American Library Association

FAQ executive order targeting IMLS

Frequently Asked Questions on the Executive Order Targeting IMLS

On March 14, President Trump issued an executive order intended to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services. ALA and AFSCME have filed a federal lawsuit in response.

For Our Libraries Fundraising Challenge. Help protect libraries and win your way to ALA Annual Conference 2026 in Chicago!

Join the For Our Libraries Fundraising Challenge!

The top 10 fundraisers will win free registration to ALA Annual 2026, with free lodging and $1,500 to cover travel expenses for the grand prize winner.

Share Your Library's Story with ALA

Sharing stories about the impact of your library is one of the best ways to garner support from elected officials. Your government leaders need to know how your community relies on the library, and the funding that supports the library!

About the Campaign

Show Up for Our Libraries.

Sign up to receive critical action alerts and advocacy updates on issues affecting libraries.

Sign Up for Advocacy Alerts

For Our Libraries.

ALA launched a new supporter program in February, inviting the public to join the fight to protect libraries and library professionals at this pivotal moment in our country’s history.

Diversity, Equity of access, education and continuous learning, intellectual freedom, and literacy

The ALA Mission

Empowering and advocating for libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all.

Learn More about ALA

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Read the Latest Issue

Read the September/October 2025 issue of American Libraries, which features the annual Library Design Showcase, a celebration of new and newly renovated libraries of all types and sizes. Plus, read an interview with award-winning author R. F. Kuang, an article about how librarians are grappling with AI-generated content in their collections, and more.

Read the Latest Issue

ALA members

Become a member

ALA is the largest membership association in the library industry. It's a community of people working together to ensure that libraries remain vital centers of literacy, access, and opportunity.

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Support Our Mission

By giving to ALA, you are helping us improve library and information services and the profession of librarianship to ensure access to information for all.

Fight Censorship: Take Action Against Book Bans

Go to Banned Books Home

Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2024 - collage of book cover details

Censorship Data

ALA compiles data on book challenges from reports filed by library professionals in the field and from news stories published throughout the United States.

Graphic for Book Resumes from United for Libraries

Defend Challenged Books with Book Résumés

Book Résumés help librarians, parents, and community members defend books from censorship. They detail each title’s significance and educational value and are easy to share with administrators, review committees, and elected officials.

Bookmark this link!

Report Censorship

Your front line reports help ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom to stay on top of trends and supply library workers with resources to combat censorship. You can also help get the word out and encourage reporting of book censorship.

Report a challenge.

Resource Quick Links

You May Also Be Interested In . . .

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Programming Resources

The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office empowers libraries to create vibrant hubs of learning and connection in communities of all types.

Learn more about the ALA Public Programs Office

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ALA's Programming Librarian website is a place for library professionals to share, learn, and be inspired to present excellent programming for their communities.

Browse the Programming Librarian website

More Resources for Librarians

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News and Press Center

For more than 140 years, the American Library Association has been the trusted voice for all libraries, advocating for the profession and the library's role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all.

Contact the ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations team to learn more about ALA positions and actions and get comprehensive insights into key issues facing libraries nationwide.

Visit the News and Press Center

News and Press Resources

ALA Connect

Discussion boards and shared libraries provide collaboration tools connecting more than 50,000 library professionals with a wide variety of interests and specialization is the place to share ideas and make new connections with library workers across the globe.

Complete your profile and grow your online professional network at ALA Connect!

Quick Links for Members

News Around ALA

ALA News and Press Center

See all ALA News at the ALA News and Press Center

Stay updated on ALA's latest news, events, and initiatives in libraries nationwide. Your go-to source for library innovation and impact.

ALA awards $3.5 million in library accessibility funding to 300 small and rural…

The initiative helps small and rural libraries increase the accessibility of facilities, services and programs to better serve people with disabilities. This round of grants brings the total count of grantees to 662.

Spring-Fall 2025 Core Fundamentals Web Course Schedule

The Fundamentals Web Courses focus on acquisitions, cataloging, metadata, collection development and management, digital library projects, electronic resources acquisitions, preservation, management, universal design for learning, and institutional reposi

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ALA awards $10,000 grants to 16 libraries to build capacity to serve New Americ…

The ALA Building Library Capacity Grants are supported through a three-year grant from the Mellon Foundation. Each year has focused on helping add capacity to different segments of the library community.

Featured Jobs | ALA JobLIST

Go to JobLIST

Webinar

Supporting College Readiness: How Public and Academic Libraries Can Foster College Literacy and Fluency

Hear Dr. Hands, jean amaral, and Melissa Blankstein discuss how to help students navigate complex institutional systems and advocate for themselves!

