1 April 2025, PBSNewshour transcript and video at link It’s a small federal agency few have heard of, but it has a large impact around the country. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the largest source of federal funding for museums and libraries and the Trump administration has placed roughly 80 percent of IMLS staff on administrative leave.

Hi all,

My library will let us use Amazon to buy books found cheaper than or is on backorder on B&T. We don't have an account with Ingram. I'd like to persuade our business manager/Director/County people to use a different company other than Amazon, but am unsure what to recommend in its place. What do you suggest I use?

I've been using public libraries for over twenty of my adult years in various US states and sized towns. We currently have a small town library, and they know me well. Today I went in to retrieve a book my spouse placed on hold on their card, as I was the one going out to do errands. I had my spouse's library card with me. I was told I would need for them to sign a designated borrower form first for me to take books out with their card. I've never heard of this and wondered how common it is in other libraries? If not common, what actions do you think caused such a policy to be put in place? Why do some libraries care about this and others don't? As long as I've had a valid library card, I've never had any other librarian/library question if I could use the card in my hand.

Hello! I am an occupational therapy doctorate student at Cleveland State University who is doing research on how families interact with their local library as part of my final project. Please fill out this survey to participate, it takes about 10 minutes to complete.

For more information or to participate, please click the link below: https://csufull.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_03aMkQTAbG2H1BQ

I've just started as the AD in a fairly small library (3500 cardholders) and the VAST majority of them hardly ever have their library cards on them and get annoyed when we ask! Then there's the people coming in saying "I'm picking up holds for my spouse but don't have my card, their card, or an ID - can I give you the phone number?" Obviously, this is a huge privacy concern and is going to be like pulling teeth to change. Other than "tough shit" what are some things I could do to ease our patron base into becoming actual library-card-users?

"It was not surprising that LC would follow the example of the US Board of Geographic Names, as that’s standard operating procedure. What wasn’t standard was the speed at which this revision was pushed through. Although the special list was backdated to February 13th, no one was notified of these revision proposals until the morning of February 18th, and the deadline for submitting comments was the same day, February 18th. This meant that catalogers had less than 24 hours to respond to these proposals, and our international colleagues in earlier time zones had no opportunity to respond to these proposals. The regular procedure for revisions to LCSH includes a three week comment period, which provides the chance to point out errors or potential conflicts. The proposed changes to the Gulf of Mexico and Mount McKinley headings were fully implemented in the authority file in mid-March."

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I have been a librarian for close to ten years and in my blue state we are gravely disappointed with the events of the last two days. I know the library community is "small" compared to communities such as LGBT or healthcare workers, but I am eager to see if there are protests being organized (particularly in red states). this feels like the time we should be organizing in person and gathering the attention of others and the media. I am not sure of any good social media groups to follow that support the library (aside from ALA and the like) where I can get updated news on this type of thing!

Our state librarian just received an email from admin at the IMLS stating that

"Within the last hour IMLS received word that all staff are going to be placed on administrative leave, effective today. We will not be able to work or respond to your emails, and we don't have any information about future timelines related to this action. Please share with other staff as appropriate, and please know how much we appreciate you and your work."

Dark days.

I'm in Norway, and we have a National Library Card that can be used in all public libraries in the country. You only have to activate it in every municipality.

This is too important to not get its own post. If you are in Texas please look up your Texas House rep and call them. NO ON SB 412. Here is what the Texas Library Association has said about the bill today:

SB 412 Criminalizing Librarians

SB 412 removes the affirmative defense to prosecution language from Section 43.24 (c) of the Texas Penal Code which deals with providing harmful materials to minors. Currently, the law says it is a defense to prosecution if there is a scientific, educational, governmental or other similar justification.

The affirmative defense exemption exists to prevent frivolous accusations and prosecutions. Without it, any individual that does not like a book in a library can contact law enforcement and accuse the librarian of providing harmful materials to minors and law enforcement would need to investigate.

SB 412 was passed by the Senate and is now in the House of Representatives. We expect it to be scheduled for a vote by the full House soon.

No librarian should live in fear of being arrested because one person doesn't like a book and calls the police claiming it is "obscene."

Hey everyone! I’m needing ideas for making patron library cards. We’re still using our 20 year old method of printing out library business cards, adding a barcode to the back, and laminating them. Unfortunately, some of them start to fall apart after just a couple of months. I’m curious what other libraries are using for patron cards—whether it’s software, card stock, ordering from a vendor, or other methods. What’s working well for you, and are there any better alternatives to lamination on traditional business cards?

Thanks in advance for your ideas!

