Glenrock Woman Says Converse County Library Fired Her Over Daughter's Facebook Post; Cowboy State Daily, October 23, 2026

Clair McFarland, Cowboy State Daily; Glenrock Woman Says Converse County Library Fired Her Over Daughter's Facebook Post

"Saying she was fired because her daughter made a Facebook post out of concern for her severe working conditions, a former Glenrock librarian is suing the Converse County Library and its director.

Erin Wolfley’s lawsuit complaint, filed this week in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming, says Converse County Library Director Mary Lin Maner, as well as the library board and leadership, violated the First Amendment."

AI Defiance; Library Journal, October 12, 2026

 Matt Enis , Library Journal; AI Defiance

"While the library field has its share of generative AI proponents, many librarians and staff are ambivalent about its utility and concerned about the impact of the technology’s rapid growth.

A recently published survey of library workers conducted by the Library Freedom Project between September and October 2025 revealed a wide variety of apprehensions. More than 91 percent of the survey’s 554 respondents expressed concern over misinformation and disinformation, more than 86 percent were concerned about AI-generated inaccuracies and “hallucinations,” 84.7 percent were concerned about data privacy, 83.2 percent about biases, and almost 82 percent were concerned about AI hype and uncritical adoption.

“I teach a lot about misinformation, and genAI is supercharging its spread,” one respondent wrote.

And more than 70 percent of respondents expressed concerns about issues including copyright violations, environmental impacts, lack of regulation, cognitive offloading and potential mental health impacts, labor exploitation, and quality control. Only 1.08 percent of respondents (six people) said they had no concerns about generative AI...

The future of generative AI is difficult to predict, especially when attempting to account for the potential rise and fall of corporations that currently provide it. But as Macrina says, “what’s really important for us to remember…is that human beings decide the future. Technology does not decide the future for us. Humans make technology; they can break technology. If we go forward with that vision, we can have a lot more influence on what is inevitable or not, and what our reality is.”"

American Library Association workers win their AFSCME union in overwhelming vote; AFSCME, June 1, 2026

AFSCME Staff, AFSCME; American Library Association workers win their AFSCME union in overwhelming vote

"Employees of the American Library Association – seeking job security, stable benefits, better pay, more professional development, and a voice in the workplace – have voted to form their union with AFSCME.

The newly created American Library Association Workers United will be part of AFSCME Council 31 and represent more than 100 employees, mostly in Chicago.

“We’re happy to welcome employees of the American Library Association to our ever-growing union,” said Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch, who’s also an AFSCME vice president. “Together in our union they will have a strong voice to advocate for themselves and their families, for the libraries and library workers they serve nationwide, and for every American who counts on thriving public libraries as a bulwark of our democracy.”

The National Labor Relations Board administered the election, and more than 95% of the votes cast were in favor of the union. The results were announced on May 27.

As they prepare to negotiate their first contract, the employees are focused on protecting the staff’s work, their well-being and the organization’s future.

AFSCME and the American Library Association were recently both plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed to protect the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) from being dismantled by the Trump administration. After filing the lawsuit, AFSCME and ALA won a legal settlement that protected the IMLS and the grants it provides to libraries and museums across the country.

More than 50,000 workers at museums, libraries, zoos and other cultural institutions across the United States have gained a voice on the job through the AFSCME Cultural Workers United campaign — the largest of its kind in the nation. That includes a swath of Chicago-based institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Shedd Aquarium, the Chicago Public Library, and more."

Movers & Shakers 2026; Library Journal, May 4, 2026

 Lisa Peet, Library Journal; Movers & Shakers 2026

"LJ’s Movers & Shakers awards turn 25 this year, a full quarter-century of celebrating great work happening in the library field. The production of the annual issue always feels like a good opportunity for reflection on the preceding 12 months—more so than New Year’s Day or a birthday (although this year, the occasion of LJ’s 150th birthday may be an exception). It’s a moment to wonder not just how we’re all doing, but: Are we OK?

Judging by this year’s class of Movers, the answer would be an affirmative Yes.

