Using its I Love Libraries website as a platform, the American Library Association has launched a public supporter program that will generate donations and keep library patrons apprised of the organization’s advocacy work and grants. “The website has developed a loyal readership” among library users already, ALA president Cindy Hohl told PW. With the new program, she added, “everyone can make a donation and become our supporters.”
Libraries remain under threat from censorship battles and cuts to library funding, including threats of layoffs, exemplified in the temporary closure of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library on February 18 due to Trump administration budget-cutting efforts that have resulted in mass layoffs at a number of federal agencies. In a statement, the ALA wrote that the public supporter program “urges the public to join the fight for library funding, intellectual freedom, and digital equity.” ALA provides grants to small and rural libraries, supports broadband internet access for all, and champions the freedom to read.
Hohl, the director of policy analysis and operational support of the Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library, said that garnering public support for ALA has been a central initiative throughout her 2024–2025 presidential term. “We wanted to increase awareness of the ALA through membership and sponsorship programs,” she said, “and we’re excited to see interest already.”
Hohl described the outreach to donors as a form of relationship marketing and community building. Authors including comics creators Scott McCloud and Raina Telgemeier (The Cartoonists Club, Scholastic Graphix, Apr.), who appeared at LibLearnX in January, have recorded messages in support of ALA, and celebrities including Ethan Hawke and his daughter Maya Hawke have demonstrated their commitment on the ALA’s How I Library podcast.
Monthly donors to the new campaign receive a “For Our Libraries” tote, invitations to virtual author events, and a monthly online subscription to ALA’s patron-facing publication, Booklist Reader. One-time donors who contribute $100 or more will receive the tote, without the extra perks. Hohl noted that the author events are “a brand-new feature of this program—we want to incentivize this. We want to make sure we have that added value, and we want to connect readers with authors, including new authors.”
Hohl added: “As we engage with users, we want everyone to see the library is here for equal access to information and programming. The public library and school libraries for that matter are there to serve the information needs of their communities.”
