Congress Archives | American Libraries Magazine

How the 2025 Government Shutdown Will Impact Libraries

By Lisa Varga | October 1, 2025

While compromise appears elusive, Capitol Hill insiders of every persuasion expect the Trump administration to take unprecedented actions during the shutdown. These may include mass reductions in force, shuttering federal offices, and ending disfavored programs. Last week, the administration directed agencies to prepare lists of employees to fire. We have already seen repeated efforts by … Continue reading How the 2025 Government Shutdown Will Impact Libraries →

Checking In on Federal Library Funding

By Kevin Maher | July 15, 2025

Regular appropriations Most years, to avert a government shutdown, Congress passes 12 separate spending bills (or a temporary continuing resolution that continues the prior year’s budget) by the start of the next fiscal year on October 1. This work historically starts after the president submits a budget request, which appropriators typically largely reject. As expected, … Continue reading Checking In on Federal Library Funding →

Springing Forward for Library Funding

By Lisa Varga | June 3, 2025

At the American Library Association’s (ALA) Public Policy and Advocacy Office, we have heard one message from library advocates come through loud and clear: Tell us what we can do! This year, ALA’s annual Fund Libraries campaign has drawn thousands of advocates nationwide, signing Dear Appropriator letters that call on their elected officials to provide … Continue reading Springing Forward for Library Funding →

ALA Criticizes Firing of Register of Copyrights

May 12, 2025

ALA is dismayed at the unlawful dismissal of Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter, who has led the US Copyright Office since October 2020 with integrity, intelligence, and an understanding of intellectual property issues. Before her appointment as registrar, Perlmutter’s work with the library community on the US implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty demonstrated a commitment … Continue reading ALA Criticizes Firing of Register of Copyrights →

ALA Decries Dismissal of Librarian of Congress

May 9, 2025

As the president of ALA, I am deeply disappointed in last night’s decision by President Trump to fire Carla Hayden from her position as Librarian of Congress. I salute Hayden, a wise and faithful steward of the Library of Congress—the library she has called our national treasure. Her abrupt and unjust dismissal is an insult … Continue reading ALA Decries Dismissal of Librarian of Congress →

Federal Court Halts Dismantling of IMLS in ALA Lawsuit

May 2, 2025

ALA’s full statement regarding the court’s temporary restraining order reads as follows: Today, the US District Court for the District of Columbia granted a temporary restraining order to block the Trump administration’s dismantling of IMLS. The decision was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by ALA and AFSCME, represented by Democracy Forward and Gair Gallo Eberhard LLP. IMLS … Continue reading Federal Court Halts Dismantling of IMLS in ALA Lawsuit →

ALA, AFSCME File Lawsuit against Trump Administration

April 8, 2025

The full statement reads as follows: ALA, the largest library association in the world, and AFSCME, the largest union representing museum and library workers, are challenging the Trump administration’s gutting of IMLS—a nonpartisan and independent agency dedicated to supporting and funding libraries and museums and the crucial community services they provide in every state across the country. The … Continue reading ALA, AFSCME File Lawsuit against Trump Administration →

White House Attacks Libraries

By Alan S. Inouye | March 19, 2025

Underneath the Trump administration’s bureaucratic language is the clear intent to take away states’ funding to support their libraries. The president cannot fully eliminate IMLS without congressional approval, but his order takes every possible step in that direction. The order calls for the elimination of IMLS, by limiting budget requests from the agency to only the … Continue reading White House Attacks Libraries →

Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Libraries

By Hannah Weinberg | 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 →

Outlook on Federal Funding Threats to Libraries

By Larra Clark | February 26, 2025

The following is what library workers need to know—and what they can do to stand up and speak out for needed resources. Federal budget battles The previous Congress’s failure to pass FY2025 spending bills that were due October 1, 2024, resulted in a temporary funding measure that extended federal spending at FY2024 levels through March … Continue reading Outlook on Federal Funding Threats to Libraries →

Advocates and lawmakers met during the American Library Association’s (ALA) legislative fly-in, held March 5–7 in Washington, D.C. From left: Jason Homer, executive director of Worcester (Mass.) Public Library; Maria McCauley, director of Cambridge (Mass.) Public Library; US Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.); and Gavin Baker, deputy director for public policy and government relations in ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office.

Advocates Rally to Fund Libraries

By Kevin Maher | June 14, 2024

This year, the campaign for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal budget kicked off April 15 and concluded May 10. During that time, members of Congress signed “Dear Appropriator” letters requesting increased funding for specific library programs. Advocates sent more than 20,000 messages to their elected officials—a figure up 11% from last year—in a single … Continue reading Advocates Rally to Fund Libraries →

Erin MacFarlane, customer experience administrator for the Maricopa County (Ariz.) Library District (right) speaks with US Rep. Raúl Grijalva during ALA's 2023 fly-in at Capitol Hill.

ALA Launches FY2024 #FundLibraries Campaign

By Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada | March 14, 2023

This year, there is a remarkably brief window for action: the deadline for signatures is March 20. The Library Services and Technology Act (LTSA) letter, circulated by US Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), urges House of Representatives appropriators to provide $232 million for LSTA to fund a wide range of essential library … Continue reading ALA Launches FY2024 #FundLibraries Campaign →

Latest Library Links

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Mike Masnick writes: “Companies that used to provide real value are now focused on extracting more value from users. There was a time when many people felt more fulfilled after using new innovations that helped them do new things. We’ve replaced that with engagement metrics, growth hacks, and AI slop. The tech industry spent the last decade optimizing for shareholder value and calling it innovation. A group of us decided to articulate what the alternative actually looks like. We’re calling it the Resonant Computing Manifesto, and it’s an attempt to reclaim what innovation should mean.”

Techdirt, Dec. 5
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Claire Woodcock writes: “As prices for streaming subscriptions continue to soar, people are turning to the unexpected last stronghold of physical media: the public library. Films and TV shows on streaming also become more vulnerable when companies merge. Some streaming platforms just outright remove their own intellectual property from their catalogs if the content is no longer deemed financially viable, well-performing, or is no longer a strategic priority. The data-driven recommendation systems streaming platforms use tend to favor newer, more easily categorized content, and are starting to warp our perceptions of what classic media exists and matters.”

404 Media, Dec. 3
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Annaliese Melvin writes: “As librarians, it is essential to highlight individuals with disabilities in our programs and our collections. However, it is also necessary to critically evaluate titles that are in your collection or that you are considering adding to the collection to ensure that they portray people with disabilities in an appropriate manner. Here is a list of ideas for evaluating books from several different sources and further resources for deeper research.”

ALSC Blog, Dec. 6
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Steve Tetreault writes: “There are a growing number of reasons to be concerned about Google’s products and services. But many schools are Google schools, with Gmail and Google Drive accounts for everyone. So you, like I, might be stuck with Google for a while. A friend was recently trying to access some items in her state library organization account from her school Chromebook. She was having all kinds of difficulty, and I realized she didn’t know about Chrome Profiles. The Chrome browser, and most Chromebooks, allow you to log in to multiple Google accounts at once and toggle between them.”

Knowledge Quest, Dec. 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 Fifth 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 include 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 IMLS-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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