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April 9, 2026

ALA and AFSCME Prevail in Fight to Protect Libraries and Museums Nationwide

On April 9, 2026, the American Library Association (ALA) – the largest library association in the world – and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) – the nation’s largest union of cultural workers – reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice that protects the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and ensures the agency will continue carrying out its congressionally mandated work.

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New wave of bills targeting libraries is ‘a threat to our democracy,’ American Library Association warns

The association, founded in 1876, condemned legislation that would threaten librarians and other educators with criminal prosecution for possessing “obscene” material.
 

 

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'Sacred Trash' wins Sophie Brody Medal; three honor titles also named

DALLAS — “ Sacred Trash: the Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza” by Adina Hoffman and Peter Cole (Schocken Books) is the 2012 recipient of the he Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) Sophie Brody Medal Award for outstanding Jewish...

Morris, author of 'Reader’s Advisory Guide to Street Literature,' wins RUSA’s 2012 Zora Neale Hurston Award

DALLAS — Vanessa Irvin Morris, assistant teaching professor at Drexel University, is the 2012 recipient of the Reference and User Services Association’s Zora Neale Hurston Award. The Zora Neale Hurston Award, sponsored by Harper Perennial, honors...

Sarah L. Johnson wins RUSA’s prestigious Louis Shores Award for book reviewing

DALLAS - Sarah L. Johnson, professor of library services at Eastern Illinois University and author of the blog Reading the Past, is the 2012 winner of the Louis Shores Award, an annual honor presented by the Reference and User Services Association to...

Scholarly collection of slang honored with 2012 Dartmouth Medal for outstanding reference work of the year

DALLAS - The 2012 Dartmouth Medal - an annual award from the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) recognizing the most outstanding reference work of the year - has been awarded to “Green’s Dictionary of Slang,” published by Chambers. The...

Top genre fiction titles named to 2011 RUSA Reading List

SAN DIEGO —The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its selection for the 2011 Reading List. The Reading List annually recognizes the best books in eight genres: adrenaline (including suspense, thriller and adventure), fantasy...

2011 Sophie Brody Medal for Jewish literature names winner, honor title

SAN DIEGO – The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its selection for the 2011 Sophie Brody Medal, an annual honor bestowed by the Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) of RUSA. The Sophie Brody Medal is funded by...

RUSA’s 2011 Outstanding Reference Sources list

SAN DIEGO — The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its selection for the 2011 Outstanding Reference Sources. The Outstanding Reference Sources list of titles identifies the most important reference publications for small and...

Bill Ott named 2011 Louis Shores Award recipient for book reviewing

SAN DIEGO — The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its selection for the 2011 Louis Shores Award. Bill Ott, editor and publisher of Booklist magazine, was selected for his outstanding contributions to the field of reviewing. At...

Best fiction, non-fiction and poetry for adults named to 2011 Notable Books List

SAN DIEGO — The Notable Books Council of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association, has announced its selections for the 2011 Notable Books List. Since 1944, the goal of the Notable Books Council...

2011 Dartmouth Medal winner, honor title selection

SAN DIEGO - The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its selection for the 2011 Dartmouth Medal for outstanding reference. The Oxford University Press “Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion,” along with the online “Berg Fashion...

Courses in genealogy, business reference, readers’ advisory offered this fall from RUSA

CHICAGO—Registration is now open for the fall 2010 offerings of the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) popular classes Genealogy 101, Business Reference 101 and Readers’ Advisory 101. The next offerings of these courses will be held...