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ALA and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
filed a lawsuit April 7 that challenges the Trump administration’s gutting of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The suit asks the US District Court for the District of Columbia to block the dismantling of IMLS as directed by Trump’s
March 14 executive order. The suit follows another
filed by the attorneys general of 21 states April 4 against the attempted elimination of IMLS and other agencies. Prior to the lawsuits, California,
Connecticut, and
Washington
received written notification from Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Acting Director Keith Sonderling that their IMLS grants were cancelled....
AL: The Scoop, Apr. 8; The Hill, Apr. 5; California State Library, Apr. 3; Connecticut State Library, Apr. 4; Washington Secretary of State, Apr. 4
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On April 7, ALA released its State of America’s Libraries 2025 report, an annual snapshot of library trends, as part of National Library Week taking place April 6–12. As in recent years, the 2025 report documented censorship in libraries from the previous year. In 2024, ALA recorded 821 attempts to censor library books and other materials across all library types. This is a decrease from the 1,247 attempts that were recorded in 2023 but still the third-highest number since ALA began tracking library censorship in 1990....
AL: The Scoop, Apr. 8
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ALA announced on April 7 that Maria McCauley, director of libraries at Cambridge (Mass.) Public Library, has been elected 2025–2026 president-elect of ALA. McCauley received 5,483 votes. Her opponent, Lindsay Cronk, dean of libraries at Tulane University in New Orleans, received 2,665 votes. McCauley provided a statement that read, in part: “I am honored to be elected president of the American Library Association for 2026–2027 and grateful to everyone who voted.” Larry Neal, director of Clinton-Macomb (Mich.) Public Library, has been
elected ALA treasurer for 2025–2028....
AL: The Scoop, Apr. 7
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Host an online book fair this spring to set students up for summer reading success. With flexible scheduling, you can host your 2025 Follett Book eFair whenever it’s convenient for you, ensuring students are stocked up with great books for the summer and beyond.
Explore Book eFairs.
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Diana Panuncial writes: “Former NFL player Chris Kluwe put down the pigskin in 2013, when he retired from professional football after eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. Kluwe’s political advocacy has put him in the spotlight in recent weeks. In February, he was arrested at a city council meeting in Huntington Beach, California, after speaking out against the installation of a plaque to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the town’s central library featuring the stacked words ‘Magical, Alluring, Galvanizing, Adventurous.’ Kluwe spoke with American Libraries on the outcomes of his protest, his other efforts in activism, and what libraries mean to him.”...
American Libraries Trend, Apr. 4
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Becky Calzada writes: “It’s School Library Month, and this year we mark the 40th year of celebrating school libraries and school librarians. In his book Visible Learning, New Zealand researcher and educator John Hattie stated, ‘My role, as teacher, is to evaluate the effect I have on my students. It is to know thy impact, it is to understand this impact, and it is to act on this knowing and understanding.’ Each and every day, I see, hear or read of these actions happening in school libraries across the country.”...
Knowledge Quest, Apr. 2
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Sarah Lamdan writes: “Recently, several book rating systems devised by religious and political pressure groups are promoting ratings, book reviews, and content labels that identify many books as ‘objectionable content.’ These ratings are generally posted on websites and shared on social media. These websites are not devised by trained and degreed educators, librarians, or professional reviewers. Contributors do not consider a work’s literary or educational value for students. Yet the ratings are increasingly being used by school systems, library boards, and lawmakers as tools for censoring and banning books and other library materials.”...
Intellectual Freedom Blog, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, Apr. 4
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Matilda Battersby writes: “On April 2, US President Donald Trump shocked global markets by
announcing a slew of tariffs on imports from around the world. Documents published by the White House after the announcement, however, suggest that
printed books may be exempt from the US tariffs. However, distribution services and booksellers are warning that the uncertainty caused by tariffs will make it harder for books to reach US shores, even if the exemption is proven.” E-readers are not exempt, and several manufacturers have
already raised prices....
The Bookseller, Apr. 4; White House, Apr. 2; Good E-Reader, Apr. 4
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Lolita C. Baldor writes: “The US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, has
removed
381 books from its library after being told by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office to review and get rid of ones that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), US officials said Tuesday. The Naval Academy had not been included in President Donald Trump’s executive order in January that banned DEI instruction, programs, or curriculum in kindergarten through 12th grade schools that receive federal funding. A US official said the academy was told late last week to conduct the review and removal. It isn’t clear if the order was directed by Hegseth or someone else on his staff.”...
Associated Press, Apr. 1; US Naval Academy
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Dina Denham Smith writes: “Managing sticky, emotionally loaded situations comes with the territory of leadership. When facing a situation that will be emotionally challenging, people often default to one of two unproductive responses. Many avoid thinking about it altogether, distracting themselves with low-priority tasks like emails. Others do the opposite—ruminating and worrying without taking meaningful steps to manage their anxiety or prepare. Both approaches tend to backfire, making us feel worse and leaving us less emotionally equipped when the moment arrives. Fortunately, there are proven ways to prepare yourself for meetings where emotions are bound to run high.”...
Harvard Business Review, Apr. 2
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Natalie Fahmy and David Rees write: “[Ohio] House Finance Committee members folded
countless provisions
last week into House Bill 96, legislation meant to outline Ohio’s budget for the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years. [Included in the bill is a provision that requires] public libraries to place material ‘related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in a portion of the public library that is not primarily open to the view of the persons under the age of 18.’” The proposed budget also
eliminates the state’s Public Library Fund, which receives 1.7% of Ohio’s general revenue fund, and replaces it with a line item appropriated each year....
WCMH-TV (Columbus, Ohio), Apr. 8, Apr. 1; Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, Apr. 8
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David Pierce writes: “Views are the most visible metric on the internet. You can see, in more or less real time, how many views something got on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and most other video platforms. A view is the universal currency of success—more views, more fun. But it’s all nonsense. Views are nothing. Views are lies. A ‘view,’ in reality, is not a universal metric. It’s not really anything. It is whatever a platform wants it to be, which usually has no actual correlation to whether someone actually encountered and experienced a piece of content.”...
The Verge, Apr. 5
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James Folta writes: “Reductress is one of the best humor sites out there. They have an amazing editorial staff and a talented pool of writers who keep their headlines and articles sharp and surprising. Recently, the team partnered with Phenomenal Media to launch
Reductress Book Club, devoted to making jokes about books and reading culture. I reached out to McKayley Gourley, who is part of the editorial team behind the Book Club. We talked about the Book Club’s voice, unspoken rules around books, her favorite funny novels, and the funniest thing to read on your commute to work.”...
Literary Hub, Apr. 3
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