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Weekly News Digest
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April 7, 2026 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today.
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ALA and EveryLibrary Make Statements Condemning the Federal Budget Proposal Targeting IMLS
ALA shares, “The proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 federal budget released [April 3] by the White House would cut funding for the only federal agency dedicated to supporting all types of libraries, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS); the school library program Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL); and several library-eligible programs.” ALA president Sam Helmick issued a statement, which reads, in part: We are not surprised that the White House FY27 budget zeroes out funding for IMLS and IAL. The president’s intentions for IMLS were clear last year with the executive order to dismantle IMLS and cut off its funding. His FY27 budget follows a pattern started in his first term, when he proposed eliminating IMLS in four consecutive budget cycles. … ALA members have a solid track record of defeating the president’s threats, but we do not underestimate the lengths to which he will go to undercut support for America’s libraries. ALA is working to make sure decisionmakers continue to hear from library advocates. For more information, read the press release. EveryLibrary issued its own statement, saying, in part: This proposal represents a fundamental break with decades of bipartisan support for the federal cultural and knowledge infrastructure that Americans rely on every day. Through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and the Library of Congress, the federal government sustains a national framework for access to information, preservation of history, and public learning. These institutions are core civic infrastructure and are not viewed as optional or discretionary by the public who rely on and appreciate them. … EveryLibrary calls on Congress to reject any proposal that would cut IMLS, NARA, or the Library of Congress below functional levels. We urge Congress to sustain and strengthen the funding formula that underpins nationwide library services and guarantees uninterrupted public access to essential resources. Please take a stand for IMLS funding with your members of Congress by sending a message today on SaveIMLS.org, our federal action site. For more information, visit the webpage.
ALA Shares That One IMLS Battle Is Over
ALA announced the following:On April 6, a federal court granted the Trump Administration’s request to withdraw its appeal of a federal judge’s earlier ruling that struck down the Administration’s dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)—the only federal agency dedicated to providing funding for the nation’s libraries. The dismissal brings to an end a lawsuit filed by the Attorneys General of 21 states in April 2025. In a decision issued on November 21, 2025, the federal District Court for the District of Rhode Island nullified the administration’s actions to dismantle IMLS and permanently barred the administration from taking further steps to eliminate the agency. ALA president Sam Helmick says, “This is a triumph for everyone who values access to information, education and opportunity. Libraries can move forward with confidence that IMLS funding will be available to sustain the vital services communities rely on. However, we cannot forget that President Trump is still asking Congress to end funding for IMLS. That decision is partly in the hands of constituents. Library supporters must call on Congress to protect the future of IMLS.” For more information, read the press release.
ALA Announces Its 2027–2028 President
ALA elected Tamika Barnes, associate dean of Perimeter College Library Services at Georgia State University, as its 2027–2028 president. She will serve as 2026–2027 president-elect. Currently, Barnes is president of the Georgia Library Association. She is also a member of ACRL, the Black Caucus of ALA, the Freedom to Read Foundation, the Lois Ann Gregory-Ward Fellows Program committee, and the EBSCO Information Services Library Staff Development Award committee. “I am deeply honored by the trust ALA members have placed in me. Throughout this campaign, I have listened to members across library types and career stages, and I will continue to lead with that same commitment to connection, transparency, and responsiveness,” Barnes says. “Together, we will foster an ALA that is bold in its advocacy, clear in its purpose, and prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead.” Maria McCauley, director of libraries at Cambridge Public Library in Massachusetts is 2026–2027 ALA president. For more information, read the press release.
BiblioCommons Explores the Use of AI in Libraries
BiblioCommons states, “As AI adoption accelerates, public libraries are uniquely positioned to lead with an approach grounded in privacy, transparency, and community accountability. While large technology companies often prioritize scale and growth, libraries continue to center their work on public trust. This creates an opportunity to adopt AI in ways that strengthen, rather than erode, that relationship.”The company teamed up with four public libraries to examine “how large language model (LLM) applications could support discovery and engagement. The initiative focused on technical feasibility, patron value, responsible AI use, and risk mitigation.” They introduced three use cases for AI: answering common patron questions, discovery and readers’ advisory, and summaries of patron comments. “Overall, the findings show that AI can be implemented in ways that align with library values. Focused applications deliver the strongest near-term value, while more open-ended experiences require further refinement. The differentiator is not the model itself, but the combination of trusted data, community context, and librarian expertise,” BiblioCommons concludes. For more information, read the press release.
