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Leadership Development Committee – January–June 2026 Report


The group met 2-3 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The primary objective of the Leadership Development Committee this year was to host a conversation about leadership at the PLA Member Lounge during the Public Library Association Conference. This goal is in direct alignment with the PLA Strategic Plan goal of Professional Growth.

Megan Klein-Hewett and Kevin King facilitated two concurrent group conversations in the Member Lounge attracting about 40 people in total. The conversations were casual and primarily led by attendees and feedback was generally highly positive. Two attendees reported that it was their favorite conference session, and two others shared that they learned how much expertise they bring and would consider applying to present next conference cycle.

In reviewing the topics that rose to the top at this event, the Leadership Development Committee expressed interest in presenting a series of virtual conversations about career satisfaction.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
While Professional Growth will always have close alignment with the Leadership Development Committee, there are strong aspects of the goal of Transformation that also align with the committee. The need to evolve library staff training and expectations for career satisfaction align closely with the committee's interest in hosting discussions on that topic in FY27.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
While no projects are solidly in-progress, there are a number of potential projects the committee expressed interest in:
-Webinar. Hosting webinars on the topics that rose to the top in conversation at PLA. Specific topics included career transitions/advancement, and career satisfaction.
-Mentorship. Idea for a preconference or long session at PLA for training of mentors/mentees and how to connect.
-ALA virtual session idea. Host a session on career satisfaction that could consist of 3-5 panelists and then 3-5 breakout rooms on different aspects of the topic.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
The PLA Membership Advisory Group has always been a strong ally for this committee.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?

Submitted by Megan Klein-Hewett on 06/18/2026

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Continuing Education Advisory Group – January–June 2026 Report


The group met 0 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The committee’s work aligns with several of the strategic goals, particularly by identifying and recommending webinars that support professional development while advancing advocacy, awareness, and engagement within the profession.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
The committee work does reflect many of the strategic goals like recommending webinars that will optimize professional growth while supporting advocacy and awareness.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
Recommend and promote free or reduced-cost webinars for librarians. As many library professionals face budget reductions and financial constraints, affordable professional development opportunities are increasingly important. If access and inclusion are core organizational values, we should strive to ensure that members can participate in professional learning regardless of their financial circumstances.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
None that I can recommend at this time.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
I have occasionally found myself uncertain about the expectations and long-term direction of the committee. Given the limited requirements, I have wondered whether its work could potentially be integrated with another committee. I recognize that some of this uncertainty rests with me, and I take responsibility for not seeking greater clarity sooner. Throughout this experience, however, ALA staff have been exceptionally supportive, communicative, and helpful.

Submitted by Alicia Mangin on 06/16/2026

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Digital Literacy Advisory Group – January–June 2026 Report


The group met 2-3 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The Digital Literacy Advisory Group primarily supports the PLA Strategic Plan goal of Transformation and the objective of supporting “libraries in advancing all literacies and expanding meaningful and relevant access that results in community wellbeing.” Members provide input and guidance to PLA related to development of the DigitalLearn platform, as well as discuss training gaps and needs in the public library field more broadly.

Current work has increasingly has focused on the intersection of AI and digital literacy, definitions, and guidance. There is overlap among this Advisory Group and the Transformative Technology Task Force and the ALA AI Policy Guidance Working Group.

Work accomplished includes beta testing of the revised DigitalLearn platform and feedback to developers; review and input to training materials for the “Libraries Advancing Accessibility with Apple Tools” project; presentations as part of the PLA 2026 Conference and the upcoming ALA Annual Conference; and information-sharing about digital literacy training, particularly as AI skills building is increasingly important.

Recommended follow-up actions are to include more topics and focus on emerging technologies and to begin scoping deliverables that could be shared, such as a white paper looking at the landscape for library digital literacy right now (including pressure for one-on-on support) or best/effective practices or standards for digital literacy coaching in public libraries.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
The primary opportunity is to identify and produce deliverables to address identified gaps related to digital literacy in public libraries and better support public library workers in this area.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
Same as follow-up mentioned earlier: include more topics and focus on emerging technologies and to begin scoping deliverables that could be shared, such as a white paper looking at the landscape for library digital literacy right now (including pressure for one-on-on support) or best/effective practices or standards for digital literacy coaching in public libraries.

