In "5 Library Wins Worth Celebrating," we highlight recent examples of good news where voters, courts, and candidates affirm the value of libraries. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/03/02/5-library-wins-worth-celebrating/

Employees ask American Library Association to recognize their union

Public library directors discuss how they prepared for the possibility of ICE in their library in a PLA webinar: https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/03/26/encountering-ice/. (The speakers will also be presenting at #PLA2026!)

Members have until April 1 to vote in ALA elections. Read statements from presidential candidates Tamika Barnes and Becky Calzada in our March/April issue. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/magazine/issues/march-april-2026/

Librarians who provide legal reference must be wary of crossing the line to unauthorized practice of law. Law librarian Elyse Fox shares guidance for the services and referrals librarians can provide to help bridge the justice gap. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/03/02/the-rules-of-law/

Airport libraries provide welcome services to harried travelers while marketing the libraries that operate them. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/03/02/airport-libraries-take-off/

Are you ready for new website accessibility requirements for public entities that start to take effect in April? Learn small steps that can make big accessibility improvements. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/03/02/getting-started-with-web-accessibility/

Fundraising is a perennial concern for libraries. In the March/April Librarian's Library column, Allison Escoto reviews books that can help guide libraries through the process. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/03/02/finding-funds/

Did you know: The Open Parts Network has digitized more than 1.5 million pages from parks and other historical sites. Learn more statistics about libraries and national parks in our By the Numbers feature. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/03/02/by-the-numbers-national-parks/

Voting in the ALA election starts today! Read the statements from presidential candidates Tamika Barnes and Becky Calzada in our new issue. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/magazine/issues/march-april-2026/

"Our work is inseparable from our advocacy, and it is our professional responsibility to make advocacy a regular and powerful part of our daily lives." Read ALA Executive Director Dan Montgomery's new column. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/03/02/advocacy-unites-us/

Bad-news fatigue is real for library workers and advocates, but there are also examples of voters, courts, and candidates across the country affirming the profession. Read "5 Library Wins Worth Celebrating." https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/03/02/5-library-wins-worth-celebrating/

ALA President @samhelmick.bsky.social's new column explores how libraries help to build local businesses. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/03/02/good-for-business/

Need some library joy? Read our interview with Reading Rainbow host and National Library Week honorary chair @mychal3ts.bsky.social. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/03/02/newsmaker-mychal-threets/

In an open letter released today, ALA employees announced the formation of a union with @afscme31.bsky.social. If certified, the union will represent more than 100 ALA workers. https://afscme31.org/news/american-library-association-employees-forming-union-afscme

Our March/April issue is live on our website—featuring Newsmaker Mychal Threets, recent library wins, airport libraries, and tips for congressional advocacy. Read the full issue at bit.ly/AL-MA26issue or by article at bit.ly/AL-MA26stories.

Our annual Library Design Showcase celebrates new and newly renovated libraries of all types and sizes. We're accepting submissions for the 2026 showcase through May 1. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/submissions-open-for-library-design-showcase-2/

In "Racing the Clock," libraries share the fun and excitement of hosting speed puzzling competition programs. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/racing-the-clock/

The 2026 Carnegie Medals honored @meghamaj.bsky.social and Yiyun Li for excellence in fiction and nonfiction. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/here-are-the-winners-of-the-2026-andrew-carnegie-medals/

ICYMI: ALA Executive Director Dan Montgomery's column outlines the ALA Forward initiative to ensure ALA's financial stability, foster membership growth, and bolster advocacy. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/reinvigorating-ala/

Every year, @ala-united.bsky.social brings together trustees, foundation and Friends members, and those who work with them for a virtual conference to discuss the library advocacy landscape. Read our report at https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/unlocking-possibilities/

ICYMI: The Youth Media Awards recognize the best in children's and young adult literature. See all of this year's winners. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/2026-youth-media-award-winners/

"When we tell our stories, we remind the world that libraries are not just buildings or budgets. They are living testaments to human curiosity and care." Read more from ALA President @samhelmick.bsky.social. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/your-library-story/

Did you know: In 1997, the Library of Congress discovered 10 plays, mostly unpublished, by Zora Neale Hurston. Find more statistics about Black History collections and literature in this month's By the Numbers column. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/by-the-numbers-black-history/

"If you’re trying to control people through fear and ignorance, then yes, books are the enemy. That’s why authoritarian regimes burn them." Read more from Brian Selznick in our Newsmaker interview. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/newsmaker-brian-selznick/

Read our recap of a Choice panel on how executive orders have threatened diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and how those changes are affecting academic librarians and information scholars. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/moving-beyond-the-acronym/

