LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS

Penned in Iowa in 1938 by Des Moines Public Library Director Forrest Spaulding and adopted by ALA in 1939, the Library Bill of Rights continues to serve as a professional standard and guide across the globe. During Sam’s Iowa Library Association presidency, upholding this legacy while also facing the nation’s second most library adverse bills in the state legislature informed and strengthened their resolve.

CORE VALUES 

As a member leader, Chapter Councilor, and ALA Executive Board member, the Core Values of Librarianship guide Sam’s work and collaboration within the field. Specifically, their actions have taken shape in the forms of:

• promotion (Libraries Transform campaign)
• professional development & professional self-care support
• diversity and inclusion (Open to All toolkit)
• intellectual freedom (IFRT, ILA IFC, Library Freedom Project)
• governance (Iowa Governor’s Library Commission, ALA Advocacy Bootcamp, ILA Government Affairs chair) 

ALA Mission

To provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.

Sam’s Campaign Platforms

1. Free for All, All the Time

Libraries function as economic, educational, and political cornerstones for society making them essential to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We must advocate for robust resourcing to ensure libraries not only continue to support our communities but help them thrive.

The attempted privatization of access and opportunity must be demystified and withstood by our profession and its stakeholders.

2. We Do This Good Work Together 

The work of libraries is best conducted in community. Together, our diverse perspectives and talents shape the impact of library services and enable us to directly understand and answer informational needs. 

Because libraries are reflections of the communities they serve, the work is often complex (even messy). However, through policies, procedures, and processes all are welcome and invited to the table to conduct the good (often difficult) work of libraries. Identifying shared values, the importance of access, and the impact of free people reading freely are viable bridges of partnership in this work

3. Our Stories Are Worth Sharing 

The joy, impact, connection, and development made possible by libraries should not be lost amid historic social, political, and economic strife.

Our stories are worth sharing. The stories our library collections contain are worth protecting. The yet-to-be-told success stories of those we serve deserve a future. Honoring our stories as I advocate and celebrate libraries is both a campaign value but also a career-long aspiration.