#LibrariesResist

A curated list of resources for libraries and library workers

Highlighted Resources:

Black Lives Matter Resource List ✊🏿
Censorship and Book Bans 📚
Free Speech, Intellectual Freedom, Protests 🪧
Health and Pandemics 😷
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship 🛂
Palestine Solidarity Resource List 🇵🇸
Queer and Trans Library Resources 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
Save IMLS 🏛️

Latest News, Events, and Actions:

Honoring the Life of Fobazi Ettarh (Fundraiser)
Building the First Library in Gaza After the Genocide (Fundraiser)
Authors for Minnesota Day (28 February 2026)
"The Mayor's Preliminary Budget is Terrible for NYC Public Libraries" (NYC Public Library Action Network, 18 February 2026)
"Prison-Style Free Speech Censorship is Coming for the Rest of Us" (Jeremy Busby, Intercept, 16 February 2026)
"The KidLit Community and the ICE Invasion" (Shannon Gibney, Edith Campbell, 10 February 2026)
"Four Freedom to Read Bills to Follow Right Now" (Kelly Jensen, BookRiot, 6 February 2026)
Library Lovers Week, February 9-12, 2026
"The IMLS Propaganda Machine Is In Full Swing" (Kelly Jensen, Well Sourced, 31 Jan 2026)
"A Message from the Public Library Association Board Regarding Federal Immigration Enforcement in Minneapolis and the PLA 2026 Conference" (30 Jan 2026)
"Supporting Minneapolis Through Literary Activism" (Kelly Jensen, BookRiot, 30 Jan 2026)
Political Librarian webinar series (EveryLibrary Institute): 19 Jan-2 Mar, 2026

Welcome to #LibrariesResist!

This resource is for everyone who's interested, but is targeted at information workers (librarians, archivists, records managers, curators, etc.), primarily those in the United States. How can libraries help communities made (more) vulnerable by the current political climate? The resources we've selected seek to highlight both examples of those already doing this important work, and tools to help us do better.

New to #LibrariesResist? Learn more about us here, and read some introductory articles below about us and whether, why, and how libraries resist.

Use the search box or navigation bar to find information and resources about library-specific topics, as well as some more general reading lists and actions.

Please share with your networks, follow us on Bluesky, give feedback, and keep resisting policies, laws, and trends that threaten vulnerable communities, that attack library workers and services, or that impact the free, unbiased, and accessible sharing of all types of information.

Introductory Articles:

American Library Association. “ALA Opposes New Administration Policies that Contradict Core Values.” ala.org, 30 Jan. 2017.
Association of College and Research Libraries. “ACRL Board of Directors Affirms Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Access.” acrl.ala.org, 30 Jan. 2017.
Association of Research Libraries, “ARL Libraries Issue Statements, Post Signs Affirming Core Beliefs,” 3 March 2017.
Association of Research Libraries, “Research Libraries, University Presses Oppose Trump’s Immigration Order,” 30 Jan. 2017.
Association of Research Libraries, “Research Libraries and Archives Stand Committed to Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, Social Justice,” 16 Nov. 2016.
Brown, Alex. "Libraries Must Stop Pretending They Can Be Neutral About Human Rights." Prism, 21 July 2022.
Clinton, Hillary. "2017 ALA Annual Conference Closing Keynote Speech, Chicago." cnn.com, 27 June 2017.
Doctorow, Cory. “Librarians must resist trumpism.” boingboing.net, 20 Dec. 2016.
Drabinski, Emily. "Are Libraries Neutral?" Blog Post, 12 Feb., 2018.
Drabinski, Emily. "The Library is a Commons." In These Times, 15. Jul. 2024.
Fuller, Jamie. "In Trump's America, Activist Librarians Who Won't Be Shushed." mtv.com, 19 Jan. 2017.
Ettarh, Fobazi. "Vocational Awe and Libraries: The Lies We Tell Ourselves." In the Library with the Lead Pipe, 10 Jan. 2018.
Griffey, Jason. “Stand, Fight, Resist.” jasongriffey.net, 16 Dec. 2016.
Griffey, Jason. "Plan, Prepare, Act." jasongriffey.net, 3 Mar. 2017.
Herman, Lily. "Ivanka Trump Faced Backlash For Tweeting About National Library Week." teenvogue.com, 14 April 2017.
Jensen, Kelly. "Libraries Resist: A Round-Up of Tolerance, Social Justice, & Resistance in US Libraries." bookriot.com, 10 Feb. 2017.
Kean, Danuta. "US libraries join the struggle to resist the Trump administration." theguardian.com, 21 Feb. 2017.
Khmara, Danyelle. "Libraries Trump Hate." tucsonweekly.com, 19 April 2017.
Kipen, David. “How to Weather the Trump Administration: Head to the Library.” latimes.com, 10 Nov. 2016.
Mayer, Allana. "Libraries in the age of fascism." allanamayer.tumblr.com, 8 Feb. 2017.
Mayer, Allana. "Canadian Libraries in the 45th US Presidency: An Actionable Guide." BCLA Perspectives, vol. 9, no. 2, May 2017.
Sparanese, Ann. "Activist Librarianship: Heritage or Heresy?" Progressive Librarian, vol. 22, Summer 2003.
Stahl, Lynne. "Librarian, Read Thyself." The Rambling, 23 Oct. 2020.
Weiss, Suzannah. "Margaret Atwood Is Calling on All of Us to Defend Libraries." glamour.com, 1 June 2017.
Wong, Brittany. ""Librarians Are Mad As Hell at the Trump Administration: They Think You Should Be, Too" HuffPost, 1 April 2025.

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