Illustratiion a figure holding a book in front of its face with images floating on the right and left over a peach colored bottom edge with blue text on it

The National Library of Canada was established by Parliament in 1953. The mandate of the Library was to preserve, promote and provide access to the published heritage of Canada. The Library worked to facilitate access to their collection of Canadiana as well as to assist other libraries with identifying Canadian material through the creation of a national bibliographic database. In 2004, the National Library of Canada merged with the National Archives of Canada to become Library and Archives Canada.

Illustration of an orange and black upraised fist created out of books with black text around it and a black outer edge

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association works to promote and improve library services in African American communities and provides leadership and recruitment for the professional development of African American librarians. In 1969, E.J. Josey was appointed to the ALA Nominating Committee. In 1971, it was decided that the ALA was not serving the needs of black librarians and library professionals; a Black Caucus was formed to address these issues. Josey was elected chairman of the Caucus; the first two goals of the Caucus was to submit a formal statement of concern to the ALA and a resolution to the ALA that would censure libraries that provided services to private segregated schools that were formed to avoid integration.

Blue and white illustration of a book with black text next to it on a white stripe with a red stripe with white text above and a blue stripe with white text below

In April, 2009, members of New York City’s three library unions, Queens Library Guild Local 1321, Brooklyn Library Guild Local 1482, and New York Public Library Guild Local 1930 held a rally at City Hall Park to protest the withholding of raises from the City’s budget simply because of an oversight by the City Counsel for not passing a budget modification for a budget that had already been approved. Local union presidents joined the DC37 Political Action Department on the steps of City Hall where they handed out buttons to City Council members as they arrived for work.

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“Justice You Can Bank On” is the slogan of the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE), which was founded in 1979. NCPE is a coalition of women’s and civil rights organizations; labor unions; religious, professional, legal, and educational associations, commissions on women, state and local pay equity coalitions and individuals working to eliminate sex- and race-based wage discrimination and to achieve pay equity. Their purpose is to close the wage gap that still exists between women, as well as people of color, and men. Pay equity – evaluating and compensating jobs based on their skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions, and not on the people who hold the jobs – is a solution to eliminating wage discrimination and closing the wage gap. Among NCPE's many member organizations is the American Library Association.

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Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis won the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 1988. Dukakis, the son of Greek immigrants, was the first Greek-American to be nominated for president. He was defeated by incumbent Vice-President George Herbert Walker Bush in the general election. After his governorship ended in 1991, Dukakis remained active in the Democratic party, contributing to the success of Deval Patrick's gubernatorial and Elizabeth Warren's senatorial campaigns. 

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The Banned Books Week Coalition is a group of diverse organizations, including the American Society of Journalists and Authors, that work together to increase awareness of the annual celebration of the right to read. In September, the Coalition tries to engage various communities and encourage them to read banned books through advocacy and education. In 1981, the ASJA staged a "read-in" on the steps of the New York Public Library to protest censorship of books. The following year, the ASJA joined with the American Library Association (ALA) to found Banned Book Week, which is usually held in September. Every September, members of the ASJA wear their "I Read Banned Books" buttons to show their support of the First Amendment. 

Illustration of a blue and green earth with yellow text over it and people standing along the top edge holding hands on a purple outer edge with light pink text along the button

Brodart has been selling library supplies since 1939. The company was established when founder Arthur Brody invented the plastic book jacket by washing the emulsion off some film and then wrapping the film around a book for extra protection. In the 1950s, the company expanded into book distribution as well as the manufacturing of furniture for libraries.

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The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) was established in 1872. It was designed by architect Bertram Goodhue, using inspiration from ancient Egyptian, and Mediterranean Revival. The library employs over eight hundred people. It has over six million in their collections at seventy-two branches, including a rare books collection, a photo collection from Ansel Adams to Carolyn Kozo Cole’s diversity photo collection, to their science, technology and patents collection, and a uniquely expansive map collection from the private collection of a local map enthusiast. Today, LAPL serves over four million patrons in all their locations throughout the Los Angeles area.  

Illustration of the state of Colorado with black text on it and red text above and below and a red "No" symbol over it with black text around the outer edge on a white background

This button was designed for and worn by participants at the American Library Association's 1993 midwinter meeting in Denver, Colorado. Amendment 2 precluded any judicial, legislative, or executive action to protect people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation. Its passing led to a Supreme Court case, Romer v. Evans, in which the main concern was whether Amendment 2 violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The Supreme Court found, in a 6-3 majority, that Amendment 2 did violate the Equal Protection Clause because it denied legal protection against discrimination towards homosexual and bisexual people.

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The American Library Association promotes Banned Book Week by stressing the importance of freedom to read any material, regardless of whether a certain group of people find it offensive. The ALA keeps a list of popular banned or challenged books and releases the most frequently challenged books of the previous year during National Library Week in April. Top banned books of 2014 included The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower.