Special District Grant Accessibility Act Passes Senate Committee

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has considered and passed HR7525/S.4673, the Special District Grant Accessibility Act (SDGAA). This vital legislation mandates that special districts, including public library districts, are recognized as local governments for the purposes of federal grants and financial assistance determinations. We ask the Senate to take up the bill this session to ensure that special districts, including public library districts, can access new sources of federal funding to better serve their communities.  

REPORT: How Will Project 2025 Impact Libraries?

As a roadmap for the next Republican administration, Project 2025 has broad implications for libraries across the nation.

100 Campaigns Against Book Bans!

We're proud to announce that over 100 communities have launched campaigns against book bans on fightforthefirst.org.  

Volume 7, Issue 1 - The Political Librarian - Spring 2024

The EveryLibrary Institute Presents 2024 Spring Issue of The Political Librarian Journal.

EveryLibrary Institute Announces New Editorial Board Members for The Political Librarian

A board of library professionals dedicated to advocacy and policy research will serve in editorial roles for EveryLibrary Institute’s academic journal. 

Statement about the Huntington Beach Library Privatization RFP

The City of Huntington Beach, CA., has issued an RFP to solicit bids to privatize the library through a Managed Library Services agreement under contractor with a third-party private entity.  The EveryLibrary Institute has been evaluating whether we should submit a competitive and qualified bid within the RFP process. As part of the process, we submitted a number of questions to the City asking for information about the requirements of the bid. After careful consideration of the City’s answers, we have decided not to submit a bid.

Testimony to the New Jersey Assembly Education Committee about A3446, the “Freedom to Read Act”:

The New Jersey Assembly Education Committee is holding a hearing on A3446, “Freedom to Read Act,” on June 6, 2024. We have submitted written testimony alongside our colleagues at the New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL), endorsing this bill. A3446 aims to establish comprehensive guidelines and protections for library materials in both public school libraries and public libraries in New Jersey. 

Written Testimony to Delaware Legislative Committees Endorsing HB299

We were proud to be invited to provide written testimony to the Delaware State Senate Elections & Government Affairs Committee and to the Delaware House Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce Committee in support of HB299, the "Libraries for All" Act. This landmark legislation would provide for public library collection development, display, programming, and meeting room policies to be written in compliance with state civil rights and public accommodation laws along with the limited public forum provisions of the First Amendment and state constitution. 

Policy Webinar about HR 7525, the National Special Districts Act

The House recently passed the Special District Grant Accessibility Act (H.R. 7525), which would expand eligibility definitions for district libraries for federal grant programs. 

Welcoming Hickson, Kemper, Markus, and Tikiwala to the ELI Board of Directors

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of four exceptional individuals to the EveryLibrary Institute Board of Directors. These distinguished professionals bring a wealth of experience, passion, and expertise to our organization, further strengthening our commitment to advocating for libraries and enhancing public access to information.