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As ICE has raided homes, businesses, and public facilities in communities across the country, public libraries are grappling with how to prepare staff, protect patrons, respond to incidents, and develop resources for in-the-moment de-escalation and long-term recovery. In February, the Public Library Association convened a webinar called “Responding to ICE at the Library: Real World Approaches” to address these timely concerns.
These comments are paraphrased from their presentation....
American Libraries feature, Summer
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Dan Montgomery writes: “June brings a burst of anticipation to ALA.
Colleagues and members put the finishing touches on our most important event of the year, our
Annual Conference and Exhibition, which will be held June 25–29 in Chicago. I’m eager to meet many of you and make the most of those exciting, jam-packed days. While this is my first Annual as executive director, I attended the conference last summer and was blown away by the sheer number of participants, the depth of quality programming, and the infectious enthusiasm and energy from morning to night.”...
American Libraries column, Summer
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Emily Durkin writes: “May 8 marked the one-year anniversary of the Trump Administration’s cancellation of the Digital Equity Act (DEA). The $2.75 billion DEA was a part of a coordinated effort to provide communities across the US with high-speed broadband and the skills and technology needed to thrive in our increasingly digital world.
The abrupt cancellation of the DEA grants last year was a significant blow to digital inclusion programs nationwide, impacting millions of Americans.”...
Public Libraries Online, June 5
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Jennifer Sturge writes: “As I write this, for many of us, our school year is winding down.
The students are looking forward to summer, classroom educators are counting down, and you are mentally preparing for your first morning where you can slowly sip your cup of coffee and read a book on the back deck.
I wanted to spend some time in this blog post celebrating the school librarians who go above and beyond each and every day in their libraries and school communities but sometimes wonder if they are doing enough.”...
Knowledge Quest, June 8
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Russell Michalak, Trevor A.
Dawes, and Ava Wallace write: “Rather than advancing a single argument, the contributors present their perspectives in conversation, showing how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping discovery, access, and professional practice while also raising pressing ethical and equity concerns.
The discussion is framed around three interlocking themes: innovation, equity, and responsibility.
AI’s potential to transform discovery is real, but its impacts depend on how librarians choose to shape and guide its use.”...
College & Research Libraries News, vol.
87, no. 6 (June)
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“Every year as the doors of the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition swing open, the exhibition hall comes alive—booths, banners, and brilliant minds all gathered in one place.
It is a ritual that has been repeated, refined, and reimagined throughout ALA’s 150-year history. To mark this extraordinary milestone, we look back at the rich history of exhibitors at Annual—where it began, how it grew, and why, 150 years on, the exhibition floor remains one of the most vital spaces in our professional world.”...
ALA150, June 3
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Hilary Craiglow writes: “The growing federal skepticism toward research infrastructure is forcing institutions to explain both their contributions and their costs.
Libraries that cannot do so risk being sidelined in decisions that shape their future and the future of research.
But they have an important tool at their disposal: cost transparency. Libraries are still often treated as general overhead, allocated using methodologies designed decades ago.
Cost transparency doesn’t have to compromise library values.
It can strengthen them.”...
Katina, June 3
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Kyle K. Courtney writes: “On May 28, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser officially signed B26-0490, the
Library Ebook Pricing Fairness Amendment Act of 2025. The bill is now being prepared for remittance to Congress for the standard review period.” Readers First observes that the bill includes a
trigger clause and will come into effect once 10 states with a total population of at least 50 million have similar laws in place.
Connecticut
passed a bill last year and several other states are considering similar legislation, including Rhode Island, where a bill
passed out of its Senate committee June 4....
Ebook Study Group, June 1; Readers First, June 5; Connecticut Mirror, May 15, 2025
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Nina Heller writes: “House lawmakers
passed a bill June 8 aimed at preventing future executive branch interference in some legislative branch agencies, a year after President Donald Trump fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
It would allow House and Senate leaders to appoint the heads of both the Library of Congress and the Government Publishing Office, removing that power from the president.
The president would get new appointment authority over the register of copyrights.
Now the bill heads to the Senate, where it would need enough bipartisan support to overcome a filibuster.”...
Roll Call, June 8
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Kristen Johnson writes: “On June 5, Durham County (N.C.) Board of Commissioners ordered the immediate reversal of a decision that forced library staff to dismantle Pride Month displays.
The initial order, sent by email from Durham County Public Library Director Dana Conners, required branches to take down all LGBTQ+ materials effective immediately June 4, citing federal action and executive orders that reject ‘illegal’ diversity, equity, and inclusion actions in the workplace.” Supporters of the LGBTQ+ community
gathered outside Durham’s main library June 5, including drag performer Stormie Daie, who read to children....
Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer, June 6; WRAL-TV (Raleigh), June 5
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Najifa Farhat writes: “The US Department of Commerce reported in April that the current inflation rate is at a three-year high of 3.8%, up from March's rate of 3.5%, and prompting many Americans to look for ways to reduce spending.
As inflation continues to put pressure on household budgets, more Missourians are turning to public libraries for help with stretching their dollars.
Librarians across Missouri say they are seeing increased demand for resources that help people save money, learn new skills, and access services they might otherwise pay for.”...
KBIA-FM (Columbia, Mo.), June 9
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Jen Lennon writes: “The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America held its
61st annual Nebula Awards June 6, celebrating the best sci-fi and fantasy writing from 2025. The awards cover a broad swath of mediums, including literature, film, television, and games writing.
Stephen Graham Jones took home the top prize for his novel The Buffalo Hunter Hunter.” The same day, Jones’s book also took the Superior Achievement in a Novel prize at the
Bram Stoker Awards, presented by the Horror Writers Association to recognize outstanding horror writing....
Gizmodo, June 9; Nebula Awards, June 6; Bram Stoker Awards, June 7
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