"ALA has engaged in programmatic and internal operational studies, known collectively as ALA Forward," to address ALA's financial situation, reports ALA Treasurer Larry Neal in his new column. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/bold-changes/

In this issue's Librarian's Library column, Reanna Esmail reviews four books examining #artificialintelligence in the library world. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/considering-ai/

Broadband funding, Baker & Taylor, intellectual freedom, and federal issues were some of the most important library stories of 2025. Read our recap of the biggest library news. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/2025-year-in-review/

Coming today, Feb. 3, at 2 p.m. Eastern: Join the FREE AL Live webinar, “Pathways and Specialties: Choosing the right LIS program." Register: bit.ly/4pFB13R. Sponsored by Old Dominion University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and University of Washington.

Did you know: Morehouse College's Martin Luther King Jr. Collection contains more than 13,000 items, including early drafts of the "I Have a Dream" speech. Learn more in this issue's "By the Numbers" column: https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/by-the-numbers-black-history/

"Much like libraries safeguard written knowledge, we safeguard the living traditions of oral storytelling." Discover the Storytelling Research Place at https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2025/12/12/bookend-once-upon-a-time/

Join us for the next AL Live webinar, “Pathways and Specialties: Choosing the right LIS program" February 3 at 2 p.m. Eastern. Register FREE at bit.ly/4pFB13R. Sponsored by Old Dominion University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and University of Washington.

Small steps can help make significant improvements to website accessibility. Learn more: https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2025/12/17/preparing-for-new-web-accessibility-requirements/

Learn how a librarian at Northport-East Northport Public Library collected and displayed more than 1,200 library cards from around the world. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2025/11/24/bookend-up-her-sleeve/

American Libraries is seeking submissions for our 2026 Library Design Showcase. Share your fabulous new or newly renovated library facility! https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/submissions-open-for-library-design-showcase-2/

ALA Treasurer Larry Neal's column provides an update on efforts to address ALA's financial situation. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/bold-changes/

💻 Join ALA for the Recharging in Challenging Times Virtual Event! 💬 One day, 9 education sessions across 3 tracks, 2 keynote speakers, and facilitator-led conversations—all built around the priorities you helped us identify. Register today! https://www.ala.org/virtual-event #ALAVirtual26

Join us for the next AL Live webinar, “Pathways and Specialties: Choosing the right LIS program" February 3 at 2 p.m. Eastern. Register FREE at bit.ly/4pFB13R. Sponsored by Old Dominion University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and University of Washington.

As #artificialintelligence has made its way into library work, these four recent publications offer important criticisms, background information, and critical strategies for librarians to address this growing technology. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/considering-ai/

Caldecott-Medal-winning author/illustrator Brian Selznick spoke with @howilibrary.bsky.social about finding revelatory love, building on cultural history, and why books scare those in power. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/newsmaker-brian-selznick/

"The Freedom Walk explores the ideas behind our freedom to read and the critical role students and the public can play in protecting that freedom. Instead of celebrating what we can’t read, we celebrate our right to read." https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/walk-with-a-purpose-2/

In "Moving Beyond the Acronym," a panel of experts explore how executive orders are threatening diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at colleges and universities, and how those issues are affecting librarians. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/moving-beyond-the-acronym/

Learn how libraries are piecing together a fun new program: speed puzzling competitions. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/racing-the-clock/

2026 is ALA's 150th anniversary, a milestone that invites us to advocate fiercely and invest in the infrastructure that makes libraries a foundation of thriving communities. Celebrate all year at ALA150.org. #ForOurLibraries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5L_7MB8G3c

"My primary goal is achieving the vision outlined in the ALA Forward initiative: ensuring ALA’s financial stability, fostering membership trust and growth, and bolstering advocacy." Read the new Executive Director's column. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/reinvigorating-ala/

The @ala-united.bsky.social virtual conference focused on fiscal, logistical, institutional, and existential challenges to libraries and the role library supporters can play to address them. Read our report at https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/unlocking-possibilities/

Your story matters. ALA President @samhelmick.bsky.social demonstrates how sharing your work and your achievements is a critical act of library advocacy. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/your-library-story/

Read our recap of the news that shaped a tumultuous year for libraries and library workers. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2026/01/02/2025-year-in-review/

Our January/February issue is live on our website—featuring the top library stories of 2025, Newsmaker Brian Selznick, speed puzzling programs, and storytelling for advocacy. Read the full issue at https://bit.ly/AL-JF26issue or by article at https://bit.ly/AL-JF26stories.