The American Library Association Council this week confirmed Sam Helmick as 2025–2026 ALA president. Helmick will immediately begin their duties as ALA president-elect.
Helmick, who is community and access services coordinator at Iowa City Public Library, will step into the role of ALA president after Ray Pun, who won the election for ALA president in March (with Helmick as the runnerup), announced last month that he was stepping down for health reasons. Under ALA bylaws, the ALA Council was required to select Pun's replacement by this month.
Helmick has been a staunch advocate for the freedom to read in their home state of Iowa, where one of the nation's most draconian book banning laws is now before the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals after being blocked by a federal judge last December. In an interview with PW in April, Helmick spoke of their work to defend the freedom to read.
“I think we would be remiss if we didn’t note that this is an attack on all our marginalized communities,” they said about the years-long surge in book bans across the nation. “It is important to recognize that censorship is a hammer looking for a nail, that it always goes after our most marginalized and vulnerable first, and that library funding is an intellectual freedom issue, too, because if I can’t purchase the materials, we can’t debate or discuss them. It’s game over.”
Helmick has served as a member of the ALA executive board and is immediate past president of the Iowa Library Association. They previously served as former chair-elect on the Intellectual Freedom Round Table and chair of the Iowa Commission of Libraries.
“I am honored to be appointed as president-elect of the American Library Association,” Helmick said, in a statement. “Together, we will continue to elevate the essential work of ensuring informational access for all and upholding intellectual freedom. The collective efforts of ALA members and library workers around the globe empower communities, enrich lives, and safeguard the principles of open knowledge and free expression.”