Continue to review and advise on PLA products and services related to digital literacy.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
Yes, the overlap with PLA’s Transformative Technology Task Force and also the ALA Digital Inclusion Working Group, in particular, provide opportunities for more collaboration, plus progress specifically related to AI skills building in public libraries.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
Not at this time.

Submitted by Pat Ball on 06/10/2026

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Measurement, Evaluation and Assessment Advisory Group – July–December 2026 Report


The group met 2-3 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The committee continues to provide feedback to support the annual development of Benchmark, including recommending improvements to the Benchmark product and providing feedback to PLA staff throughout the development process. The committee specifically made recommendations and approved changes to improve the functionality of the pages for the end users by rearranging the visuals. We also contribute to PLA efforts to increase adoption of Benchmark and subscriber retention, including collecting Benchmark presentation material for use by MEAAG members at local and regional meetings.
The committee assists PLA staff with the development, testing, and reporting of new annual topical surveys administered via Benchmark. The committee has begun work for the next annual survey, Technology Survey, scheduled for the fall 2026.
MEAAG members continue to work to preserve the important outcome-based resources on outcome surveys and data on the PLA website with the end of Project Outcome.
MEAAG and EDISJ presented a session at the PLA 2026 Conference, called “Outcomes and Benchmark For the Rest of Us” on Thursday, April 2, 2026 that combined EDISJ objectives and outcome based program surveys that garnered approximately 50 attendees. Many people had questions about how to implement these surveys at their own libraries.
The committee also hosted a Member Lounge session at the PLA conference, which attracted approximately 30 attendees.
The Case Studies subcommittee is continuing to pilot and refine a new process for soliciting and reviewing case studies that support the use of PLA’s data tools. Derived from the model used by ACRL, the new process includes revised case study guidelines, a submission form, and individual roles for committee members in the review process to make the work more streamlined.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
MEAAG members continue to pursue these growth areas in the 2025-2026 committee year:
EDISJ – Data is a necessary component to advancing EDISJ in the profession. Through PLA's data tools, we help those in the profession better understand our communities (an essential step in making our spaces more inclusive), learn from other communities' successes, and measure our impact. In addition, applying an EDISJ lens to MEAAG’s work will help ensure that data is gathered responsibly, and that necessary context is provided when we present and share data.

Professional Growth – MEAAG strives to increase the field’s understanding of data-informed practices, provide unique and valuable data to professionals, and increase the network of data-focused library professionals to provide support and growth to those innovating in the field. We will continue to encourage members to seek opportunities to contribute to supporting professional learning and development related to library data and evaluation.

Advocacy and Awareness – PLA’s Benchmark data platform provides considerable value to the profession, in helping us tell the story of how public libraries benefit communities. MEAAG members are very invested in the success of this tool, and we are exploring ways we can increase awareness about the data, tools, and resources available to support library staff and leaders in communicating the true impact and value of libraries to stakeholders.

Transformation – MEAAG members represent a good cross-section of the field, with representation from public libraries, state library agencies, and support organizations from locations across the country. MEAAG will continue to draw from these perspectives to identify emerging needs in the field. Working with the PLA data products, MEAAG members will contribute to identification of trends and development of resources to support responsiveness to community needs.

Organizational Excellence – MEAAG members participate in continuous improvement of PLA’s Benchmark data product with a focus on increasing value for subscribers and are working to develop accessible resources to support adoption of Benchmark.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
For greater efficiency, the four subcommittees have been combined to form two subcommittees.
The Benchmark and Topical Surveys subcommittee will gear up to promote the 2026 Technology Survey in the fall and present the findings from the 2025 Services Survey and will advise PLA staff about potential improvements to the Benchmark platform and assist with webinars and conference presentations to provide professional development to the field (Supports Transformation, Organizational Excellence, EDISJ, Advocacy and Awareness)
The Case Studies and Outcome Measurement subcommittee will continue refining its approach to soliciting and reviewing case studies about data-informed practices using Benchmark and outcomes assessment and maintain outcome measurement resources on the PLA webpage. (Supports Organizational Excellence, Professional Growth, Transformation)

