For immediate release | August 19, 2025

ALA Webinar: Turning Congressmembers into Library Champions

Washington, D.C. - ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office will host a conversation with library professionals and a Capitol Hill insider on techniques to successfully engage elected leaders to get positive results: fruitful conversations in meetings with congressional staff, well-received letters to the editor, energizing in-person library visits, and more.

In this sixth in a series of ALA Show Up For Our Libraries webinars, ALA Associate Executive Director Lisa Varga will provide an update on the critical library issues of the day, including ALA’s ongoing lawsuit to defend the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a win for E-Rate at the Supreme Court, and the current federal budget status.

Register online: Show Up For Our Libraries: Turning Congressmembers into Library Champions

Live Webinar: Tuesday, September 9, 2025, 4:00-5:00 CT

Presenters:

ALA President Sam Helmick
ALA Committee on Legislation Chair Susan Hempstead, Assistant Director, Strategic Relations and Communications, Sno-Isle (WA) Libraries
ALA Associate Executive Director, Public Policy and Advocacy, Lisa Varga
Kate Alderete, director of the Public Library of Albuquerque-Bernalillo County
Brad Fitch, longtime CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation and former Capitol Hill staffer

Automatic captions will be enabled for this event, hosted in Zoom. Attendance for the live event is limited to 1,000 attendees. A recording of the session will be available to all registrants (including those unable to attend live) until October 10, 2025.

About ALA

The American Library Association is the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to America’s libraries. The ALA mission is to empower and advocate for all libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all. For nearly 150 years, ALA has provided resources for information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services.

Contact:

Shawnda Hines

Deputy Director, Communications

Public Policy and Advocacy

shines@alawash.org

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