News

The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending May 23, 2025

Among the week's headlines: Petitions celebrate Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden; ALA welcomes IMLS employees back to work after court order; and Nevada races to pass a bill that would protect librarians.

It's been just over two weeks since Donald Trump fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden with just a little over a year remaining in her 10-year term. And among all the slashing and burning of the administration's DOGE-fueled first months in office, the firing of Hayden has struck many as particularly egregious.

Hayden, the first African American and the first woman to hold the post, had earned strong reviews for her work, and was highly respected on both sides of the aisle.

While no one is expecting that Congress will step in and save Hayden's job, a host of online petitions are cataloging just how highly regarded Hayden is, with some demanding her reinstatement.

A Change.org petition started the day after Hayden's firing on May 9 has now surpassed 20,000 signatures. "Her removal appears to be politically motivated and without cause—part of a growing pattern of the Trump administration targeting nonpartisan institutions and cultural leadership," the petition states, while calling for her immediate reinstatement. "Dr. Hayden’s leadership is a national asset. Her removal is a national loss." Don't sleep on the comments, which are well worth a read.

An EveryLibrary petition meanwhile surpassed 12,000 signatures this week, and features an email urging Congress to fight for their librarian. "President Trump has crossed another dangerous line by abruptly firing Dr. Carla Hayden," the missive to Congress states. "Dr. Hayden has served our country honorably. The Librarian of Congress should not be subject to arbitrary removal. Please respond with courage!"

On social media, all of the past National Ambassadors for Young People's Literature have signed a letter to Congress in support of Hayden.

"As advocates for the reading lives of children and their families, we believe in promoting libraries as places for young people to learn, grow, and connect," the letter states. "Through Dr. Hayden’s innovative leadership, the Library, a research institution with the largest holdings in the world, served as a national model of how all libraries could engage a new generation. Her wisdom and vision, along with her unfailing ability to work impartially with all constituents, are unparalleled."

Several library association have also issued statements, including news this week that the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) has published a resolution honoring Hayden. "Dr. Hayden has led the Library of Congress with unsurpassed wisdom, talent, and grace. It is a honor to be acquainted with her," commented ASERL Executive Director John Burger. "She made everyone she encountered feel like a colleague and friend—the mark of an amazing leader.”

And Library Futures this week published an excellent tribute to Hayden. "In her decades of library work Dr. Hayden has been integral to preserving the past, shining light on it, and paving the way for a more expansive and inclusive future for the people of this country," the statement reads. "Her callous firing by the current administration makes it all too clear what is at stake when libraries are under attack. We celebrate Dr. Hayden’s work and we condemn those who would use it to their political ends."

How Will the Supreme Court Handle the Fifth Circuit's Seismic Book Banning Decision?

In the wake of today's massive book banning decision by the Fifth Circuit, Eugene Volokh at Reason.com has a look at where the Supreme Court stands on whether libraries can ban books based on viewpoint discrimination. Considering where the Supreme Court is today, it's not for the faint of heart.

"The Fifth Circuit decision holding that libraries may remove books based on the books' viewpoint may lead some to ask: Hasn't the Court resolved this before, in Bd. of Ed. v. Pico (1982)?," Volokh writes. "It turns out that it hasn't. Four Justices (led by Justice Brennan) took the view that 'local school boards may not remove books from school library shelves simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books.' Four other Justices (led by Chief Justice Burger) expressly rejected this view (except in the narrow situation where the disagreement was based on pure partisanship, for instance if a Democrat-run board removed books because they were written by Republicans or because they praised Republicans). And the swing vote, Justice White, expressly refused to opine on this issue."

ALA Welcomes IMLS Staff Back to Work

In a statement this week, the American Library Association welcomed the return of Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) staff to work after a May 13 court order, and expressed optimism that, despite more legal wrangling this week, the will ultimately prevail in litigation to save the IMLS.

“ALA is pleased that, according to the status report, IMLS staff are returning to work," ALA President Cindy Hohl said in a statement. “These developments are critical first steps in our shared goal to renew and amplify the need for IMLS after the administration’s abrupt and illegal actions eliminate it. Even as we celebrate this progress, we must remember that these wins are temporary and only as good as the extent to which they are upheld throughout the appeals process until the judge issues a ruling on the case based on its merits. We are cautiously optimistic, but library advocates will not rest until libraries in every state receive the funding promised and IMLS is back in full force to meet the information needs of all Americans."

Ohio Libraries Push Back on LGBTQ Provisions in Budget Bill

The Ohio Capital Journal reports that Ohioans are not only pleading for more financial support for the state’s public libraries, but also against a provision in the budget bill that would require public libraries to place “material related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression" out of the view of minors.