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
We are actively investigating opportunities to partner with other ALA divisions in support of professional development on collecting, evaluating, and reporting data – and doing so in an equity-informed way – including continued work with the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice Committee. Continued learning support for outcomes assessment is a key to success in ongoing grant-funded digital equity projects. The Digital Literacy Committee is increasingly addressing the increase in interest in and visibility of digital equity as a result of landmark federal legislation that provided funding to support these efforts. MEAAG believes that PLA data products can help stakeholders make strong decisions about how to best use those resources.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
Sara Goek and Katina Jones continue to be a great support for our advisory group and are fabulous to work with. Committee member capacity continues to be affected by the current unsettled environment in libraries. We appreciate the opportunity to continue supporting data-driven librarianship and look forward to sharing results with the field from the 2025 Service Survey and gearing up for the 2026 Technology Survey.

Submitted by Kim DeNero-Ackroyd, Laurie Covington on 06/10/2026

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Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships Committee – January–June 2026 Report


The group met 4-6 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships Committee continues to support the Public Library Association's Strategic Plan by advancing advocacy efforts through collaboration, relationship-building, and information sharing among members. Since advocacy has taken on renewed urgency across the library profession since 2018, the committee continues to focus strengthening PLA's role as a platform for highlighting the impact of public libraries and supporting local advocacy initiatives.

Throughout the year, committee members have worked collaboratively to exchange ideas, identify emerging advocacy opportunities, and share successful practices from their communities. Regular discussions have provided a valuable forum for members to learn from one another, explore strategic partnerships, and discuss challenges and opportunities affecting public libraries nationwide.

The committee's work aligns with PLA's strategic goal of championing the good work occurring in libraries at the local level while providing resources, connections, and support that empower library leaders and staff in their own advocacy efforts. By fostering communication and knowledge-sharing across diverse library systems, the committee helps strengthen the collective voice of public libraries and contributes to a more informed and engaged advocacy network.

In addition, the committee hosted an open Member Lounge session, Get Loud for Libraries, during the PLA Conference in Minneapolis. The session provided an informal and engaging space for conference attendees to connect, share advocacy successes and challenges, and discuss effective strategies for elevating the visibility and value of public libraries in their communities. The conversation reinforced the importance of peer learning and collaboration, enabling participants to exchange practical ideas, build new professional relationships, and strengthen their capacity to advocate for libraries at the local, state, and national levels.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
There are opportunities to further align the committee's work with PLA's strategic goals by continuing to strengthen information sharing, advocacy capacity, and strategic partnerships. Committee members have expressed a strong interest in understanding the evolving public policy and political landscape and in sharing ideas, resources, and best practices for advancing public library priorities with state and local elected officials.

At the same time, the committee has encountered challenges in identifying and navigating pathways to meaningful national partnerships that align with PLA's advocacy priorities. Continued coordination with ALA's Committee on Legislation (COL) and state library association chapters remains important to ensure consistent messaging, avoid duplication of effort, and leverage existing advocacy networks.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
As the committee moves forward, it will be important to focus on activities that produce tangible outcomes and actionable information while honoring the time and expertise contributed by committee members. Prioritizing collaborative efforts that result in practical resources, shared learning, and stronger advocacy connections will help maximize the committee's impact and support PLA's strategic objectives.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
ALA COL, ALA Chapter Relations, ALA COLA

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
Thank you to the Advocacy and Strategic Partnership committee members and PLA staff for their collaboration, commitment, and willingness to share ideas and experiences. I especially appreciated the opportunity to help facilitate the Get Loud for Libraries conversation at the PLA Conference and to work alongside colleagues who are passionate about advancing advocacy for public libraries.

Submitted by Susan Hempstead on 06/10/2026

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Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice – January–June 2026 Report


The group met 4-6 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The EDISJ Committee met monthly from January through June. We took a multi-pronged approach to our work, creating a mix of professional development (conference presentations and webinars), EDISJ resources, listening sessions, and contributed columns to Public Libraries Magazine.

