ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom

Get Ready for Banned Books Week. Shop the ALA Store. Image shows collage of products featuring Censorship Is So 1984 artwork, including bookmarks, buttons, stickers, and posters.

#BannedBooksWeek is just around the corner! We have posters, bookmarks, & more to show the world that Censorship Is So 1984 - Read for Your Rights! Order NOW to ensure ontime delivery. bit.ly/censorship-1984

Get #CensorshipIsSo1984 apparel & other banned books designs at bit.ly/BBWk1984

Get Ready for Banned Books Week®. Shop the ALA Store. Features images of posters and bookmarks with the tagline Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights. American Library Association.

Have you stocked up for #BannedBooksWeek? We have posters, bookmarks, & more to show the world that Censorship Is So 1984 - Read for Your Rights! Order by Sept 18 to ensure ontime delivery. bit.ly/censorship-1984

Get #CensorshipIsSo1984 apparel & other banned books designs A bit.ly/BBWk1984

The Eleanor Roosevelt Banned Book Awards. 2025 Bravery in Literature Award Honorees. October 11 at the Bardavon, Poughkeepsie, New York. Photos of recipients: Margaret Atwood, Malinda Lo, Becky Calzada, Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, Matthew A Cherry and Vashti Harrison, John Green, and Juno Dawson. Keynote speaker: Jennifer Finney Boylan

Congratualtions to the recipients of the 2025 Eleanor Roosevelt Bannd Book Awards! 😍 Join the celebration on 10/11/25, during #BannedBooksWeek! w/ @penamerica.bsky.social @ftrf.bsky.social @ncacensorship.bsky.social @ncte.org @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social

ervk.org/banned-books...

It's the last day for the Big Chair at #ALAAC25! Come by the Grand Hall now to tell your banned books story! W/ @sagepub.com @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social @bannedbooksweek.bsky.social

Don't miss this exhibit, y'all! You can meet the artist, Sheryl Oring, and talk about her powerful statement on censorship...

Don't miss the amazing Writer's Block exhibit in the Grand Hall at #ALAAC25! Find it next to the Big Chair & meet artist Sheryl Oring! @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social

My 💜! It's @halseanderson.bsky.social in the Big Chair at #ALAAC25! Come tell your banned book story in the Grand Hall by registration! Thank you, @sagepub.com for the amazing work! W/ @uabookbans.bsky.social @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social @bannedbooksweek.bsky.social

Join us June 28th - 29th at #ALAAC25 as we partner with @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social and @uabookbans.bsky.social to bring back Banned Books from the Big Chair.

Experience our banned books exhibit and "Read For Your Rights."

Learn about Banned Books Week in October: www.ala.org/bbooks/banned

Don't forget to visit the Big Chair during #ALAAC25! Find it in the Grand Concourse near registration! Sponsored by @sagepub.com @oif.bsky.social @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social

o ALT TEXT: Intellectual Freedom Awards at ALA Annual Conference 2025. Celebrating Intellectual Freedom Heroes: Skip Dye, Owen Wolfe, Illinois Library Association, Nate Coulter, Shannon M. Oltmann. Keynote NIKKOLAS SMITH (The History of We, The Artivist, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water). Presented by Freedom to Read Foundation, University of Illinois School of Information Science, Intellectual Freedom Round Table. June 27, 7:30 pm, Philadelphia Marriott, Salon E. bit.ly/IFawards2025

Don’t miss the Intellectual Freedom Awards at ALA Annual w/ @ftrf.bsky.social, @ifrt-ala.bsky.social, and @ischoolui.bsky.social!
6/27, 7:30pm, Philly Marriott Salon E.
#ALAAC25 attendees welcome.
Keynote by NYT Bestseller @4nikkolas.bsky.social!
bit.ly/IFawards2025

Join us for the Intellectual Freedom Awards at ALA Annual Conference 2025.
June 27, 7:30 pm, Philadelphia Marriott, Salon E. bit.ly/IFawards2025
This even is open to all registered ALA Conference attendees.
Special thanks to OverDrive, PRH, Macmillan, Sage Publishing, and Simon and Schuster.

The IF Awards at #ALAAC25 will raise $ for the #MerrittFund! We’ll have appetizers & open bar courtesy of sponsors
@libbyapp.com OverDrive & @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social. Also supported by Macmillan w/ contributions from @sagepub.com, Simon &Schuster. bit.ly/IFawards2025‬‬‬‬

We’ll be honoring the following for courage in the face of censorship: Skip Dye, Owen Wolfe, @illibraryassoc.bsky.social, Nate Coulter, & Shannon M. Oltmann. bit.ly/IFawards2025

Intellectual Freedom Awards at ALA Annual Conference 2025. Celebrating Intellectual Freedom Heroes: Skip Dye, Owen Wolfe, Illinois Library Association, Nate Coulter, Shannon M. Oltmann. Keynote NIKKOLAS SMITH (The History of We, The Artivist, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water). Presented by Freedom to Read Foundation, University of Illinois School of Information Science, Intellectual Freedom Round Table. June 27, 7:30 pm, Philadelphia Marriott, Salon E. bit.ly/IFawards2025

Don’t miss the Intellectual Freedom Awards at ALA Annual w/ @ftrf.bsky.social @ifrt-ala.bsky.social @ischoolui.bsky.social! 6/27, 7:30pm, Philly Marriott Salon E. #ALAAC25 attendees welcome. Keynote by NYT Bestseller @4nikkolas.bsky.social! bit.ly/IFawards2025