"Librarians who spoke at the Senate Education Committee last week noted the vague language of the provision, and tried to give legislators an idea of the heavy lift this might mean for libraries. Library visitors and advocates criticized the provision as targeted toward LGBTQ+ content, such as transgender issues," the Journal reports. "Amelia Green, who identified herself as a married transgender woman who plans to raise children in Ohio, agreed that parents should be the deciding factor in what children have access to, not state leaders 'This provision is not just misguided. It is a violation of parental rights,' Green told the committee. 'As a future parent, it should be my right, not the government’s to decide how and when I introduce my children to stories about people like their parents, their friends and potentially themselves.'”

How to Rally Voters

At Book Riot, Kelly Jensen leads off her weekly must-read censorship news column with the first in a two-part "how-to series" to help people "build local voter guides" related to public school and public library elections.

"For years, it’s been clear that book bans, censorship, and dismantling of these democratic institutions has come thanks to the work of bad actors being appointed or elected to school and/or library boards," she writes, handing the space over to Frank Strong, "whose candidate guides in Texas have become indispensable tools for voters."

In Wyoming, State Lawmakers Are Going After Library Books

WyoFile reports that a legislative committee this week is looking to ramp up its censorship efforts.

"Lawmakers are reviewing the content of library books, which has become a national crusade by religious conservatives, as activists and lawmakers around the state pore over material available in young adult and teen sections of libraries, hunting for sexual content," the report notes. "They have focused specifically on books exploring LGBTQ+ issues that are written for young people, though some books dealing with issues like drug use are also under the microscope."

Navy Reverses Course on Book Bans

ABC News reports that "almost all of the 381 books that the U.S. Naval Academy removed from the school's libraries have been returned to the bookshelves after a new review using the Pentagon's standardized search terms for diversity, equity and inclusion titles found about 20 books that need to be removed pending a future review by a Department of Defense panel, according to a defense official."

Nevada Moves to Advance Bill to Protect Librarians

The Nevada Independent reports that the Nevada Assembly passed AB416, the state's effort to defend librarians, by a 29-13 vote, but the bill still needs to clear "several more legislative steps by the end of the session," which is just days away.

"Library board meetings have become ground zero for debates about banning certain books or making them harder for children to access, particularly when they deal with LGBTQ+ and diversity, equity and inclusion topics," the report notes. "But Assm. Brittney Miller (D-Las Vegas) is hoping to defuse the controversies through AB416, a bill that takes decisions about book removals out of local school and library officials’ hands and instead moving them to court—something she said will ensure more consistency in bans from one jurisdiction to the next. The bill would criminalize two types of actions—including trying to share sensitive information about library employees or threatening them—as felony offenses, punishable by one to four years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000."

New Law Prompts More Book Bans in Tennessee

Local affiliate WVLT8 reports that more than 100 books are now prohibited from library shelves in Knox County Schools after the board of education passed a new policy to comply with Tennessee’s new Age-Appropriate Materials Act. "Specifically, KCS’s policy bans books that 'contain nudity or descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence or sadomasochistic abuse,'" the article states.

What It Means to Be a Library Friendly Publisher

After LibraryPass told its customers last week that they would be losing access to Boom! Studios offerings after the publisher was acquired by Penguin Random House, whose policies doesn't allow for the simultaneous use models offered by LibraryPass's Comics Plus service, Chief Content & Marketing Officer Guy LeCharles Gonzalez this week posted about what what it means to be a "library-friendly" publisher, and laid out the complications facing libraries in the digital marketplace.

"Because of the unique limitations and higher costs for traditional ebook licenses, reader demand often ends up being the most influential factor, and managing hold ratios can become an expensive, ongoing challenge," he writes. "A collection dominated by bestsellers is one that prioritizes a small percentage of available books for a small percentage of a library’s potential readers. Due to more restrictive ebook licenses such as single-use or metered check-outs, those bestsellers end up dominating an escalating percentage of a library’s materials budget, while under-serving readers with other interests."

Meanwhile, Bleeding Cool and The Beat this week both picked up on the news that Boom! Studios would be changing its library access model, and cutting out ComicsPlus. "While it's disappointing to lose a publisher partner to consolidation, we knew it was a likely outcome when PRH acquired BOOM! last year," reads an official comment offered by LibraryPass, adding that "Comics Plus will continue to be a robust service for libraries and schools thanks to the many library-friendly publishers who believe in offering equitable digital access to readers."

And finally this week...

Here's to "building" a new relationship in Boston. Boston.com reports that after opening a "glitzy new Boston office," Lego is giving $1 million to the Boston Public Library to help fund a series of new programs for children.

"The transformative grant will expand what’s possible—introducing more playful, creative, and civic-minded experiences for young people across all of Boston’s neighborhoods,” BPL President David Leonard said in a statement.

"The grant will help the library reach 150,000 children over two years. It is projected to generate more than 21,000 new library card signups and more than 600,000 checkouts of early literacy books, according to the BPL," the report states. “By embedding learning through play into everything we do—from early literacy to tween engagement—we’re equipping Boston’s young people with the tools to grow as readers, creators, and active members of their communities,” Angela Veizaga, chief of youth and family engagement at the BPL," told the outlet.