What happens when libraries disappear?; Creative Commons, January 27, 2026

 Creative Commons; What happens when libraries disappear? 

"This month, NASA announced the closure of its largest research library at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Staff were left reeling from the sudden loss of their jobs and access to a collection spanning back to the 1800s. The majority of this collection is not yet digitized and is now at risk of disappearing from public reach.

Today, libraries and archives face mounting threats—from physical closures like this one to digital risks from AI systems that extract value without giving back. At CC, we recognize that, now more than ever, we must take a stand to protect these institutions. They are vital to a thriving democracy. 

This is top of mind as we mark our 25th anniversary. For a quarter century, we’ve fought to protect access to knowledge, and we have no plans to stop. In 2026, we'll continue to engage libraries and other academic institutions, while defending and advocating for the commons more broadly. We invite you to learn more here."

Chicago Opens Its 1st Food Pantry Inside A Public Library; Block Club Chicago, January 23, 2026

Michael Liptrot, Block Club Chicago; Chicago Opens Its 1st Food Pantry Inside A Public Library

"A West Side library is entering the fight against hunger and food insecurity with the opening of a food pantry — the first of its kind in the city.

Legler Regional Library, 115 S. Pulaski Road, unveiled its expanded food pantry Thursday. A collaboration between the city, the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Chicago Public Library, the pantry is the first in the library system’s new Library-Based Food Access program.

Since soft-opening in July 2025, the food pantry has served around 600 households monthly in one of Chicago’s most food-insecure neighborhoods, according to the city. The pantry has grown since its soft launch.

“The pantry prioritizes dignity, consistency [and] reliable access to food,” said Chicago Public Library Commissioner Chris Brown at Thursday’s grand opening at Legler. “Not only are we expanding what a library can offer, but we’re exemplifying [Mayor Brandon Johnson’s] whole government approach to Chicago.”"

Sergeant Bluff library utilizes virtual reality to showcase preserved Holocaust survivors’ stories; KTIV.com, January 21, 2026

Taylor Deckert , KTIV.com; Sergeant Bluff library utilizes virtual reality to showcase preserved Holocaust survivors’ stories

"The Sergeant Bluff Public Library is preserving one of history’s darkest chapters for a generation that will never meet a Holocaust survivor face-to-face. 

They’re using virtual reality. The headsets are from the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, a trunk full of technology that brings history to life with a 360-degree view...

When visitors come to try the virtual reality experience at the Sergeant Bluff Public Library, they have multiple options of stories with different time lengths for different experiences...

“We’re at a time where most of the survivors are gone. And we’re really down to very, very few. And we are at a desperate place where we need to remember what happened because it’s so easy to repeat the past,” Torgerson said. “So it was really important to me because I feel like we are, it’s so easy to forget what has happened in the past.”

While the library has a selection of books on the Holocaust, it’s hoped the virtual reality experience will bring a new perspective on this time in history."

Shaler alum 'Miss Ing' reaches folks far beyond library's walls; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 2, 2026

SHAYLAH BROWN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Shaler alum 'Miss Ing' reaches folks far beyond library's walls

[Kip Currier: This is a story to share with others and be inspired by the "ripple effect" positive impacts that one person can have.

It's also a reminder of why libraries -- and the dedicated librarians and library staffpersons who humanize and empower these fundamental institutions -- are so vital to our communities and societies. AI cannot substitute for the meaningful connections that a public service-centered human being like Ingrid Kaltchthaler can make with individuals.]

[Excerpt]

"She considers days at the library both ministry and service, and balances that full-time job as a pastor at several churches with services throughout the week."

Documentary ‘The Librarians’ explores book bans and the fight for intellectual freedom; Mountain Times, December 31, 2025

Mountain Times; Documentary ‘The Librarians’ explores book bans and the fight for intellectual freedom

"Saturday, Jan. 3, and Sunday, Jan. 4, at 3 p.m.—WOODSTOCK—A timely documentary examining the rise of book bans and censorship across the United States will screen in Woodstock this weekend as part of the Woodstock Vermont Film Series. “The Librarians” will be shown at Billings Farm & Museum, with a special post-screening Q&A featuring producer Janique Robillard following Saturday’s screening.

“The Librarians” follows a group of librarians who find themselves on the front lines of a national battle over access to books and ideas. As efforts to remove books from schools and public libraries intensify in states such as Texas and Florida, librarians are emerging as unlikely defenders of democracy and the First Amendment. The film centers in part on the so-called “Krause List,” which targeted more than 850 book titles—many focused on race, identity, and LGBTQ stories—and helped fuel a wave of coordinated censorship efforts nationwide.

