By examining the value of libraries in the distant and recent past, this PBS film makes a compelling case for the importance of the American public library system today.

Organized pressure groups, not individual parents, are leading the fight to remove books from shelves, according to a new report from the American Library Association.

The staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services was placed on administrative leave Monday morning, following a meeting between IMLS leadership and DOGE staff.

Keith E. Sonderling is the new acting head of The Institute of Museum and Library Services, the main source of federal funding for libraries and museums across the country. President Trump issued an executive order last week saying he aims to close the agency.

The public library in Toledo, Ohio, is one of a number across the U.S. that have become entrepreneurial hubs. Business-specialist librarians are helping aspiring small-business owners and nonprofits for free.

Every year, the Library of Congress names 25 "audio treasures" to be preserved permanently. This year's selections range from ABBA and Green Day to World War I-era jazz pioneer James Reese Europe.

Ahead of Sine Die, many lawmakers in the state House of Representatives and Senate are trying to get their bills passed. Sometimes they do this with add-ons that aren't related to the original intent of the bill. 

Georgia senators are advancing a proposal that would require school libraries to notify parents of every book their child checks out. The state Senate Education and Youth Committee voted 5-4 Tuesday to advance the bill to the full Senate for more debate.

Facing a primary challenge, state Sen. Ben Watson jumps on a library-critical effort.

There are efforts to change how decisions are made about which books libraries should stock and which section they belong in. Some advocate using a national rating system like the one used for movies.

Most of the scrutinized books were written by or contained subject matter about people of color or members of the LGBTQ+ community, according to research by the American Library Association.

Georgia Republican lawmakers passed a law to make it easier to challenge school library books as inappropriate, but few people are using it.

No longer are just books under fire, but also the library administrators, teachers and long-beloved librarians who are defending them.

There are overdue library books. Then there's An Elementary Treatise on Electricity, which was last checked out in Massachusetts in 1904. It finally made it back after being spotted in West Virginia.

NPR's Scott Simon remarks on the effects of book bans on libraries and young readers.