National Library Workers Day Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Flyer from a talk by labor activist Dolores Huerta and cover of the book "No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War Era," by Jacqueline Jones

By the Numbers: Workers’ Rights

By Megan Bennett | May 1, 2025

International Workers’ Day is May 1. 8 Date in April that National Library Workers Day was celebrated this year. Since 2004, it has been commemorated on the Tuesday of National Library Week. 25,000 Number of library workers represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). AFSCME represents more library workers than … Continue reading By the Numbers: Workers’ Rights →

ALA National Library Workers Day Statement

April 21, 2020

The American Library Association stands in solidarity with and support of library workers. As we said last month when we recommended and urged all libraries to close to the public, “The health of our library workers and the communities we serve is of utmost and equal importance.” Since that time, we have been buoyed by … Continue reading ALA National Library Workers Day Statement →

National Library Workers Day 2019

By Alison Marcotte | April 9, 2019

April 9 is National Library Workers Day, a day to recognize the hard work, dedication, and expertise of library support staff and librarians. To celebrate library workers, the American Library Association–Allied Professional Association (ALA–APA) asked patrons to nominate stellar library workers from their libraries. Below are some of the nominations included in the Galaxy of Stars on … Continue reading National Library Workers Day 2019 →

National Library Workers Day 2018

By Alison Marcotte | April 10, 2018

And every year since 2004, the American Library Association (ALA) has celebrated librarians, support staff, and others for their valuable contributions on National Library Workers Day (NLWD), which this year falls on Tuesday, April 10. The American Library Association–Allied Professional Association (ALA–APA) asked patrons throughout the US to nominate stellar library workers for their hard … Continue reading National Library Workers Day 2018 →

National Library Workers Day

By Laurie D. Borman | April 14, 2015

To honor them, the American Library Association–Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) gathered testimonials about library workers from all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, and some international libraries, and posted them as a “Galaxy of Stars” on the National Library Workers Day page. Here are just a few of the people mentioned there: “Lori Dekydtspotter, from … Continue reading National Library Workers Day →

Latest Library Links

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Rachel Milburn writes: “Teen advisory boards (TABs) are an excellent resource for libraries. TABs are the perfect group to promote a library’s young adult collection. What better way to do this than through social media? Plano (Tex.) Public Library regularly includes our TAB in social media posts to promote all sorts of things, including our collections. Our teens (and their caregivers) sign photo release forms, which allows us to include them in our online presence. Here are a few easy ways to incorporate your library’s TAB in social media posts.”

Young Adult Library Services Association: The Hub, May 23
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Kwame Alexander writes: After the firings of Carla Hayden and Shira Perlmutter from the Library of Congress, “It feels urgent for us, as citizens, to gather and plan together how to respond to this attack on our freedom to read, write, and learn. We are bringing together some smart folks, including Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi, Meg Medina, Amanda Jones, and Tracie D. Hall, to speak out about what intellectual freedom means to us and form an action plan to stand up for these freedoms.” The rally will be held May 31 at DC Public Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 5 p.m. Eastern and livestreamed for those not able to attend in person.

Kwamealexander.com; DC Public Library
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Danielle Melia, Lauren Kawasaki and Reshma Seth write: “George A. Jackson Elementary School’s library wants to provide a dynamic and inclusive learning environment. That makes podcasting a perfect fit. It gives students a platform to express their creativity, explore new ideas, and collaborate with peers while learning real-world skills. Our podcast project started as a collaboration between librarian Danielle Melia and coteachers Lauren Kawasaki and Reshma Seth. We wanted our 4th-graders to work in pairs to create an episode related to our unit on natural hazards. Students developed episodes to answer thought-provoking questions.”

American Libraries Trend, May
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Cinzi Lavin writes: “In the summer of 2023, a controversial book—Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe—was removed from the shelves of the small Connecticut library where I worked as a part-time paraprofessional. The removal was done in transgression of the library board’s book reconsideration policy. Our small staff was upset and bewildered. As the granddaughter of Europeans who fled to the US to escape fascism just before World War II, I found that the fight against this injustice in our library became very personal. I offer the following considerations to other small libraries facing similar challenges.”

American Libraries column, May
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Rosie Newmark writes: “While creating one of their in-house brews, employees at Johnson City (Tenn.) Brewing Company brought in some unexpected assistants to pour barley into the batch: library staffers. The pre-Prohibition-style lager they crafted together was called 1895, a nod to the founding year of Johnson City Public Library, located just a few blocks from the brewery’s downtown taproom. The partnership marks a growing trend of libraries working with local brewers to create signature drinks for fundraising and awareness campaigns that expand the library’s visibility to younger adult crowds.”

American Libraries Trend, May
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On May 20, the Trump administration filed a status report describing its compliance with a federal judge’s preliminary injunction in Rhode Island v. Trump, which ordered the administration to restore terminated Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) staff and grants to recipients in 21 plaintiff states. However, the Administration has filed an appeal and requested a stay of the order. ALA has filed its own, nationwide challenge to the elimination of IMLS, ALA v. Sonderling. A temporary restraining order on May 1 halted further actions to dismantle the agency, and a ruling on ALA’s request for a preliminary injunction is expected by May 29.

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, May 21; AL: The Scoop, May 2
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Melanie Robinson writes: “As cities work to build stronger connections between children and nature, one powerful and often underutilized ally stands ready: your local library. Most residents live within a two-mile radius of a library. These institutions have deep roots in their communities and are committed to values aligning with city leaders: lifelong learning, health, equity, and engagement. They are ideal partners in helping cities achieve bold goals, especially when giving children more access to nature. To support cities in this effort, see the new Nature-Smart Libraries Toolkit published by Nature Everywhere Communities.”

National League of Cities, May 16

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