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.

Join library professionals from around the world at ALA Annual Conference in Philadelphia, June 26-30. Gain fresh insights, network, discover top resources, and hear from renowned speakers and authors. See the Preliminary Schedule at alaannual.org.

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

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

Sign Up for Advocacy Alerts

ALA has launched a new supporter program on February 10, inviting the public to join the fight to protect libraries and library professionals at this pivotal moment in our country’s history.

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The ALA Mission

The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.

Learn More about ALA

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Read the Latest Issue

Read the March/April 2025 issue of American Libraries, exploring new ways libraries are taking action on sustainability. Issue highlights include an illustrated showcase of eco-friendly Library of Things items, a look at net-zero library buildings, an interview with award-winning author John Green, and more.

Read the Latest Issue

Get Involved

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.

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

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

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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!

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

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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

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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

ALA Connect logo featuring speech bubbles and the tagline "Engage. Learn. Grow."

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!

Upcoming eLearning Opportunities

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Apr
09
Jun

eLearning

Reference Interview is a comprehensive six-week asynchronous course focusing on the methods of evaluating reference services, behaviorial aspects of reference service.

28
Apr
06
Jun

eLearning

TThis 6-week online course introduces students to the breadth of considerations, standards, and skills needed to successfully launch and manage a digital library program. The course will provide opportunity for

28
Apr
06
Jun

eLearning

This six-week course is an introduction to fundamental concepts of metadata.

29
Apr

eLearning

Teach, but don't celebrate is the theme of religious literacy in our libraries. We will discuss how kids want to see themselves in our storytimes and give tips for including holidays in our programs without

29
Apr

Webinar

How do you inspire a classroom full of 5th graders to see the world as art conservators? Join Balboa Art Conservation Center's Bianca Garcia and Dr. Elizabeth Salmon as they share their journeys in cultural

30
Apr

eLearning

Webinar

Learn how to implement a climate action plan at your library that will have the biggest impact locally and globally.

30
Apr

eLearning

Webinar

Learn how to implement a climate action plan at your library that will have the biggest impact locally and globally.

01
May

Webinar

Preservation Week Webinar: Discussion and Q&A with Mychal Threets

05
May
13
Jun

eLearning

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

05
May
30
May

eLearning

This 4-week online course provides an overview of acquiring, providing access to, administering, supporting, and monitoring access to electronic resources. The course offers a basic background in electronic

Upcoming Events

29
Jul
31
Jul

Conference

This interactive three-day virtual event features expert speakers on current topics facing library Trustees, Friends, Foundations, and staff who work with them.

01
Sep
30
Sep

Celebration

Find information and resources to celebrate Library Card Sign-Up Month with learners in your school library.

16
Oct
18
Oct

Conference

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

19
Oct
25
Oct

Celebration

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

12
Nov
14
Nov

Conference

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

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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

ALA Scholarship Program logo with university building

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

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?

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

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.

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.