The Prison Libraries Act of 2026

The American Library Association praised the Prison Libraries Act, introduced January 27, 2026 by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO-5), along with co-leads Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH-11), and Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC-4). The bill would establish a grant program within the Department of Justice to provide library services to incarcerated individuals to advance reintegration efforts, reduce recidivism and increase educational opportunities.   The Prison Libraries Act is here: Investing in prison library programming would reduce the economic impact of recidivism by enabling incarcerated individuals to begin the process of reintegrating into the workforce. Research shows a strong correlation between participation in correctional education programs and greater success in rehabilitation and reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals. For more information on why further investments in prison libraries are essential to reducing the social and economic impact of incarceration, view ALA’s report, Investing in Prison Libraries: A Cost-Effective Path to Safer Communities and Second Chances. Standards for Library Services for the Incarcerated or DetainedLibraries and Incarceration-This resource guide provides information on providing library services within correctional institutions, including ALA policies and standards, a select bibliography, directories of organizations that support library services and intellectual freedom for justice-involved individuals, along with resources for libraries to provide justice-involved individuals upon reentry into their communities.

Human Rights Day- December 10, 2025

Happy Human Rights Day! It's celebrated every December 10th for the anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. This year's theme is "Our Everyday Essentials" ===== Video: Our Everyday Essentials

A free and open textbook for today’s human rights challenges.

The internationally recognized human rights lawyer and advocate Philip Alston has updated his open access textbook International Human Rights. This resource is free and can be found here: https://humanrightstextbook.org/ The book addresses among other topics the normative foundations of international human rights, international and regional human rights organizations, state actors, challenges to universalism, and human rights challenges such as climate change, responding to mass violations and transitional justice. This book examines the world of contemporary human rights, including legal norms, political contexts and moral ideals. It acknowledges the regime’s strengths and weaknesses, and focuses on today’s principal challenges. These include radical inequality, resurgent racism, the rise of anti-gender ideology, the implications of new technologies for fact-finding and many other parts of the regime, the continuing marginality of economic, social and cultural rights, climate change, and the evermore central role of the private sector. The boundaries of the subject have steadily expanded as the post-World War II regime has become an indelible part of the legal, political and moral landscape. Given the breadth and complexity of the regime, the book takes an interdisciplinary and critical approach.

Human Rights Day is December 8.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023, a landmark document that established a common standard for human rights around the world. Following World War II, which was characterized by terrible atrocities and extreme suffering for humanity, the UDHR emerged. The urgent need to create a global framework for protecting human dignity and preventing future violations led to its formation. Over these 75 years, the Declaration’s main goals have been to instill justice, equality, and fundamental freedoms in society. It is a cornerstone of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, serving as a worldwide model for regional, national, and local laws and regulations. A variety of human rights allude to the work of libraries: Article 12 refers to the right to privacy; Article 26 marks the right to education; Article 27 states that everyone has the right to freely participate in the cultural life of the community; and of course, the heart’s mission of libraries is reflected in Article 19, which refers to the right to freedom of opinion and expression. In addition to providing access to information, libraries and librarians play a vital role in promoting and protecting human rights worldwide by building awareness, empowering individuals and communities, developing diverse collections, programs, and services, promoting inclusion, and advocating for policy change. IFLA has promoted human rights through a variety of means, placing the principles of freedom of access to information and freedom of expression at the heart of its values alongside wider human rights. In 1997, IFLA’s decision to establish the Committee on Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) strengthened the Federation’s commitment to actively promote and defend human rights in relation to information access. This decision encouraged the profession to engage pro-actively with human rights, which was a radical expansion of the profession’s self-concept. Read more at: IFLA’s FAIFE Committee blog: https://blogs.ifla.org/faife/2023/12/08/75th-anniversary-of-the-universal-declaration-of-human-rights-the-common-standard-of-achievement-for-all-people-and-all-nations/

Organize Your Library! Developing the Collective Power of Library Workers

Authors: Angelo Moreno, Kelly McElroy, Meredith Kahn, Emily Drabinski Speaking directly to library workers, this book demonstrates the power and fulfillment that comes from actively participating in shaping both the conditions under which they labor and the conditions that govern the library itself. Interest in unions and the real, day-to-day benefits they secure for employees is on the rise—including among library workers, who are beginning to realize that on their own they have little leverage. But with a union they have the power of numbers, and their working conditions are decided by a collectively negotiated agreement rather than by the malleable judgement of an individual administrator or library board. This handbook will equip readers with the knowledge, skills, and strategies necessary for organizing and maintaining a union at their library. Peppered throughout by illuminating stories from successful library union leaders and members, this book discusses why library workers need unions and explores some of the benefits that a collective bargaining agreement can assure, such as job security, increased salaries, codification of the rules for overtime pay and time off, and protection from harassment by patrons;explains why a contract won't limit employees' autonomy;walks readers through how to launch a union drive, including the basics of talking with co-workers, combating apathy and fear, and running a campaign;offers an overview of the steps involved in building a new union, from forming an organizing committee to getting recognition and setting up a governance structure; sketches out the key issues relating to contracts, the details of bargaining and negotiation, and arbitration;lays out approaches and strategies for dealing with supervisors and administrators in the context of your union work, including effective communication between labor and management, contract enforcement, and handling bad behavior such as unfair labor practices and retaliation; gives advice on pursuing changes in your workplace in a right-to-work state; explores the constructive roles that bosses can play to support the union efforts of the workers who organize them; and provides an Action Plan at the end of each chapter with suggested readings, questions for reflection, and activities designed to help deepen your knowledge, broaden your network, and practice important skills.

Human Rights Day online panel -December 4, 2024

On Wednesday December 4, 2024, at 3 p.m. eastern, the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), the Law Library of Congress, the US Copyright Office, and the Library of Congress John W. Kluge Center will host a Human Rights Day online panel to discuss efforts to create legislation, regulations, and treaties that govern accessibility standards in the United States and around the world.

Panelists will be:

• NLS Director Jason Broughton
• Aslihan Bulut, the Law Librarian of Congress
• Dr. Kevin Butterfield, director of the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress
• Rep. Debbie Dingell, who represents Michigan’s 6th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives
• Elin Hofverberg, Senior Foreign Law Specialist, Law Library of Congress 
• Andrew Foglia, Deputy Director of Policy and International Affairs, US Copyright Office 

To attend the online event, register at https://loc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_y0hH6pVtTc6Hd6yFyYOzag#/registration

2024 Theme: Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now. Human Rights Day-2024

This Human Rights Day we focus on how human rights are a pathway to solutions, playing a critical role as a preventative, protective and transformative force for good.

Human rights impact everyone, every day and in this campaign, Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now, we will show the tangible impact of human rights by focusing on relevant global issues, showcasing impact, successes and practical solutions. 

 Human Rights Day 2024 | OHCHR