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On-Demand

Webinar

Evolving Staff Roles, Policies, and Practices: Results from PLA's 2024 Annual Survey

Learn how to use the results from the 2024 Public Library Staff Survey to improve your library’s performance, demonstrate value, and increase impact in your community.

United for Libraries Library Policy Retreat for Boards: Intellectual Freedom and Artificial Intelligence on Saturday, September 27

eLearning

Library Policy Retreat for Boards: Intellectual Freedom and Artificial Intelligence

United for Libraries presents a virtual retreat for library Boards/Trustees and those who work with them.

Core eCourses

eLearning

Fundamentals of Acquisitions 2025 - Session 5.0

This six-week online course is a basic primer for library acquisitions concepts common to all library material formats.

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eLearning

Patron Response Framework: Responding with Kindness, Empathy, and Love in Difficult Situations

During this 60-minute webinar, Kent District Library shares the response framework developed for their employees to prevent escalation and maintain a safe environment.

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eLearning

Webinar

Adaptive Arcade at the Library

Learn why gaming accessibility is so important and how partnerships with public libraries can help bridge the divide.

Decorative image of person in wheelchair using video game controllers.

eLearning

Webinar

Adaptive Arcade at the Library

Learn why gaming accessibility is so important and how partnerships with public libraries can help bridge the divide.

Core eCourses

eLearning

Fundamentals of Institutional Repositories 2025 - Session 3.0

This course is an introduction to fundamental concepts of institutional repositories (IR), including IR platforms, promoting the IR, faculty publications in the IR, IR metadata, and accessibility of IR content.

Core eCourses

eLearning

Fundamentals of Digital Library Projects 2025 - Session 5.0

This 6-week online course introduces students to the breadth of considerations, standards, and skills needed to successfully launch and manage a digital library program.

Core eCourses

eLearning

Fundamentals of Collection Assessment 2025 - Session 5.0

This course introduces the fundamental aspects of collection assessment in libraries. It is designed for those who are responsible for or interested in collection assessment in all types and sizes of libraries.

Banned Books Week, Oct. 5-11, 2025. Censorship is so 1984. Read for your rights. ala.org/bbooks

Celebration

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week will take place October 5 – 11, 2025, with the theme “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.”

2025 AASL National Conference Calendar Header/Thumbnail

Conference

2025 AASL National Conference

The AASL National Conference is the only national conference dedicated solely to school librarians and their unique role in education.

National Friends of Libraries Week October 19-25, 2025

Celebration

2025 National Friends of Libraries Week

Celebrate Your Friends Group Oct. 19-25, 2025, during the 20th annual National Friends of Libraries Week!

Conference

2025 Core Forum

The Core Forum brings together practitioners & decision makers in the following areas: Access & Equity, Buildings & Operations, Leadership & Management, Metadata & Collections, Preservation & Technology.

Awards, Grants, and Scholarships

Winners display their books at the 2023 Youth Media Awards

ALA Awards

From captivating storytelling to groundbreaking research, the ALA Awards program showcases the best in literature and media.

Visit the Book and Media Awards home page

ALA Professional Recognition Awards honor individuals and institutions that have made significant contributions to the advancement of library science and services.

Visit the Professional Recognition Awards home page

Quick Links

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ALA Grants

ALA Grants invest in the future of libraries and librarianship through the funding of programming, research, and professional development. Grants may be offered to support the planning and implementation of programs, to promote research in library and information sciences, to assist with conference and travel fees, and more.

Visit the ALA Grants home page

Quick Links

ALA Scholarships

The American Library Association and its units provide more than $300,000 annually for study in a master's degree in library and information studies from an ALA-accredited program, or for a master's degree with a specialty in school librarianship that meets the ALA curriculum guidelines for a CAEP-accredited unit.

The scholarship process is open annually from September 1st - March 1st.

Go to ALA Scholarships Home

ALA Scholarships Links

Shop ALA

Browse the ALA Store

Book cover

Serving the Underserved: Strategies for Inclusive Community Engagement

Underserved populations frequently do not have access to a library—or they may even be unaware that they have an information need. How can we as a profession effectively reach them?

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Vintage ALA: Pencil Recycled Tote Bag

Visit the Graphics Gift Shop for all-new Vintage ALA items--t-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, pencil pouches, stickers, and more!

book cover

The Civil Rights Movement (Discover and Learn with the Library of Congress series)

Designed to support state curricula and teaching standards, this full-color book combines facsimiles of primary sources from the Library of Congress's unparalleled collections with teaching strategies and mroe resources.

Poster spelling "READ" with red letters on various reading materials.

READ Your Way Poster

Whether it's a hardcover or paperback, an audiobook, or eBook, it's all reading! Display this poster to celebrate and promote reading in a variety of formats.