This year’s American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference, held from June 26–30 in Philadelphia, drew 14,250 participants: librarians and library staff, authors, publishers, educators, and exhibitors, including 165 international members. While still not up to pre-pandemic attendance levels, the conference was—by all accounts—buzzing and busy, with well-attended sessions and a bustling exhibit floor.

Empty IMLS booth on the exhibit floor Photo by Lisa Peet

Even with temperatures topping 90˚, Philly wasn’t the only hot aspect of the conference. A cluster of topics seemed to be at the center of nearly every discussion: how libraries would cope in the face of current or anticipated budget cuts, the impacts of ongoing attacks on the freedom to read and DEI, the ramping up of ICE and police surveillance, the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and firing of Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden, and the uses and ethics of artificial intelligence (AI).

The Terrace Ballroom was packed for the Opening General Session, where attendees were greeted by Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker; Free Library of Philadelphia President and Director Kelly Richards; and outgoing ALA President Cindy Hohl, who introduced ALA’s incoming Executive Director, Dan Montgomery, and James Lewis, who has donated some $25 million to ALA to fund library school scholarships. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took the stage with a lively—and often very funny—account of her own career challenges: in her first term alone she navigated the pandemic, statewide racial unrest, historic flooding, 39 recall attempts against her, and a kidnapping plot.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Photo Credit: EPNAC.com/American Library Association

Whitmer spoke of meeting these and other, personal, hardships with optimism, purpose, and humility—it’s not a weakness to apologize when you’re wrong, she emphasized—as well as a sharp sense of humor, “a good way to disarm a bully.” The Michigan legislature, with backing from the Michigan Library Association, is fighting to protect library privacy and push back against anti–freedom to read legislation. She wound up with a shout-out for her state’s libraries, which are “about opening up opportunities to everyone,” and for the democratic process as a whole—welcome encouragement to kick off a weekend of discussion and exchange.

“WE’RE HERE”

Every seat was taken for the conversation between writer Kwame Alexander and Dr. Hayden on Saturday afternoon. The love and respect in the room were palpable; Hayden walked on stage to an extended standing ovation and proceeded to reassure the crowd for the next hour (and multiple ovations).

Dr. Carla Hayden Photo Credit: EPNAC.com/American Library Association

To Alexander’s first question—“How are you doing?”—she answered, “Now, I’m feeling good, because this is the community—from authors, publishers, librarians, and everyone connected to this community—that cares about people having access, especially young people, to things that can help and inspire them.”

Throughout the hour-long conversation, Hayden betrayed no anger or bitterness. She expressed a wry humor that left no doubt of how she felt about the indignity of being fired in a two-sentence email from a stranger in the Trump administration in May, but also made it clear they did not get the best of her. She admitted it was difficult to process what was happening at first. “I’d never been fired before,” Hayden said in a mock whisper. “Usually there’s a process.” Her immediate concern, she said, was that she could still access the Library the following day to see her staff, and cafeteria and facilities workers.

Alexander said he asked authors and former National Ambassadors for Young People’s Literature Jacqueline Woodson and Meg Medina, as well as school and public librarians, what their reaction was when they heard the news. He read their words: angry, devastated, stunned stillness, empty sadness. He finished and let the room sit with the words before Hayden once again broke the silence. “It’s going to be all right,” she said. “Look, we’re here. We’re here. And we’re comforting each other. And the librarians and the library staff that are in areas that are even more challenged are getting help and reassurance, and there’s a lot of organizing going on.”

She added, “There’s so much more that we can do together. I’m looking at opportunities to be a part of that.” Hayden will get her wish: on July 7, the Mellon Foundation announced that she will be joining its ranks as a senior fellow.

PARTICIPATION INSPIRATION

George Takei Photo Credit: EPNAC.com/American Library Association

Building on the theme of libraries and democracy prevalent across many conference sessions, actor, author, and activist George Takei described the importance of an informed citizenry to a packed ballroom on Saturday morning. “I want to thank all librarians because you are the pillars of our democracy. Democracy is dependent on an informed public, and you are the keepers of that information and guides to that information,” said Takei.

