A total of 14,292 people registered for the event, whose programs included many dedicated to anticensorship efforts, programming challenges, funding cuts, and other existential threats. In these dark times, when the very mission of libraries is being scrutinized and politicized, attendees took comfort in collective engagement and critical discussions about intellectual freedom, diversity, and other … Continue reading 2025 Annual Conference Wrap-Up
With The Girl Who Was Too Big for the Page (Philomel Books, April), Davis offers a funny and self-referential take on embracing differences. She talked to American Libraries at the American Library Association’s 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia about her new book, striving for equitable representation in media, and the roles for which … Continue reading Newsmaker: Geena Davis
“I was very shy and self-conscious as a kid, and I never wanted to try anything,” Davis told the crowd at the Closing Session of the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia on June 30. “My fondest wish was to take up less space.” Her debut picture book (released by … Continue reading Taking Up Space
District Attorney of Sacramento County, California, Thien Ho, the lead prosecutor in the case—which encompassed 13 known murders, 50+ rapes, and approximately 120 burglaries in the 1970s and 1980s—picks up where McNamara’s account left off, with his firsthand perspective from inside the courtroom. He spoke about his book, The People vs. the Golden State Killer … Continue reading Revisiting the Golden State Killer
Wood wrote about these experiences in The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir (Crown, October) and discussed them with ALA President-Elect Sam Helmick at a June 29 session of the 2025 American Library Association’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia. “Having your first kid unlocks something emotionally,” he said. “I started … Continue reading Figurative Fathers
Takei discussed his life as a closeted actor and how he came out at age 68, with Meg Lemke, graphic novels editor at Publishers Weekly, at the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia on June 28. His coming out is also the subject of his new memoir, It Rhymes with … Continue reading A Rhyme of Himself
“Oh, and a plot to kidnap and kill me!” Whitmer said of the domestic terror plot targeting her that was intercepted by the FBI and state police in 2020. Having survived all of that, she decided to write a memoir, True Gretch: What I’ve Learned about Life, Leadership, and Everything In Between (Simon & Schuster, … Continue reading Tools of Empowerment
ALA returns to this historic and vibrant city for its 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition, to be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center June 26–30. As the Association—and the nation—approach monumental anniversaries, library workers will reaffirm and celebrate what it means to run institutions foundational to democracy, equity, and civic discourse. Many sessions in this year’s … Continue reading 2025 Annual Conference Preview
Throughout her more than 25-year career, Lin has garnered many accolades, including a 2010 Newbery Honor, 2019 Caldecott Honor, and 2022 Children’s Literature Legacy Award. In advance of her appearance at the American Library Association’s upcoming 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia, she talked with American Libraries about being inspired by myths, the insidiousness … Continue reading Newsmaker: Grace Lin
At the heart of your new novel is an underwater realm called the Library of Despair and Sorrow. Why do you view sadness and suffering as “more precious than gold,” as you describe in the novel? I think it acknowledges our humanity. It says to the reader, “We all have feelings of sadness, despair, or … Continue reading Newsmaker: Pam Muñoz Ryan
American Libraries spoke with Bob about his longtime fascination with Tubman, as well as his inspiration for the novel and accompanying songs. What role have libraries played in your life? When I was younger, I used to go to the library in Clayton County [Georgia] near me all the time, and I would pick up … Continue reading Newsmaker: Bob the Drag Queen
John Green, the celebrated young adult author and vlogger, has been an advocate for TB treatment access since 2019, when he met Henry, a teenager with TB, during a trip to Sierra Leone. Henry gave Green “the view from below,” he says, quoting his late friend and global health pioneer Paul Farmer, who described the … Continue reading Newsmaker: John Green
