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LibrariesJudge Grants IMLS a Temporary Reprieve in ‘ALA v. Sonderling’
A federal judge has granted a “narrow” temporary restraining order in a lawsuit co-filed by the American Library Association that is intended to sustain the Institute of Museum and Library Services amid broad cuts to its program.
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Libraries
ALA Pushes to Preserve IMLS as Staff Termination Date Looms
At the first hearing in ALA v. Sonderling, held April 30 at federal court in Washington, D.C., plaintiffs pushed for the court to issue an emergency restraining order before the majority of IMLS staff is laid off on May 4.
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Libraries
ALA and AFSCME Prepare Their Case for IMLS
In ALA v. Sonderling, the American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees are seeking a preliminary injunction to a White House executive order dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
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Libraries
The ALA Sues Over the Scuppering of the IMLS
A lawsuit filed in federal court on April 7 by the American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees alleges that the Trump administration’s recent “evisceration” of the Institute of Museum and Library Services is both illegal and unconstitutional.
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Libraries
21 States Sue Trump Administration Over Scuttling of IMLS, Other Agencies
Attorneys general from 21 states have sued the Trump administration to block its recent efforts to scuttle the Institute of Museum and Library Services and several other federal agencies.
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Libraries
National Library Week 2025 Emphasizes the Draw of Libraries
Amidst turmoil, the American Library Association is marking National Library Week April 6-12 with the tagline “Drawn to the Library,” which emphasizes the essential role libraries play in American life. This year’s honorary cochairs are Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud.
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Libraries
Publishers Ask Congress to Defend Libraries as Federal Library Grant Funding Ends
Four of the Big Five publishers and Sourcebooks sent a letter to Congress on April 3 expressing “deep concern” for the nation’s libraries following a week of unprecedented turmoil orchestrated by the Trump administration at the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
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Libraries
IMLS Staff Furloughed, Prompting Questions from ‘Disappointed’ Board
The staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services was placed on 90-day administrative leave on March 31. A letter sent to acting director Keith Sonderling three days later by the institute’s 19-member advisory board identified some big questions.
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Libraries
Four Senators Defend IMLS in Bipartisan Letter to Acting Director
The lead authors of the 2018 Museum and Library Services Act—two Democrats and two Republicans—wrote to Institute of Museum and Library Services acting director Keith Sonderling to remind him of his “obligation to faithfully execute the provisions of the law.”
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News
ALA, SBA Launch First School Librarians Conference in Sharjah
The American Library Association and the Sharjah Book Authority will host the inaugural ALA Sharjah School Librarians Conference on April 15–16 in the United Arab Emirates.
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Libraries
Board Advising IMLS Tells Acting Director Mandates ‘Cannot’ Be Hindered
In a March 24 letter, the National Museum and Library Services Board laid out the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ statutory obligations for its acting director, Keith Sonderling, as supporters continued to speak out on behalf of the embattled federal agency.
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Shows & Events
TLA 2025: Librarians Saddle Up for Dallas
The biggest library show in Texas hightails it to Big D, with a theme of ‘Library Renaissance: The Quest for Renewal’
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Shows & Events
TLA 2025: A Library Renaissance Roundup
Presentations from household-name authors and professional panels for light-bulb moments are on the schedule in Dallas.
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Libraries
Deputy Secretary of Labor Installed as Acting Director of the IMLS
Following a March 14 executive order to scale back the Institute for Museum and Library Services, Keith Sonderling was sworn in as the grant-making agency's leader on March 20, accompanied by DOGE personnel.
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Libraries
Executive Order Targets the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The ALA, EveryLibrary, and other organizations and individuals have rushed to defend the IMLS against the Trump Administration’s ongoing efforts to eliminate the agency, which plays a key role in distributing congressionally approved funds to libraries, museums, and archives across the country.
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Libraries
Library Database Providers Clash Over Subscription Models
Data and analytics resource ProQuest will require libraries to lease content rather than make permanent acquisitions, shocking the library community. Competitor EBSCO responded by assuring customers that it will continue its perpetual access policy.
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Libraries
Digital Checkouts Rose 17% at OverDrive
Digital borrowing of e-books, audiobooks, and digital magazines rose to more than 739 million checkouts at the libraries and schools who use OverDrive's Libby and Sora apps.
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Awards & Prizes
Percival Everett, Kevin Fedarko Win 2025 Carnegie Medals
Percival Everett's 'James' took home this year’s fiction medal, and 'A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon' by Kevin Fedarko received this year’s nonfiction award.
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Libraries
Louisiana Supreme Court Revives Librarian Amanda Jones’s Defamation Suit
After some two years of legal wrangling, Jones will finally get her day in court after the Louisiana Supreme Court vacated a decision tossing the defamation case and remanded it back to the appeals court with an order to hear the case on the merits.
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Libraries
Freedom to Read Advocates Celebrate a Major Legal Victory in Arkansas
After issuing a preliminary injunction in July 2023, a federal judge in Arkansas has now permanently struck down two key provisions of Arkansas’s controversial “harmful to minors” law, known as Act 372, finding the law to be unconstitutional.
