Inside ALA Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Headshots of candidates for 2026-27 ALA president candidates

Cronk, Jamison, McCauley Seek 2026–2027 ALA Presidency

December 9, 2024

The ALA Nominating Committee also announced on November 12 the 21 nominated candidates who are running for a total of 12 at-large seats on ALA Council for the 2025–2028 term. The presidential candidates announcement reads as follows: Lindsay Cronk, dean of libraries at Tulane University in New Orleans; Andrea Jamison, assistant professor of school librarianship … Continue reading Cronk, Jamison, McCauley Seek 2026–2027 ALA Presidency →

11 Questions: Bill Ladewski

November 19, 2024

Ladewski answered our 11 Questions to reintroduce himself to the ALA community. Coffee, tea, other? Coffee, one cup of hot coffee in the morning. What’s the first website or app you check in the morning? Weather app. On weekends, probably YouTube. Best career advice you’ve ever received? I’ve received a lot of good advice from … Continue reading 11 Questions: Bill Ladewski →

11 Questions: Amy Katzenberger

November 12, 2024

She answered our 11 Questions to introduce herself to ALA members. Coffee, tea, other? Coffee—Café Bustelo What’s the first website or app you check in the morning? Notifications first, including the Katzenberger GroupMe chat, referred to by my mother-in-law as The Groupon. Best career advice you’ve ever received? Make time for thinking. Credit to Peg … Continue reading 11 Questions: Amy Katzenberger →

ALA Vows to Defend Core Values

November 6, 2024

In response to the results of the 2024 US election, ALA vowed to continue its defense of the core values of librarianship in the face of political threats. “We know that many of our members are concerned that the election results portend attacks on libraries, library workers, and readers,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “Whatever … Continue reading ALA Vows to Defend Core Values →

11 Questions: Kerri Price

November 5, 2024

She answered our 11 Questions to introduce herself to ALA members. Coffee, tea, other? Coffee in the morning, but sometimes a cup of chamomile lavender tea in the evening. What’s the first website or app you check in the morning? The New York Times’ Games app. I play Wordle, The Mini Crossword, Connections, Strands, and … Continue reading 11 Questions: Kerri Price →

ALA Releases Statement on Helping Communities Affected by Hurricane Helene

October 3, 2024

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, our hearts are with those whose lives have been profoundly impacted. We extend our deepest sympathies to individuals facing devastating loss and the challenges of recovery and rebuilding. We recognize the unwavering dedication of libraries to show up, to step in, and to serve their communities during this difficult … Continue reading ALA Releases Statement on Helping Communities Affected by Hurricane Helene →

Cindy Hohl, president of the American Library Association

We All Belong

By Cindy Hohl | September 3, 2024

September is an exciting time to welcome people into the library as we celebrate Library Card Sign-Up Month and observe Banned Books Week, this year scheduled September 22–28. Since 1982, Banned Books Week has been a critical national program aimed at helping everyone see that all stories belong in libraries. October brings TeenTober literacy and … Continue reading We All Belong →

Sam Helmick Selected as ALA President-Elect

July 25, 2024

Helmick is replacing Raymond Pun, academic and research librarian at Alder Graduate School of Education in Redwood City, California, who stepped down from the member-elected position in June because of health reasons. The ALA Executive Board recommended Helmick, and they received ALA Council’s confirmation on July 23, following a process outlined in the ALA Bylaws. … Continue reading Sam Helmick Selected as ALA President-Elect →

A Good Way for ALA

By Cindy Hohl | July 24, 2024

As we look ahead to meet the information needs of our membership, it is important that we stand united to remember why we work in this trusted profession. We have some big goals ahead with the hiring of the next ALA executive director, celebrating the Association’s 150th anniversary, creating a strategic plan to elevate the role … Continue reading A Good Way for ALA →

Council II: The Future of ALA

By Sallyann Price | June 30, 2024

The second day of Council at Annual involved committee reports and a wide-ranging discussion about the future of the Association.