Last year marked what felt like a period of great uncertainty and destabilization, and in many ways it continues to be. While the existence of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is now legally protected, the Trump administration’s federal budget seeks to zero out its funding. And across the country, libraries of all types have seen revenues cut, threats to the immigrant communities they serve, and state lawmakers challenging patrons’ freedom to read.

But libraries are meeting these challenges, in large and small and often unexpected ways. As LJ Editorial Director Hallie Rich points out in this month’s editorial, leadership takes many forms, some of it under the radar. Which is all the more reason to put together a feature like Movers & Shakers every year and shine a light on the ways—often simple (but not easy), often incremental, nearly always rooted in great care and concern—that library workers are supporting their communities. They are getting kids enthused about reading, safeguarding government data, providing options for justice-impacted individuals, ensuring diversity in collections, standing up to censorship, helping people find their roots, organizing clubs to bring people together, welcoming new Americans, and more. If this small sampling of creative and compassionate work being done to meet the moment is any indication, we are very much OK."

Barnes Wins 2027–2028 ALA Presidency; American Libraries, April 6, 2026

American Libraries; Barnes Wins 2027–2028 ALA Presidency

"Tamika Barnes, associate dean of Perimeter College Library Services at Georgia State University in Atlanta, has been elected 2026–2027 president-elect of the American Library Association (ALA). The Association made the announcement April 6.

Barnes received 3,827 votes, while her opponent, Becky Calzada, district library coordinator at Leander (Tex.) Independent School District, received 2,742 votes...

In her candidate statement published in American Libraries in March, Barnes pledged that her presidency would focus on four pillars: unified advocacy; inclusive leadership and professional growth; equity, access, and intellectual freedom; and transparency and stewardship.

“I have seen firsthand how ALA’s values of equity, diversity, inclusion, intellectual freedom, and social responsibility are lived out every day by library workers across the country,” Barnes wrote. “These values have shaped my own leadership, which is collaborative, grounded in integrity, and centered on community impact.”

She will assume presidency of ALA at the conclusion of the 2027 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans."

Ready to Go: Joining the fight to defend libraries, workers, and the right to read; American Libraries, November 3, 2025

 Dan Montgomery , American Libraries; Ready to Go: Joining the fight to defend libraries, workers, and the right to read

"When the interview committee asked why I was interested in the executive director position at the American Library Association (ALA), I replied, doing my best impression of famed mountaineer George Mallory: “Because it’s the ALA!” I was responding, of course, to my belief in libraries and in the right to read, both of which have been under serious attack. And library workers and advocates who defend reading, books, and unfettered access to knowledge are critical to protecting American democracy. So, to be part of the organization most squarely in the forefront of that cause seemed to me an unmissable opportunity, and a great honor."

Post to X from Bloomsbury Editor re 10/9/25 library-themed Letter to the Editor

 Kip Currier: Post to X from my Bloomsbury editor regarding my 10/9/25 library-themed Letter to the Editor:

Thank you, @BloomsburyLU author Kip Currier, for your reasoned and passionate defense of libraries in 2 PA newspapers. Libraries are the bedrock of healthy, equitable communities, and we couldn't be more proud to support libraries and library workers. https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8750699042164055722/5219361931786295174

Rochester library faces ethics complaint after allegedly advocating for failed tax rate referendum; WCIA.com, December 6, 2024

 Danny Connolly, Theodora Koulouvaris, WCIA.com; 

Rochester library faces ethics complaint after allegedly advocating for failed tax rate referendum

"A public library district in Sangamon and Christian Counties faces dozens of ethics complaints accusing officials of using their government office to promote a referendum."

ALA Vows to Defend Core Values; American Libraries, November 6, 2024

 American Libraries; ALA Vows to Defend Core Values

"On November 6, the American Library Association (ALA) issued a statement following the results of the 2024 US election. The full statement reads as follows:

In response to the results of the 2024 US election, ALA vowed to continue its defense of the core values of librarianship in the face of political threats.