In the past six months, to support PLA’s strategic goals of EDISJ, Transformation, Organizational Excellence, and Professional Growth, we completed:

* Three contributions to Public Libraries Magazine
* Two PLA Conference Presentations:
* Outcomes and Benchmarks for the Rest of Us (w MEAGG): 75 attendees
* Responding to Ice at the Library: Real World Approaches: 600- 700attendees
* Training for library workers: Responding to Ice in the Library – Real World Approaches webinar. Angela Maycock provided the following stats (and was her usual amazing self):
* 2,775 people registered and 1,653 people attended the live webinar, which was available exclusively and at no cost to ALA members.
* An additional 138 people have registered for the free on-demand recording for ALA members (for a total of 2,913 registrants),, and 11 people have registered for paid access to the on-demand recording for non-members. In addition, ALA worked with Massachusetts, California, and Oregon to facilitate state-level bulk purchases of a one-year license, making the on-demand webinar recording available to all librarians in those states.
* Shoutout to Scott Duimstra, Kimberly Knight, and Jocelyne Sansing for presenting, and Angela Maycock and Kathleen Hughes for ensuring everything ran smoothly.
* Two listening sessions at the 2026 PLA Conference (thanks, Oscar Gittemeier, Keturah Cappedonia, and Jaena Rae Cabrera)
* Invited Kevin Strowder to participate/facilitate
* Two listening sessions are scheduled at the 2026 ALA Conference (Thanks, Tanya Finney Estrada, and Nikki Shaw)
* Continued to work on the living document of EDISJ Library Resources by State
* Submitted columns for each issue of Public Libraries Magazine
* Planning a Virtual Listening Session for Fall 2026 (in the works)

As we look ahead to the next year, we would like to:

* Collaborate with others on conference presentations. Topics are TBD, but some ideas include:
* Showcase of EDISJ resources developed by various roundtables (e.g., ALA Rainbow Round Table, ULC EDI Committee, ALA Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, ALA Social Responsibilities Round Table, REFORMA, BCALA, APALA, AILA, and others)
* Internal EDISJ issues, having difficult conversations & conflict resolution
* Plan two webinars (one in the fall, one in the spring)
* Neurodiversity in the Workplace
* TBD
* Continue listening sessions (including virtual)
* Share, maintain, and grow EDISJ resources by state.
* Continue contributions to Public Libraries Magazine.
* Identify existing and create EDISJ training resources for public libraries.
* Host one listening session at the 2026 ARSL Conference (Thanks, Aimee Adams!)
* At least one virtual listening session

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
I think we’ve done a fairly good job aligning our work with strategic goals, but I would love to know if there are places we could collaborate, support, or provide resources to other PLA Committees. It would be great if there were quarterly or twice-a-year meetings of PLA Committee chairs to discuss what we’re doing, ensure that we’re not duplicating work, and see where our work dovetails.

We would also appreciate any feedback from the PLA Executive Board or leadership on whether they would like us to focus on a larger initiative or move in a different direction.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
This is an active committee with ambitious plans. We’re looking for committee members who are committed to EDISJ and have enough bandwidth to contribute meaningfully to the committee and the profession. We expect new committee members to show up enthusiastically and authentically, ready to pitch in and move this work forward.

Some of next year’s work is maintenance, with (hopefully) minimal additional effort, such as keeping the EDISJ resources up to date by state. We will continue to contribute columns to each issue of Public Libraries Magazine and get feedback from our peers and colleagues through listening sessions. After we pilot the first virtual session, we can decide if it's an effective way to continue the conversation.

Given the response to the Responding to ICE at the Library webinar, there is a clear demand for ongoing EDISJ training. There’s an opportunity to address current topics through webinars and conference presentations. One goal for the coming year is to collaborate with other roundtables and affiliates doing EDISJ work.

