A resolution expressing support for the staff of public, school, academic, and special libraries in the United States and the essential services those libraries provide to communities, recognizing the need for funding commensurate with the broad scope of social service and community supports provided by libraries, preserving the right of all citizens of the United States to freely access information and resources in their communities, supporting a strong union voice for library workers, and defending the civil rights of library staff.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · April 10, 2025
Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
S. Res. 169 is a Senate resolution expressing support for library workers and the services libraries provide to American communities. The resolution commends library staff for their work as cornerstones of their communities—providing internet access, job training, opioid treatment assistance, shelter for unhoused individuals, and other critical services—while highlighting that they often perform these expanded roles under severe funding constraints and unsafe conditions. The resolution opposes book banning (citing over 10,000 instances during the 2023-2024 school year), defends library workers' rights to freely distribute information without censorship or intimidation, and supports their right to unionize and collectively bargain. It also calls for full federal, state, and local funding of library services and expresses concern about the Trump administration's March 2025 executive order to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Though this is a symbolic resolution without direct budget allocations or legal force, it designates April 6-12, 2025, as National Library Week and affirms Congress's commitment to protecting access to information and defending library workers' civil rights.
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