[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 169 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 169
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 10, 2025
Ms. Hirono (for herself, Mr. Reed, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Wyden,
and Mr. Van Hollen) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
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.
Whereas library staff are cornerstones of their communities in the United
States, providing visitors with access to books and media, delivering
high-quality programming to visitors of all ages, ensuring equitable
internet access for all, and linking people to crucial information about
accessing social services;
Whereas libraries are an economic powerhouse in their communities, providing
resources to small business owners, job seekers, and individuals
learning new skills;
Whereas, in recent years, library staff have been called on to address the
fallout from difficult public crises in the United States, taking on
roles that exceed the traditional role of providing a space for, and
access to, educational and cultural enrichment;
Whereas library staff provide lifesaving care to members of their communities
who are suffering the effects of the ongoing and tragic opioid epidemic
in the United States, including being called on to administer medication
to treat overdoses;
Whereas libraries are a safe haven for individuals and families who are
unhoused, and library workers provide the supportive community
environment and resources needed by unhoused individuals and families;
Whereas libraries are often the only source of internet for underserved
communities;
Whereas library staff maintained public access to essential library services and
were relied on to distribute personal protective equipment and provide
testing to the public during the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas libraries have met an expanded and intensified demand for community,
public health, and safety net services, often while contending with
severe funding cuts, creating unsustainable and frequently unsafe
working conditions for library staff;
Whereas the EveryLibrary Institute recently found that Project 2025 encourages
the mistreatment and misrepresentation of minority communities as well
as the harassment of library staff;
Whereas, on March 14, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14238 (90
Fed. Reg. 13043; relating to continuing the reduction of the Federal
bureaucracy) to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services;
Whereas eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services would harm the
ability of libraries to provide critical resources to millions of people
in the United States, especially in rural, Tribal, and other underserved
communities;
Whereas the health and survival of democracy in the United States requires that
everyone be able to exercise rights to information and services, and it
is especially important for young people to have the opportunity to
learn, encounter, and debate all manner of ideas, including
controversial ones;
Whereas students have been shown to spend more time reading and exhibit higher
reading scores when given access to diverse titles, and library staff
play a crucial role in curating diverse book offerings for young
readers;
Whereas a fundamental responsibility of the job of library staff is making
decisions about the books and media in their collections and assisting
visitors in accessing those materials without fear of censorship or
reprisal for fulfilling the role of providing information and resources
to the public;
Whereas PEN America found 10,046 instances of book bans in school libraries and
classrooms during the 2023 to 2024 school year;
Whereas libraries and library staff are more capable of providing their
communities with access to a diverse, inclusive, and comprehensive
selection of books and media when they operate free from threats of book
bans and censorship;
Whereas library staff have faced termination and criminalization for refusing to
remove banned books from their libraries;
Whereas, from 2024 to 2025, there were deplorable incidents throughout the
United States that were orchestrated to intimidate library staff and
prevent them from fulfilling their central work responsibility to
provide the public with free and unfettered access to information;
Whereas library staff across the United States are mobilizing for a collective
union voice in their workplaces to elevate their profession, to ensure
safe and adequately resourced spaces that meet the needs of the
communities they serve, and to protect the essential role of libraries
in the democracy of the United States; and
Whereas the week of April 6 through April 12, 2025, would be an appropriate time
to celebrate ``National Library Week'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) commends the work of library staff in the United
States;
(2) supports the goals and ideals of National Library Week;
(3) recognizes that libraries and library staff provide
critical infrastructure for the United States and are essential
to the future of the United States;
(4) supports the prioritization of full funding of library
services at the Federal, State, and local levels to ensure the
continuation and improvement of library services;
(5) reaffirms--
(A) the fundamental right of the people of the
United States to access information, which is made real
through the efforts of library staff;
(B) the fundamental right of library workers to
organize and collectively bargain at work and to have a
protected voice in their workplace; and
(C) the civil rights of library workers to exercise
their responsibilities to the public without threats or
intimidation; and
(6) recognizes the right of library staff--
(A) to speak out on matters of public concern;
(B) to address themselves to elected officials and
to the administration of the entities that employ
library staff; and
(C) to inform the people of the United States about
their right to free and unfettered access to
information, and about threats to that access.
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