American Libraries

American Libraries is the official magazine of the American Library Association (ALA) and represents the voice of the library profession. It is published six times a year, along with occasional digital editions, by the ALA. The magazine has the ISSN 0002-9769 and is printed in the USA. Subscribing to American Libraries is included in ALA membership dues. It reaches approximately 65,000 individuals and organizations around the globe, and ALA members receive the magazine as a benefit of their membership.

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English

Magazine

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Global

#882084

United States

#315258

Science and Education/Libraries and Museums

#1307

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Articles

Brewing Connections

2 weeks ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Megan Bennett

While creating one of their in-house brews, employees at Johnson City (Tenn.) Brewing Company brought in some unexpected assistants to pour barley into the batch: library staffers. The pre-Prohibition-style lager they crafted together was called 1895, a nod to the founding year of Johnson City Public Library (JCPL), located just a few blocks from the brewery’s downtown taproom.
Crip Time in the Library

2 weeks ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Paula Mauro

At this point in the year, almost everyone on campus seems to be thinking about the end of the term. But this span of time doesn’t necessarily look or feel the same to everyone. Some of us who have disabilities move through time a little differently, experiencing it as particularly nebulous and abstract. I am open with students about my disabilities, especially as an academic with ADHD.
'Inspiring Examples of What is Possible': Meet the 2025 I Love My Librarian Award Honorees

2 weeks ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Paula Mauro

The 2025 recipients of the I Love My Librarian Award (ILMLA) are 10 standout librarians. They include a bookmobile librarian serving a community in crisis, a school librarian bridging gaps for low-income students, a youth detention facility librarian creating a more inviting and inclusive space, and other notable community figures. On January 24, the American Library Association (ALA) presented the awards as part of the LibLearnX conference in Phoenix (watch the video here).
By the Numbers: Workers’ Rights

2 weeks ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Megan Bennett

International Workers’ Day is May 1. 8Date in April that National Library Workers Day was celebrated this year. Since 2004, it has been commemorated on the Tuesday of National Library Week. 25,000Number of library workers represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). AFSCME represents more library workers than any other union in the US.
Amplifying Voices

2 weeks ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Megan Bennett

At George A. Jackson Elementary School in Jericho, New York, educators wanted to help students discover the power of their voices. During the 2023–2024 school year, as part of a unit about natural hazards and disasters, 4th-graders used library and classroom time to create podcasts about their research. After National Public Radio (NPR) recognized one of the projects as a winner in its 2024 Student Podcast Challenge, the initiative has continued to grow. George A.
100 Days into the Trump Administration

2 weeks ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Paula Mauro

This week marks 100 days since President Trump’s January 20 inauguration. It has also been approximately 45 days since Trump signed the March 14 executive order that called for stripping the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) down to its “non-statutory and component functions.”In response, the American Library Association (ALA), along with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration.
Newsmakers: Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor

3 weeks ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Paula Mauro

For filmmaker Dawn Logsdon, summers in the 1960s and 1970s were filled with road trips in her family’s Volkswagen. A common stop on those travels included public libraries, which meant that by age 12, she had visited more than 100 libraries across the US. About a decade ago, Logsdon started documenting life in libraries throughout the country.
Feds Curb Canadian Access to Library on the Border

1 month ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Paula Mauro

For more than a century, Canadians have used nothing but a narrow sidewalk to cross their national border into Vermont and enter the Haskell Free Library and Opera House. Inside, a line of black tape on the library’s floor demarcates the US-Canada border, and patrons from both countries can freely move across it. Anyone who lives within a 30-mile radius of the library is eligible for a library card. US Rep. Natalie M.
Newsmaker: Chris Kluwe

1 month ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Paula Mauro

Former NFL player Chris Kluwe put down the pigskin in 2013, when he retired from professional football after eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. Since then, he’s played bass in Minnesota band Tripping Icarus, written for Deadspin, released a tabletop game, and authored or coauthored three books, most recently the cyberpunk novel Otaku (Tor, 2020). But it is Kluwe’s political advocacy that has put him in the spotlight in recent weeks.
Newsmaker: Bob the Drag Queen

1 month ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Megan Bennett

Bob the Drag Queen—who won RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2016 and has since starred in other reality shows such as HBO’s We’re Here and Peacock’s Traitors, as well as several comedy specials—released his debut novel this month. Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert (Gallery Books) imagines the iconic abolitionist coming back to life and creating a hip-hop album. American Libraries spoke with Bob about his longtime fascination with Tubman, as well as his inspiration for the novel and accompanying songs.