One of the foundational beliefs I hold about libraries is that you can always count on them to show up for their communities. In big and small ways. In times of celebration and despair. Libraries show up as helpers.

In recognizing Harris County Public Library (HCPL) this month, LJ’s 2026 winner of the Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, we see an example of how showing up matters for a community that’s geographically dispersed, economically diverse, and challenged by a legislative environment that currently isn’t friendly to the freedom to read. HCPL shows up to help incarcerated youth get excited about new books they can read. They show up in neighborhoods where there aren’t library branches, delivering materials via the “Curiosity Cruiser” bookmobile. And they show up by prioritizing multiple literacies that support diverse needs.

Just like libraries show up for their local communities, libraries have a history of showing up as a community. Twenty years ago, when a devastated New Orleans worked to come back from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, the American Library Association (ALA) maintained its commitment to hold its annual conference there. As LJ reported, “Nearly 900 yellow-shirted conferencegoers participated in some 22 volunteer projects, helping sort books, do yard work, and otherwise aid libraries and other community agencies. ‘You all stood firm and came when we needed you most,’ declared Councilman James Carter.”

In 2016, ALA traveled to Orlando, Florida, where just weeks before the annual conference, a mass shooting event claimed 49 lives. Already a contentious location—in 2014, the Black Caucus of ALA (BCALA) denounced the decision to hold the meeting in Florida due to the state’s “Stand Your Ground” laws—ALA did not alter course, promising the meeting would serve as a forum to make meaningful progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Then–ALA President Sari Feldman issued a formal statement addressing both the tragedy and the conference. “The library community is deeply saddened by the tragedy at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.... Our nation’s libraries serve communities with equity, dignity, and respect. ALA will carry this legacy to Orlando. In defiance of fear, ignorance, and intolerance, the library community will continue its profound commitment to transforming communities by lending its support.”

Next month, librarians attending the 2026 Public Library Association (PLA) conference will arrive in Minneapolis. Since December, nearly 3,000 immigration agents have been sent to the metro area in what the Department of Homeland Security has described as the largest immigration enforcement operation in its history. People have been detained on the basis of their actual or suspected immigration status, many of whom are U.S. citizens, legal residents with work authorization, or asylum seekers. Two U.S. citizens—Renee Good and Alex Pretti—were fatally shot by federal agents as they protested the chaotic and dangerous environment created by Operation Metro Surge.

Even with recent announcements of a wind down, families continue to shelter in place. Kids aren’t going to school, and parents aren’t going to work because they fear being disappeared.

PLA is committed to holding the conference in Minneapolis, even as safety concerns will understandably prevent some librarians from attending. For those who do feel safe enough to travel, the PLA board issued a statement saying, “We hope you will join us in showing up for the city and residents of Minneapolis.”

The phrase “showing up” has been asked to do a lot of work in recent years—so much that it risks becoming a platitude. But in Minneapolis right now, showing up works in its most literal meaning. It is a teacher standing at the door of a half-full classroom. It is a neighbor joining a safety patrol around their local elementary school. It is a parent delivering groceries for the family down the street. It is the librarian taking time away from their work to join the community of librarians gathering in Minneapolis.

Libraries don’t abandon communities when they’re under pressure. We participate in them.