A candidate for president of the American Library Association makes the case that a strong ALA is the most powerful tool library workers have in the face of broad challenges and threats.
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Taking shots at the American Library Association (ALA) has been fashionable for decades—and no one does it better than library workers ourselves. The critiques are familiar and fair: outdated infrastructure, precarious finances, a perceived aversion to change. But here’s the truth: when you’re a classic, you’re always in style. Libraries—and by extension, ALA—are as relevant as ever.
Instead of staying on the defensive, it’s time we start believing in ourselves and the transformative role libraries play in society. If we aren’t backing our own professional organization as a representation of our field, how can we expect the public to support libraries? If we don’t like what we see in the Association, take a look in the mirror.
A strong, engaged, well-supported ALA is the most powerful tool library workers have to defend our work, our people, our funding, and our future.
ALA works at a national and global scale to connect and empower the profession. Criticism of ALA mirrors broader anxieties about libraries, but disengaging won’t solve those challenges. To meet today’s obstacles—from funding inequities to unprecedented political pressures—we need an ALA that is bold, innovative, and supported by members who shape its vision. As one of our foremost public intellectuals, RuPaul, famously said, “If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” By reinvesting in ALA, we strengthen not just libraries but the entire ecosystem of scholarship, education, and democratic access to knowledge.
As the largest library membership organization in the world, ALA plays a critical role in the global scholarly ecosystem. Increasingly international in scope, ALA fosters collaboration between librarians, vendors, and publishers. It is an essential component of the infrastructure supporting scholarly communication, advancing collective efforts to address challenges and drive innovation.
It’s important to acknowledge that ALA has faced significant financial challenges in recent years. The combination of fewer in-person engagements, flat membership numbers, budget deficits, rising costs, and ongoing societal issues has impacted the Association’s financial stability. In 2024, ALA reported lagging membership growth and underperformance in key revenue streams like conferences and publishing.
But the attention and even the attacks on libraries today speak to a broad understanding of the importance of what we do. And ALA’s role is even more urgent today as libraries—and library workers—face broad challenges and threats from those who misunderstand our value and impact.
Policymakers, communities, and researchers alike recognize that libraries are essential to public well-being. A 2023 study from the University of Pennsylvania undertaken with the New York Public Library shows how libraries consistently provide a foundation for community well-being, personal and professional development, and flourishing. A patron wrote that, “The Library offers us hope that we can do something, that we can make a change, that we can advance” (Blatt et al, 2024). And a 2018 Centers for Disease Control study showed that, for instance, 94 percent of libraries assist patrons with employment, 70 percent with nutrition, and 66 percent with exercise-related health needs (Whiteman et al, 2018). Libraries are frontline institutions for public health, education, and economic development—yet many library staff feel underresourced to meet these increasing demands
That isn’t just the opinion of librarians. A 2024 YouGov survey found that 85 percent of Americans—across the political spectrum—hold a favorable opinion of libraries, with 47 percent advocating for increased funding (YouGov, 2024). Americans recognize the immense value of libraries and want them to expand, not shrink.
Yet a small number of political actors are working to limit access to the very information and services that have always helped advance community health and success.
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 lays out a vision for governance that poses direct threats to our library ecosystem. While some dismissed it as a speculative policy roadmap, recent executive actions and federal agency decisions show that this agenda is already being implemented.
These actions include efforts to dismantle federal agencies that provide essential support to libraries, such as the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The elimination of IMLS would jeopardize funding for libraries nationwide, particularly impacting rural and underserved communities.
We know what is coming—and ALA can help us respond and regroup.
Beyond funding, Project 2025 also advances dangerous ideological attacks on intellectual freedom and the role of libraries. This agenda has gained further momentum with recent federal decisions that dismiss the reality of book bans and weaken institutional protections against censorship.
In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it was eliminating the position of “book ban coordinator,” a role previously created to monitor and address censorship in schools. At the same time, it dismissed 11 federal complaints related to book removals, framing concerns about growing censorship as a “hoax.”
The American Library Association (ALA) swiftly refuted this narrative, stating that “book bans are real” and underscoring that thousands of students, parents, and educators are already facing the consequences of coordinated censorship efforts.
Project 2025 is not just a collection of policy proposals—it is an active blueprint being used to reshape government, restrict intellectual freedom, and undermine public institutions. If we want libraries to survive as spaces of access and inclusion, ALA must be strong enough to push back. And thankfully, we know what to plan for and how we can help support one another.
If ALA were to fail, the repercussions would be profound. The absence of a unified national body advocating for libraries would leave individual institutions vulnerable to political and financial pressures. The coordinated efforts to defend intellectual freedom, secure funding, and provide professional development would fragment, weakening the collective power of libraries across the country. This would not only diminish the support system for library workers but also erode the quality and accessibility of services that communities rely on.
This is a critical moment, and we need ALA to navigate it.
Library workers, this is our fight. We must stand up for our profession, our institutions, and each other.
And to our allies—employers, parents, caretakers, authors, publishers, and educators—you are all readers and thinkers. You know the value and importance of knowledge—this is your fight, too. Every part of our society benefits from libraries. When Libraries Lead, Communities Succeed.
We do quiet very well but it’s time to get loud.
Join the fight: ALA Advocacy: Show Up for Libraries.
Together, we can ensure that libraries continue to be trusted stewards of knowledge, defenders of intellectual freedom, and engines of equity. The American Library Association still matters—because the future of our community and work depends on it.
Blatt, D., Maloney, E., Pawelski, J, & Cotter, K. (2024). Libraries & Well-Being: A Case Study from The New York Public Library. New York Public Library. https://www.nypl.org/sites-drupal/default/files/2024-11/Libraries_and_Well-Being_A_Case_Study_from_The_New_York_Public_Library_accessible.pdf
Whiteman, E., Dupuis, R., Morgan, A., D'Alonzo, B., Epstein, C., Klusaritz, H., & Cannuscio, C. (2018). Public Libraries As Partners for Health. Preventing chronic disease, 15, E64. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd15.170392
YouGov. (2024). YouGov Survey: Public Libraries [Data set]. https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/crosstabs_Public_Libraries_20240424.pdf
10.1146/katina-20250206-1