Part of Takei’s childhood was spent imprisoned in a Japanese American incarceration camp with his family during World War II. That experience shaped his life as an advocate for social justice and LGBTQ rights. His latest book, It Rhymes with Takei, is a graphic memoir that describes his experience as a closeted gay man who made the decision the come out at 68.

His message to librarians was grounded in the words his father often shared with him when quoting Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address—that a government “of the people, by the people, for the people” requires active participation and that libraries, in Takei’s opinion, are an important part of a sound, functioning democracy.

CHESS, NOT CHECKERS

Challenges to the freedom to read, pro-censorship legislation, and a string of legal battles across the country were on most conferencegoers’ minds. Many sessions touched on some aspect of the challenges that confront library leaders, staff, boards, legal teams, and more.

Several sessions encouraged audience members to share issues that arose in their libraries for feedback, advice, or just commiseration, such as “Free Expression in 2025: Challenges for Libraries,” which brought together experts in the field—including Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF), and Lisa Varga, executive director of ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office (and Library Journal 2024 Librarian of the Year). Panelists and audience members highlighted some of the most pervasive and difficult issues facing libraries and discussed potential solutions and resources—including Intellectual Freedom Helplines, pilot support networks in 10 states funded by $10,000 Mellon Foundation grants, and OIF’s Lawyers for Libraries & Law for Librarians training programs.

“Censorship in the Courts: Current Litigation throughout the United States” brought together OIF Director Deborah Caldwell-Stone and Theresa Chmara, general counsel of ALA’s Freedom to Read Foundation, to talk about the status of litigation affecting libraries across the country and the legal principles and precedents underpinning them. In a similar vein, in the “PLA Legal Issues in Public Libraries Forum,” lawyer and professor Tomas A. Lipinski, former dean of the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, examined several nationwide cases and addressed audience questions about legal issues involving donations, meeting rooms, policies, and more.

Other sessions offered on-the-ground information. Panelists in “Leading Passionate, Engaged Staff through Uncertain Political Times” discussed tactics that have worked for their libraries. These ranged from bringing flashpoints “down a notch” through carefully considered (not censored) wording and images in displays and library messaging to the establishment of libraries as Book Sanctuaries in their city or state. Panelists advised that staff know their rights, and those of their patrons, and where issues could arise—what if protesters descend on a Pride event? What if ICE agents show up at a story time? One small act—budget contractions or a particular right being eliminated—can have huge ripples in the library, and staff should educate themselves as widely as possible through trainings and signing up for their local intellectual freedom listserv.

Moderator Kimberly B. Knight, director of Virginia Beach Public Library, noted that staff and managers are focusing on their jobs, and it’s up to library leaders to read the environment and offer them guidance—and sometimes that advice isn’t easy to hear. But winning, in the end, means that the library will still be there for its community down the line. “You have to trust me because we’re playing chess, not checkers,” she said.

ADVOCATING FOR THE LONG HAUL

In a Saturday morning session entitled “Turning the Page Together: Anchored in Advocacy & Action,” author and Ohio State University professor Ashley Hope Pérez discussed the ongoing fight against censorship and finding a new way to advocate for the long haul. “I am going to shift us to thinking about what it looks like to turn the page and try something new in our advocacy for readers,” Pérez said.

Pérez has been asking herself how she can continue the fight “for another five years, for another 10 years, for another 15 years, maybe for the rest of my career or my life?” The way to do it, she said, is to “ensure that our advocacy and our action is rooted in a positive vision.” Instead of focusing on the negative aspects and the outrage, it’s time to put the spotlight on the reason for the fight. Advocacy based on outrage and anger, not centered on the reason for the fight, is not sustainable. After thinking about what the world she wants looks like, she came to this: Young people with full access to diverse, relevant, engaging literature.

“That's what every editor, publisher, author, librarian, educator I know who's focused on students wants,” she said, before acknowledging that it’s tough to name a dream that is so far from the current reality.

“But I've got some ideas about how we deal with that and what we do,” she said. “When we are doing this work, we're focusing on the future we want for readers, instead of the outrageous obstruction by book banners. The reason that's important is because our outrage takes energy. I'm not saying we shouldn't be outraged, but if that's where we're focused, our energy goes to that, and the book banners win.”

