Today is Right to Read Day! Since 2021, book challenges have surged: 100+ censorship bills introduced since Jan. 2025, 40 threatening libraries with fines or jail time. Join us today in fighting back. uniteagainstbookbans.org/right-to-read-day/ #RightToReadDay #MarylandLibraries

5 days left to save with our Early Bird rate! Join us at the MLA|DLA Annual Conference, May 6–8 in Cambridge, MD. Don't miss your chance to lock in the best price before the March 23 deadline. Register now and be part of the conversation shaping our libraries. www.mdlib.org/annual-confe...

Maryland's libraries are community cornerstones — and they need your help. Federal funding for LSTA, literacy grants, and E-Rate is at stake. Contact your reps before March 20 and tell them: protect library funding. 🔗 app.oneclickpolitics.com/campaign-pag...

MLA strongly opposes H.R. 7661, which would allow the federal government to ban books and regulate the right to read. This bill would take responsibility and choice away from engaged parents and experienced educators and place it in the hands of politicians. members.mdlib.org/news/Details...

Congratulations to our Executive Director, Joshua Stone, on earning the Certified Association Executive (CAE®) designation, the highest professional credential in the association industry! Thank you for all you do! Check out the full press release at: members.mdlib.org/news/Details...

February is Library Lovers Month! David Dahl, MLA President, recently spoke with Public News Service about the vital role libraries play in our communities—as civic infrastructure, as free and open spaces, and as true third places where people can belong. app.publicnewsservice.org/story/md-lib...

January is Maryland Reading Month! Thank you, Governor Wes Moore, for championing literacy and lifelong learning across our state. Let’s read together, Maryland 🖤💛❤️ #MarylandReadingMonth

Join us next week as we preview The Librarians. Statewide and local-level library partners will come together for a community-driven conversation about the issues facing librarians today. Register here: bit.ly/TheLibrarian...

FREE EVENT: Join MLA and Maryland Public Television for a virtual screening of The Librarians from Independent Lens | PBS on January 28 at 7pm! We will watch the film in its entirety BEFORE it airs on PBS in February, then follow it up with a panel discussion. To register → bit.ly/TheLibrarian...

We invite you to the MLA|DLA Annual Conference, May 6-8, 2026 in Cambridge, MD, exploring "Our Stories, Our Shelves"—celebrating narratives that shape our libraries and communities through stories we preserve, collections we curate, and connections we build. Register: www.mdlib.org/annual-confe...

Working towards an MLS/MLIS or undergrad degree? Need funds for training or workshops? Apply for Maryland Library Association's Educational Grants! Recipients receive up to $500 for school or qualified workshops. Must be an MLA member. Deadline: January 29th. Apply at bit.ly/mlagrants

The ‘City that Reads’ is reading — more

These are Baltimore’s most-borrowed books of 2025

I don’t know how I missed this but Pencil & Eraser: We Have A Dull-emma! won the Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award for beginning fiction! 🎉🙌🏆 Thank you so much @mdlibraryassoc.bsky.social What an honor! Many thanks to everyone on the committee 💕 @penguinschoollib.bsky.social

Big news! Maryland's state board reversed Harford County's ban on "Flamer," marking the first intervention under the Freedom to Read Act. Every young person deserves to see themselves in their school library. #FreedomToRead #IntellectualFreedom #MarylandLibraries www.thebanner.com/education/k-...

"Flamer" author Mike Curato visited Harford County during Banned Books Week to discuss his book after it was banned in local schools. The event was hosted by UCBPride in partnership with the local AAUW chapter. www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/vi...

This week we celebrate the freedom to read. Orwell's "1984" warned us about censorship—today we're living that warning. Together, we can defend every reader's right to access books that challenge ideas and expand understanding. Learn more: www.ala.org/bbooks Support MD libraries: mdlib.org/donate

The federal government shutdown that started October 1st is affecting libraries across the country and there are concerns about potential elimination of library-supporting programs. Learn more about what this means for agencies, funding and staff: americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-sc...

Thank you to our Southern Maryland library directors for their thoughtful letter to the editor about federal library funding! Carrie Willson, KennethWayne Thompson, and Michael Blackwell highlight the vital role of the IMLS in supporting community libraries. www.somdnews.com/opinion/lett...

NEWS: A House of Representatives Subcommittee just voted to continue library funding in next year's federal budget. This is thanks to YOUR hard work as library advocates. The fight to #FundLibraries isn't over yet. Stay tuned for more ways to take action for libraries. #ForOurLibraries

Maryland libraries receive $3 million annually from IMLS for digital access, lifelong learning, staff training, and youth services. State Librarian Morgan Lehr Miller discusses what's at stake as federal funding faces cuts. Listen at: www.wypr.org/show/on-the-...

When library leaders and state officials come together, great things happen for Maryland communities! Check out these photos from the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Summer Conference in Ocean City.

The Maryland Library Association is teaming up with the Sustainable Libraries Initiative to help cultivate library leadership for community resilience. Check out the full press release here: members.mdlib.org/news/Details...

Shoutout to MLA member Michael Blackwell, Director of St. Mary's County Library, who co-authored a new study on Ebook Availability, Licensing, and Pricing in Canada and the U.S.! Take a look at the findings here: www.infotoday.com/cilmag/jul25...

Maryland Library Advocates Unite!✊Ready to be a powerful voice for Maryland libraries? Join us for a one-day conference on Thursday, July 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. that will equip you with the tools to speak up and take action. 🔗 Register now: members.mdlib.org/eventcalenda...

Hey #alaac25! Last chance to get a Very Radical button and show your support for Maryland (and all) libraries! Come see us at booth 2100.

Good news for Maryland school libraries! The state school board just approved new regulations to support the Freedom to Read Act, making it harder to remove books from school libraries without proper due process and requiring schools to have a certified librarian on staff.

