News and Information

Get ready for LAFCON 2027! From January 13–15, join library advocates worldwide at this premier virtual event. 

The findings of the OCLC Awareness to Funding studies proved contrary to common library beliefs about who supports libraries and why.

That's a hard argument to make!

Libraries are political when they take a stand to support topics such as first amendment rights, information access, the freedom to read and so much more. It’s also true that 98% of library funding is politically driven by the will of local voters and the will of local, state, and federal legislators. That means that if we want to see libraries funded and supported into the future then we need to understand how to navigate this world of politics.

Over 500 Library leaders from around the world gathered online to learn and collaborate on effective advocacy and activism

The 2024 Library Advocacy and Funding Conference (LAFCON), held virtually from July 24-26, 2024, featured 115 on-demand sessions and attracted over 450 attendees from public, school, and academic libraries across the U.S. and beyond.

We're excited to announce three more sessions for the Library Advocacy and Funding Conference, with discussions from Maureen Corrigan, Lorena and Roberto Germán, and Andrew Aydin. 

If you're as concerned about the political and partisan attacks on libraries and the freedom of expression as I am, then this conference is for you. 

That's a hard argument to make!

Libraries are absolutely non-partisan and that's what many people mean when they say that libraries should be neutral.

But, libraries are political when they take a stand to support issues such as first amendment rights, information access, the freedom to read and so much more.

It’s also true that 98% of library funding is driven by the will of voters and legislators.

That means that if we want to see libraries funded and supported into the future then we need to understand how to navigate this world of politics.