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    "parsed_content": "We asked dozens of librarians about America\u2019s libraries \u2014 what they provide, what they\nneed to survive. Here\u2019s what they told us. Librarians on Libraries By Elisabeth Egan and John Maher Photographs by Lyndon French The reporters attended this year\u2019s American Library Association conference in Chicago, where they spoke with nearly 50 librarians from across the country. Join them in the comments. Oct. 1, 2026 Share full articleThis year, Americans are marking the 250th anniversary of the country\u2019s founding. The nation\u2019s librarians are celebrating a milestone too: the 150th birthday of the modern American library.A lot has changed since the American Library Association was established in 1876 \u2014 even just over the past decade. The library has gone from a building full of books to arguably the most versatile civic center in any community lucky enough to have one.We spoke with dozens of librarians at the A.L.A. conference this summer in Chicago. They came from rural towns and major cities, elementary schools and universities, local branches and big government agencies.These librarians want you to know that they don\u2019t sit around reading all day. They want you to know about book bans and budget cuts, but also about career counseling and crafting groups and pop-up medical clinics.They want you to worry, the way they worry, about artificial intelligence, looming legislation and harassment of their staff. But most of all, they want you to know what the library really is: a safe place for people to gather around books, ideas and one another.Here\u2019s what librarians had to say, in their own words.SKIP ADVERTISEMENT What is it like, and what does it mean, to be a librarian in the United States in 2026? Lyndon French for The New York Times I am the director, I am the circulation clerk, I am also the janitor, the landscaper and a community organizer \u2014 I\u2019m all of the things. My budget for the whole year is only $80,000. And that includes payroll, everything, the whole kit and caboodle. Sherry Scheline, Donnelly, Idaho Donnelly Public Library Librarians are defenders of democracy. We\u2019re defenders of the freedom to read. We\u2019re protectors of patron privacy. Libraries are one of the few places in this surveillance economy that are not trying to collect and sell your data to come and use our facilities. And I find, increasingly, that librarians have to be advocates for our communities. Ed Garcia, Cranston, R.I. Cranston Public Library Lyndon French for The New York Times The things that librarians are facing right now are like nothing I\u2019ve ever seen in my 27 years of librarianship \u2014 the attacks on libraries, the censorship, books disappearing from shelves in Texas and Florida. Acknowledging the challenges we\u2019re facing allows us to center ourselves on our personal missions as librarians and lean into meaningful service to our communities. Librarians and democracy are aligned, hand in hand. Jenny Foster, Honolulu, Hawaii Hawaii Supreme Court Law Library This past year was the worst of my life. I was targeted by a Moms for Liberty group in my town, the town I grew up in. There were grievances filed; I was doxxed online. I live by myself and I feared for my safety. I\u2019m hopeful for the future, but if you told me 10 years ago that this is what my job would be, I would have said you were nuts. Amanda Hunt, Central Texas school librarian Lyndon French for The New York Times You have to be willing to sit in a public meeting where one of the people might come in and say, \u2018She grooms children for sex trafficking.\u2019 You have to sit there and act professional and take that. Tracy Fitzmaurice, Whittier, N.C. formerly of the Fontana Regional Library system We\u2019re a caring profession. We\u2019re supposed to be helping people, not advocating, so I think that\u2019s been a shift in what we have to do in 2026. Our core has always been to help people find the information and teach them how to get there for themselves. Tamika Barnes, Atlanta, Ga. Georgia State University Library Lyndon French for The New York Times It means you\u2019ll never be rich. Sure hope you didn\u2019t get in this for money. But it means there\u2019s a responsibility there. That\u2019s a hard responsibility to communicate, because everybody\u2019s values are different, everybody\u2019s got their own perspective. And that\u2019s the beauty of our country. But it also means you have a responsibility to your community because it\u2019s their money fueling what you do. Phillip Carter, Starkville, Miss. Starkville-Oktibbeha Public Library system I almost feel like there\u2019s a sense of complacency setting in, an attitude of, \u2018This is just the world we live in now.