Your advocacy worked! A HUGE thank you to the MLA members and friends who contacted representatives—and to the Maryland legislators who signed onto the critical funding letters to #FUNDLIBRARIES! See which Maryland reps signed: ala.org/advocacy/fund-libraries

Last week’s storm hit the town of Westernport in Allegany County very hard, damaging public infrastructure, including the public library, with flooding and high winds. Please consider giving in support of our Western Maryland neighbors. www.alleganycountylibrary.info/support-us/

With equal amounts of determination and grace, Dr. Hayden forever changed libraries and librarianship. Across the nation, she inspired leaders and improved access for those who need it most. Her term may have been cut short, but her impact will outlast this administration and many more to come.

NEW: ALA salutes Dr Carla Hayden for her exceptional service to the nation as the Librarian of Congress. We are deeply disappointed in Dr Hayden's abrupt & unjust dismissal last night, an insult to the scope & breadth of her work. Read ALA Pres. Cindy Hohl's statement: www.ala.org/news/2025/05...

Each year Congress crafts a budget proposal that funds agencies across government, including the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS). Tell Congress to provide sustained funding for IMLS in FY26! app.oneclickpolitics.com/campaign-pag...

🦀 The spring issue of The Crab just dropped! Catch statewide library news + a great cover story featuring State Librarian Morgan Miller and Library Board Chair Kristen Pironis — both named to the Leadership Maryland Class of 2025. marylandlibraryassociation.growthzoneapp.com/ap/CloudFile...

"Few community institutions care for people and their problems [like libraries do], not to mention are sufficiently resourced and positioned to help people do something about them." #FundLibraries #MSLA #IMLS www.baltimoresun.com/2025/04/10/r...

It’s #NationalLibraryWorkersDay! Let’s show love to the library staff who protect our right to read and keep our communities informed. 💙 1️⃣ Nominate a stellar library worker → ala-apa.org/nlwd/ 2️⃣ Send a postcard of support → uniteagainstbookbans.org 3️⃣ Become a library advocate → mdlib.org/advocate/

Today is #RightToRead Day — a national day of action to defend the freedom to read and resist growing censorship efforts in libraries and schools. Join us in saying: Libraries are for everyone. 🔗 uniteagainstbookbans.org/right-to-rea... #UniteAgainstBookBans #FreedomToRead

It’s #RightToReadDay. NEW data from @oif.bsky.social shows that 72% of book bans in 2024 were initiated by organized groups and elected officials. We need EVERYONE to #UniteAgainstBookBans & take action against these organized attempts today: uniteagainstbookbans.org/right-to-rea... #DrawnToFreedom

​Happy #NationalLibraryWeek! Check out this video from @govwesmoore.bsky.social highlighting the invaluable role libraries play in our communities. Tell us why you love your library in the comments! #101Reasons #LoveMyLibrary www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHIB...

Federal cuts are threatening vital library programs across our state — from after-school resources to workforce development and community internet access. Maryland's State Librarian, Morgan Lehr-Miller, talks to WMAR about what's at stake. www.wmar2news.com/local/federa...

The MLA|DLA Annual Conference is accepting proposals for an upcoming poster session! We're excited to announce that the poster session will be a hybrid event, accommodating both in-person and virtual posters. The proposal submission deadline is 4 p.m. on April 11th! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

With 80% of Institute of Museum and Library Services staff now on administrative leave, ALA President Cindy Hohl spoke with PBS NewsHour’s Jeffrey Brown about the agency’s vital role and the importance of federal library funding—especially for small and rural libraries. www.pbs.org/video/defund... 📚

“What we are consistently hearing is that there is no data or evidence suggesting that federal funds allocated through the IMLS are being misused. In fact, these funds are essential for delivering vital services, often to the most underserved & vulnerable populations.” www.wired.com/story/instit...

Congratulations to University of Baltimore's Gaby Messinger and Salisbury University's Jennifer Martin on their new ACRL MD leadership roles! @mdlibraryassoc.bsky.social @sulibraries.bsky.social @ala-acrl.bsky.social

“People who are in library leadership, on boards, and certainly librarians even today, are not interested in limiting, shaping, prescribing how that creative and generative expression should be had.” - John Chrastka, Executive Director, EveryLibrary. www.salon.com/2025/03/30/r...

Today is Transgender Day of Visibility! One great way to recognize our transgender friends and neighbors is to read (or listen to) some of their stories. Our librarians have created a list trans and nonbinary stories and voices to help you get started: aacpl.info/tdov

Today, we proudly join the celebration of Transgender Day of Visibility—a day to honor the courage, resilience, and vibrant contributions of trans and non-binary people in our communities. #TransDayOfVisibility #MarylandLibraries #CommunityStories #InclusionMatters #MarylandLibraryAssociation

MORE: Senators Jack Reed, Lisa Murkowski, Kirsten Gillibrand, & Susan Collins all joined the letter to the interim director of IMLS. Library advocates are making their voices heard. Congress is listening. ALA applauds this bipartisan action. Read our full statement: www.ala.org/news/2025/03...

Museums and libraries are the main places where members of the public engage in lifelong learning outside of any formal school. Call your legislators. Tell them to protect library funding. bit.ly/CallCongressForLibraries www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/a...

New in @theguardian.com from the President of @ala-acrl.bsky.social: "Cutting [federal library] funding is more than just budget trimming. It means dismantling essential community infrastructure." Read President Lo's full article: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #ForOurLibraries #FundLibraries

The White House has taken steps to dismantle the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS)—the only federal agency dedicated to funding libraries. Call your members of Congress today and urge them to protect IMLS funding. #SaveIMLS #FundLibraries #LibrariesMatter 🔗bit.ly/protect-libraries