National Library Week: April 9-15, 2017

#NLW17 image courtesy of American library Association

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. All types of libraries - school, public, academic, and special libraries - participate.
National Library Week celebrations include the release of the American Library Association’s 2017 “State of America’s Libraries Report” on Monday, April 10; National Library Workers Day, April 11; and National Bookmobile Day on Wednesday, April 12.
April is also School Library Month, which is sponsored by the American Association of School Librarians.

During the 2017 National Library Week, April 9 – 15, The American Library Association (ALA) will launch Take Action for Libraries Day, a national library advocacy effort which will be observed for the first time on Thursday of National Library Week, April 13.

During Take Action for Libraries Day ALA encourages everyone who uses libraries to advocate for full funding of IMLS to safeguard federal funding for our nation’s libraries. Please fight for libraries by making at least five calls to your legislators to ask for full support of IMLS funding.Take Action for Libraries Day will highlight the library community’s efforts to safeguard funding for the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) which serves as a critical funding resource for libraries and museums in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories.

Libraries of all types are part of a delicate ecosystem that supports the transformation of communities and lives through education and lifelong learning. From the cradle to the grave, libraries provide invaluable resources that serve as a lifeline for billions of users for access to technology, early and digital literacy instruction, job-seeking resources, social services and small business tools.