On the heels of an arctic blast that plunged many states into record low temperatures, the American Library Association’s (ALA) final LibLearnX conference, on January 24–27, brought welcome warmth to its more than 1,600 attendees—including 1,317 registrants, 202 exhibit staff, and 117 participants—in Phoenix. Although considerably smaller than ALA’s Midwinter and LibLearnX conferences of the past, there was a palpable sense of community and nostalgia that this would be the last midwinter gathering.

COMING TOGETHER

Starting on Friday, conference attendees made their mark on the local community by volunteering at Phoenix Public Library’s Burton Barr Central Library, where they assembled seed packets for the seed library. Members of ALA’s Policy Corps Unite Against Book Bans cadre also spent time at Burton Barr working through plans for ongoing advocacy related to intellectual freedom. Following the daytime activity, a standing-room-only crowd celebrated the 2025 winners of the I Love My Librarian Awards at the welcoming reception.

Saturday kicked off the learning experience’s formal programming with an Opening Session featuring award-winning author and illustrator Raina Telgemeier and cartoonist and comic theorist Scott McCloud. In her welcome remarks, ALA Interim Executive Director Leslie Burger declared ALA’s Pivot Plan complete and announced a new strategic planning process to commence later this year. With the search for ALA’s next executive director still underway, she noted that “this is the perfect time to set us up for success.”

PROGRAMS WITH PURPOSE

LibLearnX programs offered a little something for everyone, including topics ranging from AI tools to leadership lessons to cultivating library joy. Providing resources for addressing book challenges and censorship remained a high priority in conference programming. At a session called “Unbannable: The Impact of Book Bans on Library Patrons and How Libraries Can Push Back,” Emma Karin Eriksson spoke about Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned program that provides teens and children access to frequently challenged ebooks and audiobooks. Library systems including Boston Public Library, LA County Library, San Diego Public Library, and Seattle Public Library have joined the Books Unbanned initiative for their patrons.

Jaena Rae Cabrera, a member of Palace Project’s curation corps, gave an overview of Digital Public Library of America’s Banned Book Club. Kent Oliver, ALA Senior Policy Fellow, provided current data on book bans and “soft censorship”—referring to “instances where books are purchased but placed in restricted areas, not used in library displays, or otherwise hidden or kept off limits due to fear of challenges.” The session ended with attendees sharing experiences of challenges and book bans in their communities.

Photo credit: Claire Kelley

Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom, led a session called “Get Familiar with Freedom of Information Laws” that featured slides prepared by Sarah Lamdan, who could not make it due to illness. The session covered basics of freedom of information laws and FOIA requests, as well as practical considerations for librarians who need to be aware of privacy best practices when working in public institutions. Caldwell-Stone emphasized that laws vary from state to state but generally, state library laws protect people’s circulation records from disclosure under open records law.

At the first of what will surely be a bounty of events commemorating ALA’s upcoming 150th anniversary (in 2026), the member-led 150th Commemoration Committee hosted “So You Wanted to Be the President: ALA Leaders Reflect on Their Experience and Forecast the Association’s Future.” The panel of past ALA presidents included Ann Symons (1998–99), Barbara Stripling (2013– 14), Carol Brey (2004–05), and Julius Jefferson (2020–21). Each reflected on leadership challenges and key milestones during their tenure—from navigating the U.S. Patriot Act to early internet filtering to a global pandemic—and lessons for future leaders. Staying true to shared professional values proved to be a consistent message, as well as the need for the association to stay strong in the years ahead. 

SUNRISE CELEBRATION IN THE VALLEY OF THE SUN

The 26th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Observance and Sunrise Celebration was standing room only in a large ballroom as tributes to Satia Marshall Orange—including from ALA’s former executive director Tracie D. Hall—and a slideshow commemorating her life began promptly at 6:30 a.m.

The ceremony included a rousing keynote address from Dr. Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, author of the forthcoming book A Protest History of the United States, which will be published by Beacon Press. Browne-Marshall challenged the audience to “find your courage” in at a time when social progress achieved over generations is “being painted over, is being torn down by vengeful power-crazed despots.”

“Being mean-spirited and wealthy might be a brand for some people, but it is not a shield of invincibility,” she said, emphasizing her next words and speaking slowly. “We must protest.”

 Photo credit: Katharine Phenix

The event is sponsored annually by the ALA Social Responsibilities Round Table, Black Caucus of the American Library Association, and the ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services. Representatives from these groups and other ALA committees and associations read passages from Dr. Martin Luther King’s final published work, written in 1968, "A Testament of Hope," which was published posthumously in 1969. The ceremony ended with all attendees joining hands in a circle to sing verses of “We Shall Overcome.”

 Photo credit: Claire Kelley

AWARDS & EXHIBITS

A decidedly smaller exhibit hall footprint ensured attendees could traverse the area and visit many vendor booths, leading to what some vendors described as positive opportunities to engage in intimate, more focused conversations with event attendees.

In a prerecorded session, the year’s best in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, audiobook narration, and reference materials were announced at the RUSA Book & Media Awards. The winners of the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were James by Percival Everett (for fiction) and A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko (for nonfiction).

The Youth Media Awards (YMA) ceremony once again honored the best books, videos, and other outstanding materials for children and teens. Winners of the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards included:

• 2025 John Newbery Medal: The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

• 2025 Randolph Caldecott Medal: Chooch Helped, illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz and written by Andrea L. Rogers.

• 2025 Michael L. Printz Award: Brownstone by Samuel Teer and illustrated by Mar Julia.

• 2025 Coretta Scott King Author Award: Twenty-four Seconds from Now… by Jason Reynolds

• 2025 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award: My Daddy Is a Cowboy, illustrated by C.G. Esperanza and written by Stephanie Seales

• 2025 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award: Kwame Crashes the Underworld, by Craig Kofi Farmer

• 2025 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award: Jimmy’s Rhythm & Blues: The Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin, illustrated by Jamiel Law, written by Michelle Meadows

• 2025 Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement: Carolyn L. Garnes

WRAPPING IT UP

As of the closing ceremony at LibLearnX, ALA has yet to announce a future date and location for the 2026 YMA--nor what plans may be in the works for future ALA conferences outside of ALA Annual.