has finally arrived in the form of rapid adoption of e-reader devices. It seems safe to assume that by the end of 2012, public libraries may be directing as much as 20% of their collection budgets to digital content. By the end of three years, it may be closer … Continue reading Navigating the Ebook Revolution →

One State’s Experience at National Library Legislative Day

By Jazzy Wright | April 25, 2012

Concern over federal and state budget cuts to library programs motivated Georgia State Librarian Lamar Veatch to make his 15th annual trip to Washington, D.C., for National Library Legislative Day (NLLD). In fact, Veatch asserts, coming to D.C. is a big part of his commitment to librarianship. “My job is to represent libraries, and it’s … Continue reading One State’s Experience at National Library Legislative Day →

Latest Library Links

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Lolita C. Baldor writes: “The US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, has removed 381 books from its library after being told by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office to review and get rid of ones that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), US officials said Tuesday. The Naval Academy had not been included in President Donald Trump’s executive order in January that banned DEI instruction, programs, or curriculum in kindergarten through 12th grade schools that receive federal funding. A US official said the academy was told late last week to conduct the review and removal. It isn’t clear if the order was directed by Hegseth or someone else on his staff.”

Associated Press, Apr. 1; US Naval Academy
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On April 7, ALA released its State of America’s Libraries 2025 report, an annual snapshot of library trends, as part of National Library Week taking place April 6–12. As in recent years, the 2025 report documented censorship in libraries from the previous year. In 2024, ALA recorded 821 attempts to censor library books and other materials across all library types. This is a decrease from the 1,247 attempts that were recorded in 2023 but still the third-highest number since ALA began tracking library censorship in 1990.

AL: The Scoop, Apr. 8
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Natalie Fahmy and David Rees write: “[Ohio] House Finance Committee members folded countless provisions last week into House Bill 96, legislation meant to outline Ohio’s budget for the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years. [Included in the bill is a provision that requires] public libraries to place material ‘related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in a portion of the public library that is not primarily open to the view of the persons under the age of 18.’” The proposed budget also eliminates the state’s Public Library Fund, which receives 1.7% of Ohio’s general revenue fund, and replaces it with a line item appropriated each year.

WCMH-TV (Columbus, Ohio), Apr. 8, Apr. 1; Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, Apr. 8
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Sarah Lamdan writes: “Recently, several book rating systems devised by religious and political pressure groups are promoting ratings, book reviews, and content labels that identify many books as ‘objectionable content.’ These ratings are generally posted on websites and shared on social media. These websites are not devised by trained and degreed educators, librarians, or professional reviewers. Contributors do not consider a work’s literary or educational value for students. Yet the ratings are increasingly being used by school systems, library boards, and lawmakers as tools for censoring and banning books and other library materials.”

Intellectual Freedom Blog, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, Apr. 4
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Becky Calzada writes: “It’s School Library Month, and this year we mark the 40th year of celebrating school libraries and school librarians. In his book Visible Learning, New Zealand researcher and educator John Hattie stated, ‘My role, as teacher, is to evaluate the effect I have on my students. It is to know thy impact, it is to understand this impact, and it is to act on this knowing and understanding.’ Each and every day, I see, hear or read of these actions happening in school libraries across the country.”

Knowledge Quest, Apr. 2
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ALA announced on April 7 that Maria McCauley, director of libraries at Cambridge (Mass.) Public Library, has been elected 2025–2026 president-elect of ALA. McCauley received 5,483 votes. Her opponent, Lindsay Cronk, dean of libraries at Tulane University in New Orleans, received 2,665 votes. McCauley provided a statement that read, in part: “I am honored to be elected president of the American Library Association for 2026–2027 and grateful to everyone who voted.” Larry Neal, director of Clinton-Macomb (Mich.) Public Library, has been elected ALA treasurer for 2025–2028.

AL: The Scoop, Apr. 7
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ALA and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), filed a lawsuit April 7 that challenges the Trump administration’s gutting of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The suit asks the US District Court for the District of Columbia to block the dismantling of IMLS as directed by Trump’s March 14 executive order. The suit follows another filed by the attorneys general of 21 states April 4 against the attempted elimination of IMLS and other agencies. Prior to the lawsuits, California, Connecticut, and Washington received written notification from Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Acting Director Keith Sonderling that their IMLS grants were cancelled.

AL: The Scoop, Apr. 8; The Hill, Apr. 5; California State Library, Apr. 3; Connecticut State Library, Apr. 4; Washington Secretary of State, Apr. 4

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