Through personal accounts and on-the-ground reporting, the documentary captures the mounting pressure librarians face, including harassment, threats, and legislation that criminalizes aspects of their work. As the debate escalates from local school board meetings to organized political movements at the state and national levels, “The Librarians” traces how access to information becomes a battleground over whose stories are allowed to be told.

By examining the broader consequences of restricting access to books, the film underscores how controlling ideas can shape communities—and why defending intellectual freedom remains a critical issue in contemporary civic life.

The screening is part of the Woodstock Vermont Film Series, which presents documentaries and narrative films that spark conversation and deepen connections to the wider world. Screenings take place on select Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. in the Billings Farm & Museum Visitor Center Theater through March 22. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for Billings Farm & Museum members.

The series is curated and directed by filmmaker Jay Craven and produced by Billings Farm & Museum with support from community sponsors. 

For more information, visit: billingsfarm.org/filmseries."

Book distributor shutting down deals logistical blow to libraries; NPR, December 29, 2025

Andrew Limbong, NPR; Book distributor shutting down deals logistical blow to libraries

 "Baker and Taylor is one of very few companies that do book-distribution for libraries — companies that act as the middle man between libraries and publishers. But a few months ago, the company abruptly announced it was shutting down."

NASA’s Largest Library Is Closing Amid Staff and Lab Cuts; The New York Times, December 31, 2025

 Eric Niiler, The New York Times; NASA’s Largest Library Is Closing Amid Staff and Lab Cuts

[Kip Currier: As a life-long space aficionado (as just one example, I fondly recall as a boy my Dad waking me up so I could watch the 1972 Apollo 17 launch that occurred at 12:33 AM) and long-time proponent of libraries, archives, and museums as essential societal institutions and trusted keepers of our history and cultures, seeing this story today was truly stomach-turning.

How shameful and short-sighted for the Trump administration to unilaterally decide to close NASA's largest library. The items within that library's singular collections represent the collective space-faring history and legacy of every person, not just one transitory administration.]

[Excerpt]

"The Trump administration is closing NASA’s largest research library on Friday, a facility that houses tens of thousands of books, documents and journals — many of them not digitized or available anywhere else.

Jacob Richmond, a NASA spokesman, said the agency would review the library holdings over the next 60 days and some material would be stored in a government warehouse while the rest would be tossed away."

Public libraries in Illinois now required to store anti-opioid overdose medications after a series of near-deaths; The Independent, December 28, 2025

Isabel Keane, The Independent; Public libraries in Illinois now required to store anti-opioid overdose medications after a series of near-deaths

"A new state law will require all public libraries in Illinois to stock medications that can reverse opioid overdoses after at least one library in the state reported multiple overdoses each year.

The new law, which goes into effect January 1, will require all public libraries in the state to stock opioid overdose reversal drugs and allow trained staff to administer them in the event of a suspected overdose, the Illinois Department of Public Health said earlier this month."

Defunding fungi: US’s living library of ‘vital ecosystem engineers’ is in danger of closing; The Guardian, December 26, 2025

Ben Martynoga, The Guardian; Defunding fungi: US’s living library of ‘vital ecosystem engineers’ is in danger of closing

"Inside a large greenhouse at the University of Kansas, Professor Liz Koziol and Dr Terra Lubin tend rows of sudan grass in individual plastic pots. The roots of each straggly plant harbor a specific strain of invisible soil fungus. The shelves of a nearby cold room are stacked high with thousands of plastic bags and vials containing fungal spores harvested from these plants, then carefully preserved by the researchers.

The samples in this seemingly unremarkable room are part of the International Collection of Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (INVAM), the world’s largest living library of soil fungi. Four decades in the making, it could cease to exist within a year due to federal budget cuts.

For leading mycologist Toby Kiers, this would be catastrophic. “INVAM represents a library of hundreds of millions of years of evolution,” said Kiers, executive director of the Society for Protection of Underground Networks (Spun). “Ending INVAM for scientists is like closing the Louvre for artists."

Boy sends 600 holiday cards, nearly 4,000 treats to dad’s National Guard unit in Syria; KCRG, December 25, 2025

Jocelyn Peshia, KCRG; Boy sends 600 holiday cards, nearly 4,000 treats to dad’s National Guard unit in Syria

"Oliver Young hasn’t seen his dad, Sergeant First Class Robert Young, in seven months - that’s when his National Guard unit was deployed to Syria.

