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Voting for the American Library Association (ALA) 2027–28 presidential campaign opens March 9, and ALA members in good standing can cast their ballots through April 1. LJ invited candidates Tamika Barnes, Associate Dean for Perimeter Library Services at Georgia State University, Atlanta, and President of the Georgia Library Association; and Becky Calzada, District Library Coordinator for the Leander Independent School District, TX, and a cofounding member of Texas #FReadom Fighters, to discuss some key issues they see facing the association and librarianship.

This year marks Library Journal’s 150th anniversary. How many media companies can say they have been actively publishing for a century and a half? In an increasingly challenging media landscape, it feels almost miraculous to still be here.

Janet Hyunju Clarke, associate dean of research and learning at Stony Brook University (SBU) Libraries, NY, was named a 2025 Library Journal Mover & Shaker for her campus-wide collaborations to create needed support and social systems for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students. LJ spoke with Clarke about how SBU’s AAPI Mentorship Network and AAPI Heritages Committee have evolved and grown.

Among all the encouraging dispatches coming out of this year’s American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference, one of the most welcome was ALA’s announcement that Daniel J. Montgomery has been appointed as the association’s next Executive Director. He will start in the role on November 10, succeeding Interim Executive Director Leslie Burger.

It’s been four years since LJ spoke with Joy Bivins when she first stepped into her role as director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research division of New York Public Library. During that time, Bivins has thoughtfully grown the collections and expanded programming, and this year’s Centennial exhibit and celebration have given her the chance to flex still further. LJ caught up with Bivins to hear her thoughts on collecting, the importance of archiving with an eye to the future, and what goes into celebrating 100 years of cultural heritage.

President Donald Trump has fired Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden. In a two-sentence email obtained by the Associated Press, sent on the evening of Thursday, May 8, Deputy Director of Presidential Personnel Trent Morse wrote, “Carla, on behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.”

Three weeks after the fire was contained, Jessica Gleason, bookmobile librarian at the Wailuku Public Library, bookmobile driver Michael Tinker, and Lāhainā branch manager Chadde Holbron, hit the road to support Maui’s West Side community.

To help coordinate and support the work of saving government data, ensure that individual efforts didn’t duplicate one another, and provide a secure, accessible repository for archived material, a group of concerned librarians created the Data Rescue Project (DRP). A “clearinghouse” for data preservation efforts, DRP builds on efforts that began during Trump’s first term. LJ spoke with DRP organizer Lynda Kellam about the project and to learn more about how to get involved.

Capturing and preserving information has long been part of the library mission. As the world grapples with the wide range of threats climate change presents to the environment, ecosystems, and society, we can make a difference by keeping people informed.