Long Beach is celebrating National Library Month — and community members can join in on the party at their local branch
National Library Month, encompassing National Library Week (April 6 to 12), is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening communities. It is observed annually in April and was started by the American Library Association in 1958.
To celebrate the month, Long Beach residents can visit any of the city’s 12 local library branches in April to receive a stamp passport card and a lanyard. Each library branch has a unique button that people can collect on their passport cards, and participants who receive all 12 stamps by Wednesday, April 30, will be entered into a drawing for Barnes & Noble gift cards, according to a news release.
Library officials also encourage residents to sign up for a library card, visit the digital library and participate in library programs.
The Long Beach City Council recognized National Library Month during its Tuesday, April 8, meeting.
“Whether school, academic, special or public,” said Councilmember Megan Kerr, “we know that libraries support residents, students and readers in a myriad of ways.”
Besides checking books in and out, local libraries also provide storytimes for children, promote literacy for all ages, teach people how to use their email or smartphone, and create safe spaces for the most vulnerable members of the community, among other services, said Department Director of Library, Arts and Culture Cathy De Leon.
In fiscal year 2024, more than 1 million items – both print and digital – were checked out of libraries and more than 80,000 attendees participated in programs or events hosted by the library, De Leon said Tuesday.
“Now more than ever, public libraries represent opportunity, inclusion and democracy,” she said. “When one walks into a library, one should feel a sense of belonging and possibility. Whether it’s learning a new skill, wanting to read a story that reflects your own experience, or wanting to read about the histories and experiences of others, all of those things you should feel like your library can do that for you.”
Being able to provide these resources and services to communities, however, has started to become more difficult for libraries nationwide.
The American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom documented 821 attempts to censor library materials, in which 2,452 titles were challenged – 72% of which were initiated by organized groups and elected officials, De Leon said.
“I am incredibly proud,” De Leon said, “that our city and its leaders defend, and have consistently done so, defend others’ rights to read freely.”
Recently, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of several independent government agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is a key source of funding for museums, libraries and educational institutions.
The order, Trump said, “continues the reduction in the elements of the federal bureaucracy that the president had determined are unnecessary.”
More than a dozen organizations, including the American Library Association and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, have released statements opposing the decision, which they say could jeopardize literary development and reading programs, reliable internet access for those without it at home, and other resources for communities, among other concerns.
In Long Beach, this could cause minimal impacts, officials said, but they will be watching closely if any changes could potentially happen.
“Thank you to all of you on the council for always supporting the work of the library,” De Leon said. “It’s a huge comfort knowing that you all believe in the value and power of public libraries.”