\u2019 The challenge is making sure our profession stays in the fight. Valerie Byrd Fort, Columbia, S.C. South Carolina Center for Community Literacy Lyndon French for The New York Times It\u2019s challenging that there aren\u2019t that many Black school librarians. But I truly feel it is the best job in education. You get to work with staff, get to work with students, and you\u2019re coming from a helping perspective. You\u2019re always there to help. And kids love libraries. When they skip, they skip into the library. Tresha Patton, Milwaukee, Wis. formerly of Milwaukee Public Schools People don\u2019t really have an idea of what we do. They think we stand at a circulation desk and check out books to people. But to think that everyone who works at a library is a librarian is like thinking that everyone who works at Walgreens is a pharmacist. Ann Lindell, Gainesville, Fla. University of Florida Libraries Lyndon French for The New York Times A boy checked out a graphic novel about two boys who fall in love. He told me he\u2019d never felt seen before in our tiny conservative Texas town. He was getting bullied and targeted for being who he was.The next year, when he went to high school, he sent me an email saying that having access to books like that made him feel seen and validated. He went on to shine. Amanda Hunt, Central Texas school librarianSKIP ADVERTISEMENT What are the biggest challenges facing libraries today? When we see legislation drafted that states we don\u2019t need libraries because people have the internet, that\u2019s like saying we don\u2019t need math classes because we have calculators. Cindy Hohl, Fairway, Kan. Shawnee Indian Mission Foundation I find it frustrating that the pendulum seems to be swinging back toward book banning and book challenges. That\u2019s something I do keep in the back of my mind while I\u2019m ordering. I have students I\u2019ll go to bat for because every child deserves to see themselves in books. Gina Batie, Muskogee, Okla. Cherokee Elementary School There are a number of adverse legislations across the United States and these really limit freedom of expression and the freedom to read. That\u2019s a real threat to society. Maria McCauley, Cambridge, Mass. Cambridge Public Libraries Lyndon French for The New York Times The loudest voices in the room seem to be people who don\u2019t like libraries. They\u2019re the ones showing up to board meetings complaining about the books they don\u2019t like. Some libraries are being defunded entirely. I don\u2019t think most communities really want that. I don\u2019t even think most conservative communities want that. I see a lot of home-school families with conservative backgrounds, and they\u2019re using the library every day. Holly Eberle, Algonquin, Ill. Algonquin Area Public Library District We need the community to fight for the library. Because we just work there. But your money \u2014 whether you rent, you\u2019re a business, you have a home there \u2014 your money is going into the library. That\u2019s your library. You have a right to say, I would like books and materials and programs that represent me. I like this librarian. They help me. If we don\u2019t have that, we will disappear. Rosie Camargo, South Holland, Ill. South Holland Public Library Lyndon French for The New York Times Information literacy. A.I. is being placed in literally everything, and there\u2019s not an easy way for most people to opt out. Misinformation and disinformation are a big deal. Maria Nazari, Louisville, Ky. Smith Library, Jefferson Community & Technical College Restricted access to information \u2014 whether that is book bans, or if people can\u2019t get to a certain location, or if they\u2019re immigrants or new Americans and they don\u2019t even know exactly what a public library is. Or maybe they\u2019re people who say, \u2018Yeah, I remember a library from when I was a kid, but I don\u2019t need a library card.\u2019 Joan Firestein, Baltimore County, Md. Baltimore County Public Library Lyndon French for The New York Times If you go to a legislator and the first thing they say is, \u2018When I was a kid,\u2019 you\u2019re dead. They haven\u2019t been in a library. People need to understand the impact we have, what kind of difference we make, and translate that into funding. Veronda Pitchford, San Francisco, Calif. Califa Group Lyndon French for The New York Times When I was a graduate assistant at Auraria Library in Denver, we had a federal depository. There was a community that was displaced in downtown Denver, the Auraria neighborhood. They built a campus on top of it, in the \u201970s.The schools now have a scholarship fund for anyone who was impacted by that displacement. We had a list of names and addresses of all the people who lived there. You can go and check the registry at the library, and it\u2019s open to anybody.Every time someone came in there to identify whether they were in this list of records was the most gratifying feeling, because they got to go to school free. Being able to make that sort of impact, or just facilitate it \u2014 that\u2019s kind of the heart of what I love. Josh Herrington, Boulder, Colo. University Libraries, University of Colorado, BoulderSKIP ADVERTISEMENT What could your library do with a $10,000 increase in funding? Oh my god, I could do so much! I could make such an awesome game-schooling collection. All of the weird, niche-y things that my kids like \u2014 I\u2019d love to figure out a way to make programs related to those happen. There are other weird, niche-y kids who probably have a need for a community outside of the house, or outside of their school. I have so many ideas. Genevieve Maynard, Lancaster, N.Y. Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, Lancaster branch Lyndon French for The New York Times Getting a carpet replacement would be really nice. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s been replaced in 20 years. Also, having our water fountains replaced. Upgrade the bathrooms, which are such an important part of public libraries. If we had control of the budget, I would invest in things like menstrual supplies and clothes and health supplies. And for programming, I would look into story time, or a public music event for children. Kenji Nikaido, Philadelphia, Pa. Free Library of Philadelphia Lyndon French for The New York Times I could completely overhaul my nonfiction section. When I started 10 years ago, a paperback was $4.99 or $5.99, and they are $9.99 or $10.99 now. Picture book hardcovers used to be $14 or $15, and now they\u2019re at least $19 or $20. My budget has stayed stagnant or gone down, and book prices have only gone up. We still have Pluto books \u2014 Pluto doesn\u2019t even exist as a planet anymore! With $10,000, I could buy every brand-new book that year. $10,000 feels like the moon. Shawna Dees, Roseville, Minn. Roseville Area Schools Lyndon French for The New York Times I would increase access to electronic materials. Our budget can\u2019t keep pace with demand. The book that I can personally get on Kindle or Audible for $3.99 costs my library $80 to $120, and then we have to return it in three years. I\u2019m limited in the number of checkouts or the number of people. I don\u2019t mind one-copy, one-user restrictions. But telling me I\u2019m going to spend $80 on a book that my patrons no longer have access to in 12 months? It\u2019s not getting damaged. It\u2019s not getting wet. It\u2019s not getting torn up. Crystal Gates, North Little Rock, Ark. North Little Rock Public Libraries I wouldn\u2019t spend it on my library. I would go to the libraries in the five or six states where people are trying to take away property tax. I would buy huge banners for every public institution that gets money from public funds and property tax and hang them on the sides of all of those buildings to raise awareness. If there is no property tax, there is no public health care, there are no public schools, there\u2019s no public library. Deb Sica, Alameda County, Calif. Alameda County Libraries Lyndon French for The New York Times A gentleman who had retired needed to go back to work. He did not have email, didn\u2019t have a phone, but knew he wanted to be a part-time cart pusher at Walmart because he could walk there and it would supplement his Social Security income. He came in and we worked with him one day a week for about an hour.He would come back every now and again to check his email and then he stopped showing up. I went three, four months not knowing what happened to him. Then I went to Walmart one day and saw him pushing carts. He called me over and said, Hey, I got the job. I think that shows how necessary library work is, how we\u2019re keeping the societal safety net together as it\u2019s fraying apart. Conrrado Saldivar, Natrona, Wyo. Natrona County LibrarySKIP ADVERTISEMENT What do you wish people knew about the everyday running of your library? Lyndon French for The New York Times I wish they knew how kid-oriented it is. We\u2019re there because we love kids and love literature. We\u2019re there to help kids to become readers and learners. That\u2019s what our focus is and that\u2019s what we\u2019d love for it to be if we weren\u2019t having to filter out all this noise. Brooke King, Humble, Texas Atascocita Middle School I wish they knew that libraries in our communities are not just nice to have. They are essential services. Nothing shows more privilege than when people say, Can\u2019t people just buy books? Rebekah Cummings, Salt Lake City, Utah Marriott Library, University of Utah Lyndon French for The New York Times We had a tragic event happen in the beginning of the year. Two girls were killed. The library turned into a place where students were grieving, where they were being counseled and supported. One of the student E.M.T.s was on the scene. I sat with him in silence because that was what he needed. Sometimes you\u2019re a counselor; sometimes you\u2019re a teacher. We are there for every single kid; that\u2019s the role of the librarian. Christine Szeluga, Cranford, N.J. Cranford High School That you\u2019re not sacrificing your values to appease legislator Joe Schmo. When you compromise too early, you set yourself up to always need to compromise. Just move that book. Why don\u2019t you just move the books? But where does it stop? Conrrado Saldivar, Natrona, Wyo. Natrona County Library We serve everybody. Policymakers can afford to skip the library, and that means that they don\u2019t think very much about what other people