Instead, “bake the dream into every small action we take.” Pérez stressed reminding people how central and important literacy is and finding a way to keep up the advocacy by pacing yourself and combining it with things that bring you joy. “Choose a pace you can sustain. Weave that advocacy into things you love. Let’s turn the page from doom and gloom.”

THE ART OF INFLUENCE

Bustling show floor at ALA Annual Photo Credit: EPNAC.com/American Library Association

Among the vendor and publisher booths, Zine Pavilion, Podcast Recording Booth, and other stops, the show floor also included a TikTok booth—not a surprising addition as libraries continue to explore how social media can work for them to expand their reach of both publicity and advocacy. The role of social media was another topic explored at length during the conference, both from a legal standpoint and as a marketing tool.

When pop star and flautist Lizzo was invited to view the Library of Congress’s vault of historic flutes in 2022 and played one of the library’s flutes at a Washington, DC, concert that evening, her visit generated 72,000 new followers on the library’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts, 7,023 media mentions in outlets ranging from Vanity Fair to Forbes to the nightly news on dozens of networks, and overall as many as 19 billion potential media impressions. Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres, assistant chief of the Library of Congress’s music division, and Roswell Encina, chief communications officer of the Library of Congress, discussed the phenomenon during the “Bookstagrammers are People Too: Boosting Library Engagement with Influencer Marketing” session on June 28. Brown-Cáceres and Encina were joined by influencer Hawa Jalloh, a librarian with the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, MD, and moderator Jennie Pu, director of the Hoboken Public Library, NJ. Lizzo’s visit and the ensuing publicity “was the gift that kept on giving the entire year,” Encina said.

Regarding the value of influencer marketing, Brown-Cáceres added that “compared to traditional marketing or digital marketing, there is no marketing budget, ever, in the history of the library world, that is going to be able to get you these kinds of results. Granted, this was a bit of a fluke, but there are a lot of things that you can do like this on a smaller scale.”

Start by thinking with the audience that you want to reach and the social media platforms that you want to target, and “research who are the voices in your community that you might ask” to promote your library, Brown-Cáceres said. He also described the application process for influencers who participate in Washington, DC’s annual Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run road race, noting that large library systems might consider similar processes to develop partnerships with social media influencers.

In addition, local government officials are influencers whom libraries should not overlook, he noted. “There is no better way to force them to share your content than to start tagging them,” he said.

REMEMBERING TO CELEBRATE

Community Impact Prize legacy (l.-r.): Lance Werner, Executive Director, Kent District Library, MI (2023); Kristen Sorth, Director and CEO, St. Louis County Library, MO (2024–25); Dara Schmidt, Director, Cedar Rapids Public Library, IA (2022); Jerry Kline, CEO, Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation; Leslie Straus, Library Awards Director, Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation; Ed Garcia, Director, Cranston Public Library, RI (2020); Nate Coulter, Executive Director, Central Arkansas Library System (2021) Photo by Kevin Henegan

Conferencegoers made time to honor the field’s bright lights as well. LJ celebrated two of its awardees: St. Louis County Library, winner of the 2024–25 Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, and Los Angeles Public Library Director John F. Szabo, LJ’s 2025 Librarian of the Year.

In her acceptance speech for the 2025 Children’s Literacy Legacy Award (before leading the award banquet attendees in multiple verses of This Little Light of Mine), author Carole Boston Weatherford spoke about her books and their particular importance in these times.

“My books bear witness to African American traditions, trials, trauma, and triumphs.

“I have found that my books do double duty, educating children and adults alike. After all, most adults never learned about bibliophile Arturo Schomburg, voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, civil rights organizer Bayard Rustin, or the Tulsa Race Massacre. Sadly, subjects like these are under siege. In recent DEI purges, the stories of the Tuskegee Airmen, Jackie Robinson, and Harriet Tubman—all of whom appear in my books—were whitewashed or deleted from federal websites.

“Know this: Black history is too epic to erase. Regardless of how the wind blows, I am committed to staying the course — for our children, for our future. Librarians, teachers, authors: we are in this boat together. The sea may be wide, but to paraphrase Langston Hughes, our souls have ‘grown deep like the rivers.’ And the most powerful force is not air, water, or earth, but freedom.”