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.

National, Trade/B2B

English

Magazine

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Ranking

Global

#882084

United States

#315258

Science and Education/Libraries and Museums

#1307

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Monthly visitors

Articles

Newsmaker: Chris Kluwe

3 weeks 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

3 weeks 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.
Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Libraries

1 month ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Paula Mauro

Since President Trump retook office on January 20, libraries and librarianship have been assaulted via executive orders and other actions. While the legality of many of these actions is still being decided by the courts, librarians, archivists, and other information professionals have been working through the confusion to preserve access to information.
From Anxiety to Action

1 month ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Rebekkah Smith Aldrich |Paula Mauro

At nearly every talk I’ve given on climate change and libraries over roughly a decade, someone in the audience asks how I remain hopeful in the face of climate scientists’ predictions. I am not, I clarify, hopeful that we will turn the tide on the impacts of climate change—at least not in my lifetime. But I am hopeful that, given the reality of climate change, people will help one another to adapt, restore, and rethink the future.
Meet the Candidate for ALA Treasurer: Larry Neal

1 month ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Paula Mauro

It is both an exciting and challenging time for the American Library Association (ALA). The Association is preparing to celebrate its sesquicentennial and seeks to ensure ALA is well-positioned to sustainably serve current and future generations of librarians and library workers.
Green Lending | American Libraries Magazine

1 month ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Megan Bennett |David Alvarado |Becky Lomax

Jenni Diaz Garcia writes: “After sending out what felt like her hundredth job application, Rachel refreshed her inbox, waiting for any sign of hope. For nearly a year, she cast her resume into the depths of the job market, hoping for a bite—any bite. The process was exhausting, demoralizing, and, at times, surreal. As a queer MLIS graduate who went straight from undergrad to grad school, she knew the job search wouldn’t be easy.
March/April 2025

1 month ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | David Alvarado |Megan Bennett |Emily Udell |Rebekkah Smith Aldrich

The ALA Nominating Committee has selected three nominees to run for ALA president in the upcoming election. The candidates running for the 2026–27 term are Lindsay Cronk, dean of libraries at Tulane University in New Orleans; Andrea Jamison, assistant professor of school librarianship at Illinois State University; and Maria McCauley, director of libraries at Cambridge (Mass.) Public Library.
The Net-Zero Revolution

1 month ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Cass Balzer |Carrie Smith

When the old Medford (Mass.) Public Library (MPL) opened in 1960, sustainability wasn’t even part of the conversation. By the 1990s, the facility already felt outdated and inefficient, with an old heating system, a flat roof that turned into a shallow pond with every storm, and few features that would help conserve energy. “The lights were either on or off,” MPL Director Barbara Kerr jokes.
Newsmaker: John Green

1 month ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Megan Bennett

Nearly 1.3 million people died from tuberculosis (TB) in 2023, according to the World Health Organization—despite a cure being developed decades ago. These deaths occur disproportionately in the world’s most poverty-stricken countries. John Green, the celebrated young adult author and vlogger, has been an advocate for TB treatment access since 2019, when he met Henry, a teenager with TB, during a trip to Sierra Leone.
Newsmaker: James W. Lewis

2 months ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Megan Bennett

The American Library Association (ALA) recently received the largest gift in its 150-year history: a $25 million bequest from Washington, D.C.–based financial advisor James W. Lewis. The bequest from Lewis, whose love for libraries dates back to his childhood in North Carolina, will provide needs-based scholarships for those training to be librarians.