It’s Sgt. Young’s second deployment since Oliver was born and his third in his 20 years with the Iowa Army National Guard...

To brighten up the Christmas season, Oliver decided to send cards and treats to his dad’s unit.

Oliver enlisted help at church and went to the Monticello library and local businesses with his grandmother asking for help signing cards and donating money for treats. He wanted to ensure every soldier felt loved.

“He raised his hand and asked if anybody in the congregation would like to help with his cards or any treats that they wanted to throw in the box and that they would ship them off with our stuff,” said Kelly.

The goodies totaled out to 600 cards and 3,800 snacks, which Kelly shipped overseas as two gifts for each service member in the company for Thanksgiving and Christmas...

When they distributed the gifts throughout the company, Kelly said the servicemembers were “shocked.”

“They were not expecting a large gift bag, let alone two,” said Kelly. “If they know people haven’t been getting mail, they’ve worked with the chaplain to make sure those soldiers received a few extra snacks.”

Oliver said it feels good knowing he’s helping make his dad and his dad’s fellow soldiers smile.

“They have been very happy knowing that people care about them,” said Oliver. “We did that so they can have a little bit of Christmas with them, even though they’re not with their families."...

Oliver said he was driven by pride for his father and a need to make all of the service members to know they’re in the hearts and minds of people back home.

His message - after a shy look up at his mom...

“Merry Christmas, soldiers.” 

A Merry Christmas - and another day closer to a family being together again."

Burlington library serves holiday meals to community; WCAX, December 25, 2025

Kendall Claar , WCAX; Burlington library serves holiday meals to community

"Burlington’s Fletcher Free Library opened its doors Christmas Day for more than just reading, distributing about 150 meals to anyone who wanted one.

The Farmhouse Group provided the pre-packaged meals, which community members picked up directly from refrigerators at the front of the library. The initiative addresses food scarcity in the area amid rising costs of living. Library staff also provided a warm gathering space on the holiday.

“Libraries are often at the center of community in a variety of different ways,” said Emer Feeney, Fletcher Free Library’s assistant director. “So it makes a lot of sense for the library to be a place that’s open on a day when so many places are closed to make sure that everybody gets to have a nice, warm and cozy day.”"

Supreme Court Will Not Hear Little v. Llano County; Library Journal, December 16, 2025

Lisa Peet, Library Journal; Supreme Court Will Not Hear Little v. Llano County

 "THE LONG GAME

While this is a disheartening development for the plaintiffs, Dan Novack, VP and Associate General Counsel at PRH, feels that a favorable precedent could still be set at the Supreme Court level. PRH has several cases in play, including Penguin Random House LLC v. Robbins, challenging Iowa’s SF496 in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Penguin Random House LLC v. Gibson , fighting Florida’s HB 1069 in the Eleventh Circuit. Both are scheduled to be heard in early 2026.

Given that it only takes about one percent of the cases put forward to it every year, “when there is a traffic jam of cases, as there is in this emerging area of law, it’s really not uncommon for the Supreme Court to sit back and let it play out,” Novack told LJ. If the other cases are also decided against the freedom to read, the Supreme Court may not see the need to step in. But if rulings are split, it may choose to take on one of the cases.

If the Supreme Court had taken Little v. Llano, it could have resulted in a positive ruling coming sooner. But “I’m taking the longer view that it’s good to be presenting more options to the Court, and if they were to take a Penguin Random House case, I feel very strong about the merits of those cases,” said Novack.

Even Llano County’s attorney, Jonathan Mitchell, in his brief in opposition to the writ of certiorari asking the Supreme Court to review the Fifth Circuit ruling, stated that “The Court should wait and allow these [circuit] courts to weigh in on whether and how the Speech Clause applies to library-book removals before jumping in to resolve this issue.”

Novack acknowledges that this decision is a hard one for Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. “Something went very wrong in the Fifth Circuit,” he said. But PRH and its council are committed to a multi-year fight that could potentially reach the Supreme Court and set precedent for the right to read throughout the United States.

“Although our lawsuit has come to a disappointing end,” Leila Green Little, lead plaintiff in the case, told LJ, “I am encouraged by the many people across the country who continue our fight in the courtrooms, their local libraries, and our state and federal legislative chambers.”"

