This week marks the annual Banned Books Week across the country, which celebrates free speech and rallies against censorship. The Hawaiʻi Library Association and American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii partnered to launch this year's celebration, which is themed “Censorship is so 1984. Read for your rights".

As libraries across the United States observe Banned Books Week, the Hawaii State Public Library System has rebranded it as “Freedom to Read.”

EveryLibrary's Executive Director, John Chrastka, discusses why he believes in libraries.

Pioneering actor, author, and activist George Takei has been named honorary chair of Banned Books Week, which will take place October 5 – 11, 2025. Takei will be joined in leading the annual event by youth honorary chair Iris Mogul.

Press Release: Growing Libraries and ReThinking Libraries announce a partnership to help libraries better serve their communities. Growing Libraries and ReThinking Libraries have announced a partnership that will supercharge strategic planning for libraries, enabling them to reach more community members and connect them with library services.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit denied a request by defendants in Rhode Island v. Trump to stay a May 13 preliminary injunction that formally ordered a halt to the dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Legislature is considering a bill that librarians from across the state say will eliminate young adult and teenage sections from public libraries, calling it unnecessary and

“I Don’t Think Librarians Can Save Us”: The Material Conditions of Information Literacy Instruction in the Misinformation Age

Join Library Futures and a distinguished panel of guests for a discussion on Bridging the Gap: Accessibility and Digital Collections for All Patrons. Digital...

The aim of this case study was to empirically elucidate the core elements underpinning the legitimacy of twenty-first-century public libraries, with a particular focus on the New York Public Library (NYPL). We conducted a qualitative content analysis of 24 NYPL annual reports spanning the period from 2000 to 2023 to investigate the ways in which legitimacy is expressed at NYPL and explore the interrelationships among the dimensions of library legitimacy. A coding framework, grounded in the established legitimacy dimensions from Yamagishi, Koizumi, and Larsen’s (2024) research, was utilized alongside a periodization approach to assess how these dimensions interact during key historical events. We examined the NYPL’s reported practices through the lens of five primary dimensions of legitimacy. Analyzing how these practices are reported in annual reports revealed how these dimensions interact and evolve in response to significant societal challenges, including the 9/11 attacks, the global financial crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The research findings highlight the critical role of both internal factors (such as librarianship) and external influences (such as economic conditions) in sustaining the overall legitimacy of public libraries. This case study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the complex and dynamic nature of legitimacy in public libraries and demonstrates how these institutions can adapt to and reflect broader societal changes. The findings hold important implications for the development and management of public libraries on a global scale.

Thoughts About Feelings is a heartfelt podcast that reminds you we all have thoughts about feelings and sharing them helps us get through them. Together with friends, Blair Imani and Mychal Threets talk about mental health, personal stories, and more. The show contains no sponsors and is instead brought to you by acts of self-care like drinking a glass of water or taking a deep breath. Blair Imani will help you get Smarter in Seconds about each episode's topic and keeping with Mychal's dedication to literacy and books, every episode is filmed in a book space whether it's a library or bookstore. With insightful questions from Mychal, Blair, and library kids we hope you leave each episode of Thoughts About Feelings with a few more reasons to keep on living.For video episodes of the podcast, subscribe to our Thoughts About Feelings Youtube channel.Produced in partnership with Ninth Planet Audio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unraveling Equity: The Effects of Anti-DEI Legislation on Academic Law Library Workers This important discussion shines a light on the often-overlooked role ...

Has your favorite book been removed from local libraries? The restriction and removal of books in libraries and bookstores–including literary classics–have come front and center in the culture wars.

This work provides information to members and prospective members of the law librarian profession on the status, rights, and responsibilities of academic law li

Press Release: Taking the pulse: Share your voice on the state of libraries. Libraries today are navigating a landscape filled with opportunities and challenges. The rapid acceleration of AI is reshaping how information is discovered, accessed and understood. Open access scholarship is expanding the boundaries of knowledge sharing, while simultaneously challenging traditional publishing and acquisition models. All of this is unfolding under the weight of persistent budget constraints, staffing shortages and shifting institutional priorities.

Only one library book ban case has ever been decided by the U.S. Supreme Court: Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico (1982). In 1975, the Island Trees school b…

We know that the need for reliable internet access, digital skills training, and wi-fi-enabled technology persists. The DEA programs would have brought capacity-building resources to communities all over the United States; these devastating cancellations will hinder our progress toward closing the digital divide and ensuring that all Americans can thrive.

The bills would have applied the state's obscenity laws to local libraries and allow counties and cities to terminate library board members.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on May 23 reversed a district court’s preliminary injunction and dismissed free speech claims in Little v. Llano County, a Texas case challenging the removal of 17 books from a public library.

Alt Text: White words on blue background stating “Rather than succumbing to helplessness, the response is to do something, take a step, find your work, and commit to it.” Allison Jennin…

I wrote this piece on libraries and possible educational responses as part of a longer contribution on the informational disciplines and the iSchool. A principal goal was to suggest that libraries present interesting and challenging research and educational questions, which cross disciplines.

Building Psychological Safety in Academic Libraries: Fostering Innovation, Well-Being, and Engaged Teams

In a thorough rebuke, federal judge John G. McConnell has ordered the Trump administration to immediately reverse the mass terminations of grants and staff at IMLS.

Ed. Note: We will update this report with additional media coverage and statements as they become available Recent Additions (Last Update 5:30pm; May 12) ALISE Statement On the Dismissal of Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress The Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) strongly condemns this unprecedented action. Dr. Hayden, the first woman […]

“The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and its members are deeply disappointed in the administration’s decision to terminate Dr. Carla Hayden as Librarian of Congress,” said Andrew K. Pace,...