are doing inside: getting respite from the heat or cold, using the restroom, occupying their kid for half an hour, applying for a job, resting. It\u2019s world-making work and the people that we make those worlds for matter. Emily Drabinski, New York, N.Y. Queens College, City University of New York Lyndon French for The New York Times I would ask them to read a book before they put in a challenge request. I\u2019ve seen challenges where it was clear that they hadn\u2019t read the book because they were wildly misinterpreting what it said. Mahasin Ameen, Indianapolis, Ind. Indiana University Indianapolis at University Library We don\u2019t have a political agenda, we don\u2019t have an agenda to turn children gay, we are there to give unbiased information and support our communities. I don\u2019t buy a book thinking, Oh good, if I put this on a shelf, there\u2019ll be more gay people in the world. We don\u2019t have an agenda other than supporting our communities. Tracy Fitzmaurice, Whittier, N.C. formerly of the Fontana Regional Library system Lyndon French for The New York Times I think people don\u2019t realize what they want from their library until it starts to be under threat, or until it goes away. I don\u2019t know how we can get away from people seeing libraries as quiet spaces. I\u2019ve been doing this work for 30 years and it\u2019s never been quiet. Stephanie Chase, Baker City, Ore. Libraries of Eastern Oregon It\u2019s not just people coming in and getting a free book. People use libraries for meeting spaces, because they may not have a computer or internet at home, or they just need a place to go during the day that doesn\u2019t cost money to be at. You can just be there and exist. Bradley Woodruff, Chicago, Ill. Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois Lyndon French for The New York Times The perception is that nurses bring juice and fluff pillows and that librarians shush you and read all day. Really it\u2019s careful curation of collections, providing tech support, teaching people how to use all manner of things in their lives. It\u2019s connecting people to resources to help them eat, to help them find a roof over their head, to help fix their car. You can\u2019t explain that to someone at a dinner party because they turn away and go, \u2018Bye. Now I\u2019m depressed.\u2019 Carolyn Ciesla, Elmhurst, Ill. A. C. Buehler Library, Elmhurst University The misconception about libraries to me is that they feel irrelevant because we\u2019re in a digital information age, but I would say they\u2019re more relevant now than ever before because we\u2019re conflating content with information and information with knowledge. Sam Helmick, Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City Public Library I wish people knew how much the library exists as a third space. Anybody can come in. You don\u2019t need a library card. You could be visiting from another state, another country, and we will still be there, as a resource for water, restrooms, learning about where you can get free food, English as a second language classes. And we serve as warming and cooling centers in the winter and the summer. Kenji Nikaido, Philadelphia, Pa. Fumo Family Library Lyndon French for The New York Times We are, in fact, educators. We don\u2019t just sit behind the desk. We do more than just check out books. We educate the whole person. And we don\u2019t know all the answers, but we can show you where to find the answers. LeeSa McGhee, Milwaukee, Wis. Clarke Street School, Milwaukee Public Schools Lyndon French for The New York Times A lady came in, and as you know, in public libraries, there are a lot of people who are homeless, so they just need a place to be. She comes into the central library and goes up to the information desk.She has very interesting attire, and this big bag. She asks to see the head of the library. I was the head of the library. The librarian \u2014 and this is what they do \u2014 tried to get more information from the person. They said, \u201cWell, what would you like to see her for?\u201d She opens the bag and she puts out on the table an injured bird.And the librarian says, \u201cOh, what would you like her to do?\u201d And the woman said, \u201cSomebody\u2019s got to care.\u201d Carla Hayden, Washington, D.C. 14th Librarian of Congress \nProduced by Leo Dominguez and Erica Ackerberg.Photo Assistance by Max Johnson. Pictured at top: Mahasin Ameen, Tamika Barnes, Gina Batie, Valerie Byrd Fort, Rosie Camargo, Phillip Carter, Stephanie Chase, Carolyn Ciesla, Ellen Crosby, Rebekah Cummings, Ashley Dalle, Shawna Dees, Emily Drabinski, Holly Eberle, Joan Firestein, Tracy Fitzmaurice, Jenny Foster, Ed Garcia, Crystal Gates, Carla Hayden, Sam Helmick, Josh Herrington, Cindy Hohl, Amanda Hunt, Brooke King, Ann Lindell, Jillian Lutz, Genevieve Maynard, Maria McCauley, LeeSa McGhee, Maria Nazari, Kenji Nikaido, Tresha Patton, Veronda Pitchford, Conrrado Saldivar, Sherry Scheline, Deb Sica, Zachary Stier, Christine Szeluga, Kelvin Watson, Aaron Wilson, Joseph Winberry, Bradley Woodruff",
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