Kinds of Intelligence | LJ Directors’ Summit 2025; Library Journal, December 2, 2025

 Lisa Peet, Library Journal; Kinds of Intelligence | LJ Directors’ Summit 2025

"LJ’s 2025 Directors’ Summit looked at artificial—and very real—intelligence from multiple angles

If there was any doubt about what issues are on the minds of today’s library leaders, Library Journal’s 2025 Directors’ Summit, held October 16 and 17 at Denver Public Library (DPL), had some ready answers: AI and people.

Nick Tanzi hit both notes handily in his keynote, “Getting Your Public Library AI-Ready.” Tanzi, assistant director of South Huntington Public Library (SHPL), NY, and technology consultant at The-Digital-Librarian.com (and a 2025 LJ Mover & Shaker), began with a reminder of other at-the-time “disruptive” technologies, starting with a 1994 clip of Today Show anchors first encountering “@” and “.com.”

During most of this digital change, he noted, libraries had the technologies before many patrons and could lead the way. Now everyone has access to some form of AI, but it’s poorly understood. And access without understanding is a staff problem as well as a patron problem.

So, what does it mean for a library to be AI-ready? Start with policy and training, said Tanzi, and then translate that to public services, rather than the other way around. Library policies need to be AI-proofed, beginning by looking at what’s already in place and where it might be stressed by AI: policies governing collection development, reconsideration of materials, tool use, access control, the library’s editorial process, and confidential data. Staff are already using some form of AI at work—do they have organizational guidance?

Tanzi advised fostering AI literacy across the library. At SHPL, he formed an AI user group; it has no prerequisite for participation and staff are paid for their time. Members explore new tools, discuss best practices, complete “homework,” and share feedback, which also allows Tanzi to stress-test policies. It’s not a replacement for formal training, but helps him discover which tools work best in various departments and speeds up learning.

We need to demystify AI tools for staff and patrons, Tanzi noted, and teach ethics around them. Your ultimate goal is to create informed citizens; libraries can build community around AI education, partnering with the local school district, colleges, and government."

Library Agency Reinstates Grants Canceled by Trump Administration; The New York Times, December 5, 2025

Jennifer Schuessler , The New York Times; Library Agency Reinstates Grants Canceled by Trump Administration

[Kip Currier: Restoration of Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grants for libraries, archives, and museums -- cut earlier this year by Trump 2.0 -- is good news for people throughout the country whose lives are enriched by these vital institutions and community anchors.

What does it say about an administration that eliminates support for libraries, archives, and museums that provide free access to thousands of books and summer reading programs, historical records and exhibits, and life-enhancing programs like job seeking and AI literacy, but which will pump millions and millions of dollars into the building of a White House ballroom that no one voted for and only the very wealthiest will ever have access to?]

[Excerpt]

"The federal agency that supports the nation’s libraries has restored thousands of grants canceled by the Trump administration, following a federal judge’s ruling that the executive order mandating the cuts was unlawful.

The executive order, issued in March, said the Institute for Museum and Library Services, along with six other small agencies, must “be reduced to the maximum extent consistent with the applicable law.” Soon after, the agency put most of its staff of 70 on administrative leave, fired its board members and began informing grant recipients that their federal funding had been eliminated.

In April, the attorneys general of 21 states filed a lawsuit arguing that the cuts, which included roughly $160 million in funding for state library agencies, violated federal law.

John J. McConnell Jr., the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, ruled in their favor on Nov. 21, calling the administration’s moves “arbitrary and capricious.” Canceling funding appropriated by Congress, he said, violated the doctrine of separation of powers.

This week, the agency announced the restoration of “all federal grants” in a terse post on its website. The post made no reference to the court ruling."

Es Devlin’s Towering Beachfront Library Illuminates Miami Art Week; artnet, December 2, 2025

Sarah Cascone, artnet ; Es Devlin’s Towering Beachfront Library Illuminates Miami Art Week

"Es Devlin’s The Library of Us has emerged as one of Miami Art Week’s most dramatic spectacles. The 20-foot-tall rotating bookshelf housing 2,500 books invites visitors to read and reflect in a quiet counterpoint to the frenzy of Art Basel. By day, it towers over the sands of Miami Beach, a triangular wedge of a bookshelf set within a circular pool of water, slowly rotating in the Florida sun. By night, it glows like a beacon, offering a mesmerizing tribute to the power of the written word.

Designed to serve as sculpture, library, and public gathering space, the work invites visitors to step onto a circular platform that rotates them into shifting proximity with strangers. As the interior circle spins, viewers will face different people on the outside, creating a social experience. Set just feet from the Atlantic, the piece doubles as a meditation on fragility—of culture, of knowledge, and the environment.