We’ll be honoring the following for courage in the face of censorship: Skip Dye, Owen Wolfe, @illibraryassoc, Nate Coulter, & Shannon M. Oltmann. bit.ly/IFawards2025

The IF Awards at #ALAAC25 will raise $ for the #MerrittFund! We’ll have appetizers & open bar courtesy of sponsors ‪@libbyapp ‪@penguinrandomhouse. Also supported by Macmillan w/ contributions from @SagePub.com, Simon & Schuster. bit.ly/IFawards2025‬‬‬‬

Intellectual Freedom Round Table 2025 Intellectual Freedom Awards. Gerland Hodges Chapter Relations Award: Illinois Library Association. John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award: Nate Coulter. Elim M. Obler Memorial Award: Shannon M. Oltmann

Congratulations to the recipients of @ifrt-ala.bsky.social intellectual freedom awards! Thank you @illibraryassoc.bsky.social @soltmann.bsky.social and Nate Coulter for being free speech heroes! www.ala.org/news/2025/05...

Time is running out. Make your calls NOW to #FundLibraries.

Call Congress now: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries

#ForOurLibraries

Librarians take on MAGA in California beach town As conservatives target library content and funding across the country, bookworms and librarians are teaming up in a California beach town to take their case to voters.

“We’re watching Huntington Beach closely. We’ve traditionally looked to the courts to preserve our civil liberties, but in a time when litigation takes years, it might be more effective to go to the ballot box…”
— Deborah Caldwell-Stone, @oif.bsky.social director

www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

Libraries are cutting back on staff and services after Trump's order to dismantle small agency Libraries across the United States have cut back on some digital services weeks after the Trump administration's move to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Libraries nationwide are facing incredibly difficult decisions as federal funding cuts impact programs & services: apnews.com/article/inst...

We need to act NOW. Call Congress and tell them to #FundLibraries, while there's still time: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries #ForOurLibraries

Image: Illustration of a movie camera. Libraries at the Forefront of Film Trailer poster - The Librarians The Librarians Screening & Q&A - Friday, June 27 - 1:30pm - 3:30pm ET - Register Now & SAVE with advance rates. - ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition 2025 - Philadelphia - June 26-30 - FOR OUR LIBRARIES. - American Library Association - ALAAnnual.org

🎉📽️ Join us on Day One of #ALAAC25 for an exclusive screening of "The Librarians," a powerful documentary about the fight for truth, democracy, and access to information. Stick around for a live Q&A with the director and the librarians featured in the film. Register Now. bit.ly/ALAAC25-Regi...

We ❤️ to see so many different groups coming together to #UniteAgainstBookBans! We’re stronger together. Thank you to @freadomfighters.bsky.social and all who spoke up for libraries and the freedom to read today in Texas.

Show up for our libraries. American library association.

NEW: ALA welcomes the ruling in federal court in Rhode Island directing the Administration to reverse its actions to eliminate the Institute of Museum & Library Services.

Read more about the impacts of the ruling - which is temporary & limited in geographic scope: www.ala.org/news/2025/05...

The Library of Congress belongs to Congress and the American people. [Logos: Show up for our libraries - American Library Association]

For 225 years, the Library of Congress has collected America’s stories and kept Congress informed. The American Library Association stands with America’s library.

In rare move, Congress pushes back on Trump over Library of Congress Lawmakers are raising separation-of-powers concerns as the White House seeks to install a Justice Department official at the legislative-branch institution.

NEW: Congress is pushing back on the President's actions at the Library of Congress. Our federal legislature MUST show up for its library & intervene: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

You can take action to Show Up #ForOurLibraries. Tell Congress to #FundLibraries: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries

ALA raises alarm over termination of Digital Equity Act grants. Show up for our libraries, American Library Association.

ALA is alarmed by the termination of the Digital Equity Act grants program, a seismic investment in America's digital infrastructure.

This abrupt & illegal termination is extremely concerning for the libraries relying on funding to connect their communities. More: www.ala.org/news/2025/05...

ICYMI: A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction to halt the elimination of IMLS in the case led by 21 state AGs.
ALA welcomes the decision. We're reviewing the ruling to fully understand its implications and will share updates as they are available.
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Tribal communities risk losing local libraries and the history they hold amid DOGE cuts Federally recognized tribes say the Trump administration cut the grant money they use to sustain the local libraries that serve as anchors in their most rural communities.

“As we continue to look at what is happening in the current government, we need to advocate for the needs of our sovereign nations. We need to hold the federal government accountable to upholding their trust responsibility.” — ALA President President Cindy Hohl

www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...

Intellectual Freedom News 5/9/2025 ALA actively advocates and educates in defense of intellectual freedom—the rights of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Intellectual freedo...

Please make time to read the 5/9/25 @oif.bsky.social #IntellectualFreedom News highlights: #censorship, #1stAmendment /civil rights, legislation, Around the Web (long list!), @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social news. #FreedomToRead #StopCensorship at www.oif.ala.org/intellectual...

Representing Libraries and the First Amendment: Government Speech, Public Forums, and the Right to Read. May 21, 2025. 1pm ET. American Bar Association. Rule of Law in America CLE. Photograph of a woman reading in a library.

Join @oif.bsky.social and @ftrf.bsky.social leaders for @americanbar.org "Representing Libraries and the First Amendment," a webinar on navigating complex First Amendment issues in libraries. 5/21 at 1pm ET. (CLE credit hours available!)

learningcenter.americanbar.org/courses/106181