Pun to Step Away from ALA Presidency

June 14, 2024

“Raymond Pun, in line for the American Library Association presidency, will not assume the role for health reasons. He was to take office as president-elect after ALA’s Annual Conference adjourns in early July, and he would have been president in 2025–2026. The 2024–2025 Executive Board will fill the vacancy within 30 days of taking office, … Continue reading Pun to Step Away from ALA Presidency →

Pun Wins 2025–2026 ALA Presidency

April 8, 2024

Pun received 5,611 votes, while his opponent Sam Helmick, community and access services coordinator at Iowa City Public Library, received 2,778 votes. Upon learning the outcome of the election, Pun said, “Thank you to each and every member who voted and became part of the ALA community to make our profession and Association stronger together. I … Continue reading Pun Wins 2025–2026 ALA Presidency →

Latest Library Links

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Genevieve Trainor writes: “The Guinness World Record holder for Most Prolific Book Thief is Ottumwa (Iowa’s) Stephen Blumberg. The 23,600 volumes he accumulated between the 1970s and his arrest in March of 1990 were all stashed in his 17-room home. Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, got involved with Blumberg as part of the FBI’s efforts to return the stolen manuscripts and rare books to their museums and libraries. Referred to as the Omaha Project, the information science proving ground involved four weeks, 44 catalogers and reference librarians and 600 volunteer hours to determine who might be the rightful owners.”

Little Village (Dubuque, Iowa), Dec. 4
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Casey Newton writes: “At the moment, no one knows for sure whether the large language models that are now under development will achieve superintelligence and transform the world. And in that uncertainty, two primary camps of criticism have emerged. The first camp, which I associate with the external critics, holds that artificial intelligence (AI) is fake and sucks. The second camp, which I associate more with the internal critics, believes that AI is real and dangerous. Today I want to lay out why I believe AI is real and dangerous.”

Platformer, Dec. 5
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Latia Ward writes: “One way to keep current with what students think of the library and its services is through Student Library Advisory Committee meetings. These meetings are a way to gather feedback and reinforce the library as a welcoming place. How do librarians create a welcoming environment within Student Library Advisory Committee meetings? Librarians create a welcoming environment through community, purpose, and dedicated space.” Also see part 1 of this blog post.

RIPS Law Librarian Blog, Nov. 13, Dec. 5
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Eleanor Hecks writes: “Few things are as frustrating to a user as when a site won’t respond. Unfortunately, it’s also an all-too-common scenario. Graceful degradation is a design approach that ensures the basics of a website will still function even if specific individual parts of it stop working. The approach removes single points of failure: just because one thing stops working doesn’t mean the system as a whole fails. A site following this principle fails in pieces instead of all at once, so the most important features remain available when some components encounter an error.”

Smashing Magazine, Dec. 6
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Camruinn Morgan-Rumsey and Lexi Lepof write: “On December 3, Knox County (Tenn.) schools received a list from the district of books to be removed from school libraries under Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act. Knox County’s board of education voted in July, passing a policy to remove ‘explicit’ books from everyday student access in response to the new law. Some of the books on the list of nearly 50 titles might surprise parents. Among those to be removed are Shel Silverstein’s A Light in the Attic and Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five.”

WVLT-TV (Knoxville, Tenn.), Dec. 4
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Joe Foley writes: “Copyright rules vary from country to country and have changed over time. In the US, works created between 1929 and 1963 that gave notice and renewed copyright have 95 years from their first publication date. That means that on January 1, 2025, a host of works from 1929 will enter the public domain. This means that copyright will expire on Buck Rogers, Captain Easy, Horace Horsecollar, Tintin, Hal Foster’s first Tarzan comic strips and, yes, Popeye.” Other notable works entering public domain in the United States include the Marx Brothers’ first film, The Cocoanuts, contralto Marian Anderson’s first record, and Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms.

Creative Bloq, Dec. 7; Everybody’s Libraries, Dec. 3, Dec. 7; Public Domain Review, Dec. 10
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Brittany Adams writes: “The digital landscape of libraries is expanding rapidly, with an increasing shift towards electronic resources and online services. As members of the library community, we’re witnessing a transformative era where physical collections are complemented—and sometimes replaced—by digital ones. This transition offers new opportunities for enhancing accessibility and engagement, but it also presents challenges, especially for young patrons and their families. It is essential to equip children and their caregivers with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate this evolving space confidently.”

ALSC Blog, Dec. 9

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