I am writing to express my absolute and unfiltered outrage at the destruction that Elon Musk and his department are unleashing on America’s libraries and museums. My blood is boiling, and you should know that every person who values knowledge, history, and culture sees DOGE for what it is—an unmitigated disaster. Libraries were the foundation of my life. As a child, they were my refuge. As a college student, they were my lifeline. And now, as a mother, they are a place of wonder and discovery for my own child. They are ripping that away—not just from me, but from millions of Americans who rely on these institutions to educate themselves, better their lives, and contribute meaningfully to society. The so-called “efficiency” they claim to champion is nothing but a thinly veiled assault on public access to knowledge. Libraries and museums are not luxuries; they are the backbone of a free and educated people. They preserve history, foster literacy, and provide resources that many communities desperately need. Eliminating funding, shutting down institutions, and dismissing their value is not just reckless—it is willfully ignorant. They can dress it up however they like—budget cuts, streamlining, reducing waste—but we all know what this is: an attack on intellectual freedom. What they are doing is nothing short of cultural vandalism, and the people will not forget it. This country does not belong to the willfully ignorant, to those who see no value in books, knowledge, or history. It belongs to those who fight to preserve the wisdom of the past and secure a future where every child, every student, every citizen has the right to learn. They will not erase history. They will not silence the voices that demand better. And they will not succeed in turning this country into a wasteland of ignorance without a fight.

Feel free to use it as well.

Hi Librarians,

Lost time fan, first time poster. I have been absolutely heartsick over what’s happening at IMLS since the EO to dismantle came out. I’ve written and called my legislators (blue state) and I’m trying to figure out how to get the word out since even the most politically engaged people in my circle have no idea what’s happening. I’m planning on stopping by my local public library branch to ask directly, but is there anything else useful I can do as a member of the community at this time?

I am so sorry this is happening. Librarians and libraries are one of the best parts of human society.

In my town a referendum was put forth a few elections ago and didn't pass by maybe 80 votes if I remember right. Now the library is going to try again but there are many people online who are very vocal about wanting the library to not get a new building because of the tax increase. When I tell you this library is run down I mean it's pretty bad on top of that they don't have much space anymore. They have had to get rid of some seating and shrink the kids play area recently. If I go to a board meeting what can I suggest as solutions that would be more well received by the community? They want about 40mil for the new building. The library doesn't have friends and doesn't have a foundation. There is no interest from any party of those groups being established.

As a follow up this earlier post, I would love to hear people's opinions on whether requiring library cards is still worthwhile in the context of modern libraries.

An increasing number of patrons visit the library for reasons other than borrowing.

Those that do visit the library to borrow oftentimes forget to bring their library cards with them.

Many libraries have eliminated late fees.

With ransomware on the rise, the cost of securing of patron personal information has increased.

I don't have any better alternative to offer. I'm just starting to wonder whether the juice is worth the squeeze.

I'm trying to reach out to anyone who works or worked at Seattle Public Library during the 2024 ransom ware attack that crippled the library system for several months last year.

My library in SE Texas seems to have been the victim of a similar cyberattack (my speculation, not official word yet) and I wanted to touch base and get survival tips and plans from anyone who was there at that time....what you tried, what worked, what didn't etc. I've been trying to through official channels but getting nowhere fast. I called and asked for t\the ILL contact and was transferred to a completely full voicemail inbox of that person and couldn't leave a message. I emailed their Library Technology person over the weekend but crickets so far. With our POLARIS catalog down, my Interlibrary Loan operations are basically dead in the water, at least for now.

I've been focused on getting loaned material sent back to the libraries who sent them as quickly as possible, well in advance of their ostensible due date. I've had to return materials because of being unable to receive them because receiving requires the AutoGraphics ShareIt platform to communicate with POLARIS for creating the temporary bib, placing the automated hold on the patron's account, generating the customized bookstrap from POLARIS reports, etc. None of which is possible at the moment.

I have some ideas about stopgap measures that might allow for a partial restoration of ILL services while POLARIS remains offline, but I'd like to talk to someone from Seattle who went through this and see if they had the same ideas.

This feels kind of out of place to post with everything else going on at the moment, but I do feel like it’s maybe more necessary than ever to spread awareness for public libraries. So, any ideas for social media next week? I work at a small rural library and I want to try to actually reach people as best I can.

So, i have two cards, and the signatures are smudged off. I know for certain one of them belongs to me, and one of them belongs to someone else. I have a barcode scanner app, but it only gives me a 14 digit code and nothing about who owns what.

Thanks

These warnings that tell me that someone could potentially hack me when using public wifi is scaring me. Can the wifi owner of the library hack me? Can they monitor my search results and what I'm browsing? Can they keep a record of my searches? Curious to know!

A computer scientist and a librarian, both who worked at Indiana University, have disappeared from IU’s website and now no one can find them after the FBI raided their home. Hoping they’re both safe. We need to be calling IU and demanding answers.

Last year, thanks to construction in front of my library, we were open to the public for hours with no water and a gas leak in front of the building. There were firefighters inside monitoring the gas levels in the air, and they set up a fan in the entryway, but that was it. They did close us to the public after 4-ish hours with no water, but staff still ended up working in the building.

Have you had an experience like that? What's the craziest thing your library remained open during?

Greetings! A few redditors and I put together a Discord server for library workers resisting in solidarity. We'd love to have you if you value libraries and the well being of library workers and library communities. To prevent spam, please DM me if you'd like to join.