ASERL Adds Florida Atlantic University Libraries as 40th Member Institution
Florida Atlantic University Libraries became the 40th member of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL). “As an ASERL member, Florida Atlantic University Libraries will participate in a wide range of collaborative initiatives, including shared collections, professional development programs, and regional partnerships designed to expand access to resources and expertise across member institutions,” ASERL notes.“We are pleased to welcome Florida Atlantic University to our close-knit community of research libraries,” says Leslie Sharp, president of ASERL’s board of directors. “Florida Atlantic University’s libraries have shown impressive momentum and a strong commitment to supporting research and learning. We look forward to the collaborations and new perspectives they will bring to our network.” For more information, read the press release.
ALA Unveils Recipients of the 2026 I Love My Librarian Award
ALA announced the 10 recipients of the coveted I Love My Librarian Award for 2026. The “honorees are exceptional librarians from academic, public, and school libraries who were nominated by community members for their expertise, dedication, and profound impact on the people in their communities.”The honorees are: - Mahasin Ameen, teaching and learning librarian at Indiana University–Indianapolis
- Valerie Byrd Fort, teaching assistant professor at the University of South Carolina
- Jenny Cox, librarian at Georgetown Middle School in South Carolina
- Joanne Doucette, associate professor and associate director for research services at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
- Tracy Fitzmaurice, former county librarian and director of the Fontana Regional Library at Jackson County Public Library in North Carolina
- Mia Gittlen, librarian at Milpitas High School in California
- Mary Anne Russo, former children’s librarian at Hubbard Public Library in Ohio
- Deb Sica, county librarian of Alameda County Library in California
- Zachary Stier, director of children’s services at Ericson Public Library in Iowa
- Christine Szeluga, librarian at Cranford High School in New Jersey
For more information, read the press release.
DPLA Provides a Grant to Virginia Tech for a Project on AI and Cultural Heritage Stewardship
Elise Monsour Puckett writes the following in “AI Project Puts Human Expertise at the Center of Digital Curation” for Virginia Tech:The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) has awarded a grant to University Libraries for a project exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used responsibly to support cultural heritage stewardship while engaging students in experiential learning. The Metadata Remediation and AI-Enhanced Workflow Pilot was selected under DPLA’s AI innovation focus area and will develop practical, lightweight, scalable, and adaptable workflows that support metadata remediation and aggregation readiness. This work also prepares collections for the Digital Virginias service hub, which connects cultural heritage institutions across the region to DPLA’s national aggregation platform. For more information, read the article.
Peabody Essex Museum Celebrates America250 With a New Exhibition
On May 2, 2026, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, is opening an exhibition called Pressing Importance: Salem and the Declaration of Independence for the United States’ 250th birthday and the concurrent Salem 400+ celebration, which “offers a rare opportunity to examine the critical role that Salem played in the printing and circulation of the Declaration of Independence.” The works in the exhibition come from PEM’s Phillips Library collection, which includes “two of the earliest surviving broadside editions of the Declaration, Revolutionary-era manuscripts, newspapers, pamphlets and broadsides. Together, these materials explore themes of freedom, communication and civic engagement, inviting visitors to reflect on the power of the printed word to shape history.”“While the story of the Declaration’s signing in Philadelphia is widely known, far less familiar is how the document’s revolutionary message reached towns and cities across the colonies in the days that followed,” says Dan Lipcan, the Ann C. Pingree Director of PEM’s Phillips Library and curator of the exhibition. “And Salem had an outsized role in shaping the American story.” For more information, read the press release.
Publishers Weekly Previews the Forthcoming Return of BookCon
Sophia Stewart writes the following in “BookCon Is Back” for Publishers Weekly:Following a six-year hiatus, BookCon will return to its former home, New York City’s Javits Center, April 18–19. The consumer show, which was among the first large-scale fan events catering to younger genre readers, was ‘retired’ by organizer ReedPop in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year’s event is expected to draw some 25,000 attendees over two days, as well as around 250 exhibitors. … For publishing professionals, the show’s revival augurs well for book culture and presents an opportunity to harness the enthusiasm—and buying power—of legions of chronically online readers. And fans, it would appear, are jumping at the opportunity to participate in an event that’s not pigeonholed by one specific genre but rather lets them to connect with fellow bibliophiles of all stripes. For more information, read the article.
Coherent Digital Buys Opinion Journalism Collection
Coherent Digital acquired OpinionArchives, “a major collection of opinion journalism, commentary, and analysis from influential voices across politics, culture, economics, and global affairs. The magazines are used in hundreds of libraries around the world” and “include over a million pages of full runs from across the political spectrum,” the press release states. “Coherent will add to the content by licensing additional magazines, commentary, newsletters, blogs, podcasts, and video from equally authoritative sources.”Coherent Digital will relaunch the OpinionArchives magazines on its own platform, “making the materials cross-searchable and discoverable alongside Coherent’s existing portfolio.” For more information, read the press release.
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Brandi Scardilli
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