The other is to align our work with PLA's broader vision and the work of its other committees.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
There are potential opportunities to partner with REFORMA, BCALA, APALA, AILA, ODLOS, ARSL, the Rainbow Round Table, and others. I’d love to see wider collaboration and improved communication between the different groups focusing on EDISJ.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
* My experience serving on this committee has been wonderful. We have a core group of committed colleagues who are passionate about this work, great collaborators, and creative thinkers.
* We would love to find a way to strengthen our committee. Several appointees never attended meetings, and a couple had to resign. We know there’s a lot of demand to serve on committees, and if there were a way to remove folks who can’t participate and replace them with those who can, that would be great.
* We have tremendous support from our Padma Polepeddi, Kathleen Hughes, and Angela Maycock. The PLA team has consistently gone above and beyond to support our work, despite already having lots on their plates!

Submitted by Erica Freudenberger & Oscar Gittemeier on 06/05/2026

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Public Libraries Advisory Group – January–June 2026 Report


The group met 2-3 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The committee continued discussion and voting around the 2025 volume year feature article contest and helped identify potential winning submissions. The articles reflected the goals of professional growth and advocacy & awareness noted in the PLA Strategic Plan. Items that support the goals include:

• The committee began brainstorming and refining possible themes for the 2027 volume year, including topics related to media literacy, ethics, collection development, workforce development, aging populations, social media, and equity in library services.
• The committee continues to serve as an advisory body supporting editorial direction and helping identify timely issues and trends relevant to the field

Members discussed opportunities for future feature articles, contributors, and emerging issues affecting public libraries that will need to be followed up by the incoming committee members.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
The goals of transformation and professional growth align with the committee work and the articles created support library workers at all levels. The articles should mirror the goals of PLA and how to help library workers.

Identified in our mid-year report, the committee sees opportunities to further strengthen alignment by continuing to prioritize contributors from small, rural, and underrepresented libraries, and by identifying stories and voices that directly support PLA’s focus on equity, workforce development, and community impact.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
For in-coming committee members, upcoming work includes finalizing contest selections, continuing development of 2027 themes, and overall advisory. They will also need to brainstorm ideas for future articles.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
There is always opportunity to partner with other PLA and/or ALA committees. Many of the article ideas come from PLA/ALA conferences, speakers/presenters and work that is being done in committees.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
Kathleen Hughes is an amazing liaison to this committee. She is clear in her emails and details an agenda with information. I appreciate her sending out an email before our meeting on 1/15/26 that encouraged use to prepare to share ideas on specific items. She always created a poll for voting on articles and scoring grid. Emails and discussions along with articles and scoring grids were sent out. And there is always a recap of the meetings, most recently, the one on April 24, 2026 where we finalized the feature article contest update and initial theme ideas for 2027. I enjoyed serving on this committee and reading the articles/hearing the podcast and thinking on all the new topics affecting libraries today. The committee will be meeting in person at the ALA Conference this June.

Submitted by Phyllis Gorshe on 06/04/2026

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Public Libraries Advisory Group – July–December 2026 Report


The group met 1 time this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The Publications Committee advises on editorial themes and content for Public Libraries magazine, Public Libraries Online, and the FYI podcast. The committee met in August 2025 and January 2026 with a focus on 2026 planning and content for Public Libraries. Recent work has focused on shaping the 2026 magazine themes; identifying and recruiting contributors; advising on feature articles related to AI, equity, access, and inclusion; supporting podcast development; and preparing for the selection of Feature Article Contest winners. This work supports PLA’s strategic goals by elevating practical public library practice, highlighting innovation, and advancing equity and inclusion.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
The committee sees opportunities to further strengthen alignment by continuing to prioritize contributors from small, rural, and underrepresented libraries, and by identifying stories and voices that directly support PLA’s focus on equity, workforce development, and community impact.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
Key work to carry forward includes ongoing contributor recruitment for upcoming magazine issues, continued advisory support for Public Libraries Online and FYI podcast content, and participation in reviewing and selecting winners for the 2025 Feature Article Contest.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
Continued collaboration with PLA and ALA committees focused on digital literacy, equity and inclusion, and professional development could further strengthen editorial pipelines and ensure content aligns closely with member needs and strategic priorities.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
The committee made strong progress during this reporting period, especially supported by the guidance of Kathleen Hughes. Our work naturally highlighted the value of a cross‑platform approach, weaving together Public Libraries Online, the FYI podcast, and the broader PLA conference programming schedule. One of the highlights for me was the mix of perspectives in the committee. Members come from libraries of all sizes and backgrounds, and that range sparked thoughtful conversations. I really enjoyed the collaboration—especially when we met in person at conference.