“What would the resonance of 4,000 books with differing points of view revolving together without disagreement be in this place in Miami. What would happen if encircling that library were water, rising waters?,” Devlin told guests at the opening for the ambitious work.

The artist’s nearly 20-foot-tall bookshelf represents a remarkable vision. Sure, everyone loves to bring a beach read down to the shore, but there’s something poignantly fragile about seeing an entire library within a stone’s throw of the ocean waves, pages and spines open to the salty breeze. But this apparent vulnerability seems fitting for this city on a tiny strip of land, the colorful hotels and vibrant restaurants increasingly at risk of flooding due to climate change and intensifying storms...

The 2,500 titles included are those she considers formative to her philosophy, life, and practice.

Where libraries are traditionally places of reverent silence, Devlin has created an audio track to accompany her monumental sculpture. She reads various quotes from the many titles included in the display—some of which have been banned by Florida schools, according to the artist. She’ll donate all the books to Miami public schools and libraries after the installation ends."

Jason Schwartzman Finds Peace at the Library; The New York Times, November 29, 2025

Elisabeth Vincentelli , The New York Times; Jason Schwartzman Finds Peace at the Library

"Library Card

My mom [Talia Shire] studied with Stella Adler, who told her that as an actor you need a library card and a bus pass. I feel calm in libraries. I think it’s because everyone else is so calm, and everyone’s working or researching or something. It’s almost like a movie set, and I have to pretend I’m working, too. Everyone should have a library card. It’s like a bicycle but for your brain."

‘The Library of Congress’ Review: Corridors of Knowledge; The Wall Street Journal, November 25, 2025

 Michael Auslin , The Wall Street Journal; ‘The Library of Congress’ Review: Corridors of Knowledge

"When the president unexpectedly fired the librarian of Congress, a prominent legislator denounced the “open despotism which now rules at Washington.” The year was 1829, and as Andrew Jackson installed a political ally as librarian, it was Henry Clay who accused the president of being a threat to democracy. 

This is but one vignette from Jane Aikin’s comprehensive history “The Library of Congress” (Georgetown, 356 pages, $32.95), which shows how bare-knuckled domestic politics have often shadowed the crown jewel of America’s intellectual institutions. In April, the library turned 225 years old, secure in its position as one of the world’s largest libraries. It now houses approximately 178 million items, from ancient clay tablets to Stradivarius violins, from the Gutenberg Bible to ever-expanding digital records."

Missouri court strikes down 2022 law that pulled library books off shelves; Missouri Independent, November 18, 2025

ANNELISE HANSHAW, Missouri Independent ; Missouri court strikes down 2022 law that pulled library books off shelves

"A Jackson County Circuit Court judge struck down a state law criminalizing school employees for supplying “sexually explicit material” to students, ruling it unconstitutionally vague and overbroad in a five-page decision Monday.

“This is a real victory for all library professionals who are trained to select age-appropriate, developmentally appropriate material for students in both public and private schools,” Gillian Wilcox, the ACLU of Missouri’s director of litigation, told The Independent. “It is a real insult to their training and professionalism for the government to think that it knows better what books belong in those schools, and it’s an insult to parents as well.”

The now-void law, passed by Missouri lawmakers in 2022, expanded the state’s regulations on pornography to create the offense of providing explicit sexual material to a student. It applied only to those “affiliated with a public or private elementary or secondary school in an official capacity.”

The law is part of a larger trend placing higher scrutiny on what books are offered by libraries and schools. In Missouri, efforts earlier this year to place new restrictions on digital libraries and expand the officials who could face prosecution were debated but did not pass."

Baltimore County reinstates 14 part-time librarians after abrupt mass firings; CBS News, November 15, 2025

 Janay Reece, CBS News ; Baltimore County reinstates 14 part-time librarians after abrupt mass firings

"More than a dozen part-time librarians from Baltimore County who were laid off on Wednesday were reinstated Friday evening, according to the Baltimore County Public Library.

Baltimore County Public Library made the announcement just two days after laying off 14 part-time librarians...

"It was unsettling and humiliating..."

Curreri's decades-long career came to a halt Wednesday after learning she and more than a dozen others were being laid off.

"The HR representative told my manager that he should get me a bag, and we went to my desk and I packed everything up," said Curreri. "The representative did tell me I was not to speak to anyone in the library about what happened, because the CEO was going to be sending something out to let all staff know what was going on...It was really hard to walk out without being able to tell people what just happened, and to say goodbye.""

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."