I Love Libraries

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An initiative of the American Library Association, supporting one of our nation's most valuable resources.

We follow ALA’s Code of Conduct: https://www.ala.org/user-guidelines

10/15/2026

Libraries across the United States have been easing and eradicating late fees for library materials for years. As a result, so many books and more have been finding their way back home, including one in New England that was almost 50,000 days overdue.

Read more at https://bit.ly/4eeUTYF

10/06/2026

This year’s Banned Books Week coincides with ALA’s official 150th anniversary. To mark the occasion, ALA has released a list of the 150 most challenged books documented from 1990, when ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom began tracking book challenges, through 2025.

The full list of the 150 most challenged books - those that have been targeted for restriction or removal in libraries and schools - spans contemporary titles such as "Gender Q***r: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe and literary classics such as "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee and "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck.

“Every book on this list is a reminder that readers have the right to explore ideas and decide for themselves what to read,” said ALA President Maria McCauley. “For 150 years, ALA has worked alongside library workers to keep that choice open to everyone. We ask for support for our libraries so the next generation has that same freedom.”

See the full list at ala150.org/150books.

10/04/2026

Let books be.

Today kicks off , an annual observation started more than 40 years ago in response to a sudden surge in the number of attempts to censor or remove books in libraries, schools, and bookstores. Sound familiar?

Today, libraries continue to face record numbers of challenges to the books on their shelves. And contrary to common narratives suggesting that concerned parents are driving these challenges, data from ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom suggests otherwise – 92% of these challenges came from pressure groups and government officials in 2025.

For this year's Banned Books Week, we remind our communities that a handful of people running organized censorship campaigns should not be allowed to dictate what the rest of us can read, and that the joy and creativity of reading is not only an act of resistance, but a freedom that must be protected.

Find ways to get involved and spread the word, censorship data, and events throughout the week at https://bit.ly/4yvixbB.

10/02/2026

Don't be afraid to READ!

Get into the spooky season with this poster featuring Gustavo the Shy Ghost from Mexican artist and New York Times bestselling author Flavia Z Drago.

Purchase here: https://bit.ly/4nZO2EO

10/01/2026

Lines around the block, long distance travelers, music, giveaways. No, it's not a concert – it's a library card sign-up event, and libraries across the country gave their communities a front row seat with two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning artist, children's book author, and Library Card Sign-up Month honorary chair Laufey.

Dozens of libraries across the U.S., from Florida to Washington and from Louisiana to Minnesota, as well as libraries in Canada, the U.K. and Iceland, partnered with the Laufey Book Club and the American Library Association to offer limited edition library cards to their communities. And the Lauvers showed up.

Read more and see photos: https://bit.ly/3U0onTh

Are you a library system interested in launching your own Laufey Book Club collab card? It's not too late! Register your interest to receive the 6 Laufey Book Club design files and keep the Library Card Sign-up Month momentum going all year long! https://bit.ly/4rCSaO6

09/28/2026

Roadtrip Nation, the PBS documentary series that sends three people across the United States in an RV to explore what it means to build a career—and more importantly, a life—around the things you love, has dropped its new season, and libraries are at the forefront for a portion.

In their travels from Chicago to Los Angeles, three aspiring librarians speak with people like Mychal Threets, resident librarian at PBS and PBS Kids and host of Reading Rainbow; Shamichael Hallman, director of Civic Health and Economic Opportunity at the Urban Libraries Council; Chris Brown, commissioner of Chicago Public Library; Kate Laughlin, the executive director of the Association for Rural and Small Libraries; and Sara Mawhirter a reference and instruction librarian at Linda Hall Library in Kansas City, Missouri.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4ruJ3z0

09/24/2026

In this review from ALA's Booklist, Emily Graham reviews “What Do People Do at the Science Museum?” by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Qin Leng.

Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4rsqRWF

09/22/2026

In the new episode of our “How I Library” podcast, show host and I Love Libraries editor Phil Morehart speaks with the husband-and-wife team of filmmaker John Carpenter (“Halloween,” “The Thing,” "Escape from New York," and more) and comic book publisher and writer Sandy King. They join the show to discuss their award-winning publishing company, Storm King Comics, the art of horror comics, book bans, their love of libraries, and more.

This was a fun one! Give it a listen at the link or wherever you enjoy podcasts. https://ilovelibraries.org/article/how-i-library-episode-35-john-carpenter-and-sandy-king/

09/18/2026

For this installment of our book reviews from Booklist, we have Beth McGuire’s review of “Dolly Parton” by Betsy Rathburn and illustrated by Claudia Marianno.

Read more at https://bit.ly/46rxcbq

09/15/2026

For this installment of our book reviews from Booklist, we have Kirsten Caldwell’s review of “The Year in Colors” by Jana Sedláčková.

Read more at https://bit.ly/4y4GGFF

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225 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1300
Chicago, IL
60611

Telephone

+18005452433

Website

https://ilovelibraries.org/

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