Submitted by Phyllis Gorshe on 02/04/2026

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Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice – July–December 2026 Report


The group met 4-6 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
The EDISJ Committee continues to advance PLA’s strategic goals by supporting equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice across public library practice, programming, and professional development. During this reporting period, the committee focused on conference programming, listening and engagement opportunities, and resource development. Key efforts include accepted EDISJ-related PLA Conference sessions; planning and facilitation of in-person and virtual EDISJ Listening Sessions at PLA and ALA conferences; development of a living, publicly available EDISJ resource list by state; and ongoing work to curate training resources for library workers. The committee also contributed to PLA programming, including planning the “Managing ICE at Your Library” webinar, which responds directly to current needs in the field.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
Yes. The committee sees continued opportunity to align its work with PLA’s strategic goals by strengthening feedback loops between member listening sessions and tangible resources, webinars, and guidance for libraries. The Listening Sessions in particular offer a valuable mechanism for grounding future EDISJ initiatives in lived experiences shared by library workers.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
Incoming committee members are encouraged to build on existing project work, including maintaining and expanding the EDISJ resources-by-state document, supporting ongoing training and professional learning efforts, and continuing to host Listening Sessions at PLA and ALA events. There is also momentum around EDISJ-focused programming and webinars, including follow-up learning opportunities connected to the ICE-related work.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
The committee has benefited from collaboration with other PLA and ALA groups, including MEAAG and other EDI-focused committees and round tables. Continued cross-committee collaboration would strengthen alignment and reduce duplication of effort across the association.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
The committee remains highly engaged and responsive to emerging issues facing public libraries, particularly those related to equity, safety, and access. Members value the opportunity to connect listening, learning, and action in ways that are practical and supportive of library workers nationwide.

Submitted by Oscar Gittemeier and Erica Freudenberger on 02/03/2026

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Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships Committee – July–December 2026 Report


The group met 2-3 times this reporting period.

After reviewing the current PLA Strategic Plan, please tell us:

Describe the current work of this committee and how it supports our strategic goals. Include work accomplished, decisions made, and any recommended follow-up actions.
• Advocacy engagement & environmental scanning: Members are conducting ongoing environmental scans to surface emerging library priorities and policy trends, participating in state library legislative days, and supporting the upcoming Feb 25-26, ALA legislative agenda and National Library Legislative Day (NLLD), while positioning libraries to engage in high-visibility national moments with local and state officials.

Do you see opportunities to better align committee work with those goals?
Storytelling & coalition building: We are developing compelling library stories and partnership coalitions that demonstrate library impact locally and nationally, learning directly from libraries what they need from us to advance advocacy agendas, and preparing libraries to leverage large-scale initiatives like FIFA and America 250 to deepen community engagement.

What recommendations do you have for in-coming committee members? Are there particular streams of
work in progress to be carried over into the new committee year? (January–June reporting period only)
• Strengthening alliances & information sharing: The PLA Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships committee is actively building and sustaining partnerships across library, nonprofit, and civic sectors. Committee members are sharing timely insights among our mighty committee members to align advocacy efforts with the PLA strategic plan and community needs. With FIFA and America 250 ahead, this is a big year for identifying and activating nationwide partnership opportunities.

What specific activities will this committee undertake over the next six months to support that alignment? (July–December reporting period only)

Are there other PLA or ALA committees whose partnership and collaboration would accelerate meeting PLA strategic goals?
ALA Committee on Legislation, and Committee on Advocacy.

Is there anything else about your committee experience you’d like to share?
It's a strong group that has built trust information sharing, and wants to help libraries get what they need without being overwhelming. How can we simplify and support? Thank you!

Submitted by Susan Braukus Hempstead on 02/02/2026

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