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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. 

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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.  

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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.

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Charles W. Robinson (1928 – 2016) served as the director of the Baltimore County Public Library from 1963 until his retirement in 1996. He began his library career in 1953 at the Free Library of Philadelphia before taking a position at the Baltimore County Library in 1959. Robinson served as president of the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association, in 1984-85. He also served twice on the council of the American Library Association. When he retired in 1996, the Public Library Association established the Charlie Robinson Award, which is awarded annually to a public library director who has been an innovator in the field.

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“Your Right to Know: Librarians Make It Happen” was the theme of National Library Week in 1992. As part of the event, promotional materials such as buttons were developed. Since 1958, National Library Week has been organized by the American Library Association to celebrate the role of libraries in society, recognize the work of librarians and promote library services. The event is held in April each year.

“Your Right to Know: Librarians Make It Happen” was also the topic of a 1992 American Library Association conference-within-a-conference, which focused on access to government information.

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This button was made for the American Library Association, which is a nonprofit organization to support librarians and libraries. In the 1970s and 1980s the ALA supported the Equal Rights Amendment with several buttons.

The Equal Rights Amendment was proposed to guarantee equal rights for women in both 1923 and 1972. The ERA passed Congress and was proposed for ratification on March 22, 1972 with a seven year deadline for ratification. As the deadline approached advocates protested for an extension and, as a result of these protests, Congress moved the deadline to June 30, 1982. The ERA fell three states short of ratification by the extended deadline. The National Women's Conference Committee declared July 1, 1982 A New Day Beyond ERA, to rededicate themselves to the principles of women's rights. These women dedicated themselves, not just to continuing to work for passage of the ERA, but to working for a variety of women's issues from childcare to politics. They held demonstrations in cities across the country.  

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ViP stands for Visitor in Pennsylvania, this button was used during a Pennsylvania Tourism Campaign. The campaign was a five year strategic plan made in 2010. The overall goal was to promote overnight stays in Pennsylvania.