“We know that many of our members are concerned that the election results portend attacks on libraries, library workers, and readers,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “Whatever happens, ALA will stand up for all Americans’ freedom to read—and we will need everyone who loves libraries to stand with us.”"

Censorship Throughout the Centuries; American Libraries, September 3, 2024

 Cara S. Bertram , American Libraries; Censorship Throughout the Centuries

"American Libraries travels through time to outline our country’s history of censorship—and the library workers, authors, and advocates who have defended the right to read."

Censorship Throughout the Centuries; American Libraries, September 3, 2024

Cara S. Bertram, American Libraries; Censorship Throughout the Centuries

"American Libraries travels through time to outline our country’s history of censorship—and the library workers, authors, and advocates who have defended the right to read."

10 Things Every Board Member Needs to Know; American Libraries, July 1, 2024

Sanhita SinhaRoy, American Libraries ; 10 Things Every Board Member Needs to Know

Kip Currier: Preparing Board members for effective, ethical service is vital for all organizations. Surprisingly, the word "ethics" is never specifically mentioned in this article, though ethics is implicated with the words "abiding by the duties of care, loyalty, and honesty" at the very end. Board members need to be aware of ethics principles/codes of organizations where they serve, as well as legal requirements and fiduciary responsibilities that have ethical dimensions in states where their organizations are located. 

[Excerpt]

"As libraries and library workers face censorship attempts, campus protests, and budget cuts, among other challenges, Harrington—a consultant and current president of the Timberland Regional (Wash.) Library board of trustees—led the program “Top 10 Things Every Library Board Member Should Know—but Often Doesn’t.”...

#10 There are specific attributes of an effective nonprofit board member.

They include a commitment to the mission of the organization; understanding of the board’s governance roles; active involvement in board activities and committees; thinking and acting strategically; not being involved in day-to-day management of the organization; abiding by the duties of care, loyalty, and honesty; and supporting the organization financially and through advocacy."

How book-banning campaigns have changed the lives and education of librarians – they now need to learn how to plan for safety and legally protect themselves; The Conversation, July 20, 2023

 Nicole A. Cooke Baker Endowed Chair and Professor of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina, The Conversation ; ; How book-banning campaigns have changed the lives and education of librarians – they now need to learn how to plan for safety and legally protect themselves

"Library professionals maintain that books are what education scholar Rudine Sims Bishop called the “mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors” that allow readers to learn about themselves and others and gain empathy for those who are different from them. 

The drive to challenge, ban or censor books has not only changed the lives of librarians across the nation. It’s also changing the way librarians are now educated to enter the profession. As a library school educator, I hear the anecdotes, questions and concerns from library workers who are on the front lines of the current fight and are not sure how to react or respond. 

What once, and still is, a curriculum that includes book selection, program planning and serving diverse communities in the classroom, my faculty colleagues and I are now expanding to include discussions and resources on how students, once they become professional librarians, can physically, legally and financially protect themselves and their organizations."

Making Trouble That Matters; American Libraries, July 19, 2023

  Emily Drabinski , American Libraries; Making Trouble That Matters

"Library workers like us teach people to read, give queer kids a safe place, and help people apply for jobs, connect to government services, and access broadband internet from our buildings and our hotspots. We facilitate scientific breakthroughs, shape research in the humanities and social sciences, and create information access tools. We structure systematic reviews, unjam staplers, read stories to children, drive bookmobiles, show people to the bathroom, program author talks, and build open access institutional repositories.

Our work matters. This is why we do it...

While none of this is exactly new—libraries have always been sites of social and political struggle—I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling like things are as hard and as scary as they’ve ever been.

This is why we need one another, and why we need the American Library Association (ALA). We need to make trouble—good trouble, the kind of trouble that matters, the kind of trouble I became a librarian to get into—and we need to make it together."

Call Number Podcast: Support for Ukraine; American Libraries, August 12, 2022

 American Libraries; Call Number Podcast: Support for Ukraine

Episode 74 highlights efforts to preserve information, raise funds, and help refugees

"Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has dominated headlines this year. The ongoing war has affected people globally, including American librarians and their work. In Episode 74, the Call Number podcast team looks at the ways the profession is supporting Ukraine.

First, Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with Kristin Parker, lead curator and manager of the arts at Boston Public Library. Parker is part of a network of first responders working against the clock to preserve Ukraine’s cultural history and provide preservation advice to library workers on the ground.

Next, American Libraries Editor and Publisher Sanhita SinhaRoy speaks with Michael Dowling, director of ALA’s International and Chapter Relations Office, about the Association’s Ukraine Library Relief Fund and how donations are being used.

Finally, Panuncial talks to Millicent Mabi, director of community engagement and programming at Regina Public Library in Saskatchewan, about how her institution is helping Ukrainian refugees—from teaching them English to improving their literacy to connecting them with community resources."

Quitting Time; American Libraries, June 1, 2022

Lara Ewen , American Libraries ; Quitting Time

The pandemic is exacerbating attrition among library workers

"Those feelings of career ambivalence were complicated, Rorie says, by vocational awe, a term coined in 2017 by academic librarian Fobazi Ettarh to describe the notion that librarians, the library profession, and the institution of libraries as a whole is inherently good and therefore above reproach. For Rorie, the idealized standard only made her feel worse. “I feel like I let down the community,” she says. “I feel like I should have tried harder. It’s hard to have to come face-to-face with that.”

Yet even librarians who spoke out say they were largely ignored. “I told my boss, my director, my team, the whole library on multiple occasions that I was really burned out and not doing okay,” says Jules, a queer, neurodivergent academic librarian at a Mountain-state community college who decided in late 2021 to leave libraries. “And it never changed.” Jules is currently looking for nonlibrarian jobs.

Similar experiences have led to low morale across the profession, according to Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, a researcher and library leader whose work on morale has been widely cited.

“Low morale is a traumatic experience for librarians that was happening before the pandemic,” she says. For the purposes of her research, Kendrick defines low morale as the result of “repeated, protracted exposure to workplace abuse and neglect” and says that the issue strikes at the heart of librarians’ identities. “We feel comfortable in libraries,” she says. “But we’re realizing that libraries are not places of comfort or refuge for librarians anymore. So how do we reconcile those feelings of nostalgia, those feelings of having a calling, when we go to work and we’re being abused and neglected?”

Some libraries have tried to assuage employee unhappiness by implementing programs aimed at reducing stress, but Alex says they fall short. “They don’t seem to understand that wellness programs are placing the problem with the individual library worker,” she says. “You can’t meditate your way out of systemic issues or terrible pay or horrible levels of stress.”...

Yet it’s not just about money, says Elaina Norlin, professional development and diversity, equity, and inclusion program coordinator for the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries. “One of the mistakes most organizations—not just libraries—make is, they assume pay will resolve everything,” says Norlin, author of The Six-Step Guide to Library Worker Engagement (ALA Editions, 2021). “When you look at pay, it’s essential, but it’s not a guarantee of [being] engaged, excited, or interested. I’m not saying money isn’t important. But you can’t just say, ‘Here’s the money’ and expect all of this [other] stuff to go away.”

Norlin says that a library system with a diverse workforce will cultivate diversity of thought and different approaches. “We need libraries to invest internally as much as we invest externally,” she says. “And we need to take a really critical look at hierarchy. There is always a small percentage of people who are benefiting from status quo. They’re the gatekeepers, and that needs to be challenged for the [field] to turn around.”"

Getting Organized; American Libraries, March 1, 2022

 Cass Balzer, American Libraries; Getting Organized

More library staffers are turning to unions for security and social equity

"As at SPL and Northwestern, Kahn says the decision by University of Michigan library staff members to unionize has a lot to do with equity, accountability, and transparency. “The thing that people learn right away is that this is not an information problem,” Kahn says. “It’s not that the employer doesn’t know that we’re underpaid or doesn’t know that we’re upset about some of our working conditions. It’s a lack of political will to change those things.”"

The Trauma of Library Work; American Libraries, January 22, 2022

Carrie Smith , American Libraries;  The Trauma of Library Work

Study looks at how to better support mental health on the job

"Fisher is now the principal investigator for “Trauma in the Library: Symptoms of PTSD Among Staff and Methods for Ensuring Trauma-Informed Care,” an Institute of Museum and Library Services–funded study of the effects of workplace trauma exposure on library workers. She and Lauren Alexa Gambrill, research manager of the study, presented their preliminary findings during the Ideas Xchange session...

As the study moves into later phases, Fisher and Gambrill are looking to identify where people are most vulnerable. “We definitely need more representation from survey participants,” said Fisher. The study is particularly looking to identify how those who have corresponding or overlapping identities, such as LGBTQIA+ or minority status, are impacted by their experience of trauma and their rate of trauma, Gambrill added.

More information on the study and a link to the survey can be found on the Trauma in the Library website."

LJ Talks to the 2023–24 ALA Presidential Candidates; Library Journal, March 15, 2022

 Lisa Peet , Library Journal; LJ Talks to the 2023–24 ALA Presidential Candidates

"Voting for the American Library Association (ALA) 2023–24 presidential campaign opened on March 14, and ALA members in good standing can cast their ballots through April 6. Results will be announced following the Election Committee’s count on April 13.

LJ invited candidates Emily Drabinski, interim chief librarian at The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY); and Kelvin Watson, executive director of the Las Vegas–Clark County Library District (LVCCLD), to weigh in on some key issues; further information can be found on ALA’s Election Information page...

LJ: Along with a lot of other frontline professions, we’re seeing a librarianship backlash lately, with people leaving in frustration, anger, and fear. What can ALA do to help combat that sense of dissatisfaction? 

KW: I see overlap in these two questions and will answer them in the following response.

At the branch level, we must first acknowledge the toll that the pandemic has taken on our staff and encourage our employees to take advantage of health and wellness resources available through employment benefits and in our communities. As a profession, we need to look at creating a library workforce of the future by better aligning training and education with the new normal in mind, and create a career path that will better serve our library workers. I believe this could include broadening our library science degrees through courses in business, technology, the sciences, social work, and public policy, to name a few, to expand our knowledge base and build advocacy from a variety of life experiences and perspectives.

ED: Solidarity with each other as we act to change our working conditions is the only way forward. Libraries and library workers are under siege, and we must connect our struggles with those of other public sector workers who, after decades of disinvestment, are asked to perform Herculean efforts on behalf of our communities. ALA must continue to use its power and voice on behalf of library workers, telling louder public stories about what those of us on the ground need to make good on our commitments to our communities."

Collective Support: LJ’s 2022 Librarians of the Year; Library Journal, January 4, 2022

Lisa Peet, Library Journal; Collective Support: LJ’s 2022 Librarians of the Year

"Each January, Library Journal bestows its Librarian of the Year award on a North American library professional or team whose work embodies the best of the profession’s mission. These have ranged from academic to public to special librarians, and from directors and state librarians to patron-facing staff, but all have demonstrated accomplishments that reflect their commitment to free access to information, service to all areas and constituencies, and strengthening the library role in the community.

The past year has asked much from library workers across the country, among many others. COVID-19 continued to create unprecedented challenges, requiring library staff to balance patron and student needs with their own safety and that of their colleagues and loved ones...

For all of the above and countless other reasons, the winner of LJ’s 2022 Librarian of the Year award, sponsored by Baker & Taylor, is all library staff. It’s you, reading this. It’s your colleague behind the front desk, the volunteer shelving books, the outreach worker in the bookmobile, the tech staff member setting someone up with their first email account, the instructional librarian helping a first-year student navigate college resources, the school librarian fighting to keep Lawn Boy and Ruby Bridges Goes to School on the shelves for students eager to see the diversity of their world reflected in their reading, the medical librarian wrangling pandemic research to support colleagues saving lives. Congratulations. You’ve earned it.

Fittingly, the idea was inspired by a library staffer."