Hunger, Homelessness & Poverty Task Force – SRRT/ALA
Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association
“Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of ‘the beloved community’ in his speech ‘The Birth of a New Age,’ the Folger invites audiences into a space where poetry sparks connection, conversation, and imagination. This season celebrates the power of literary fellowship—welcoming everyone to listen, learn, share, and see the world through new perspectives—and showcases voices that embody King’s enduring legacy of reflection, creativity, and transformative change.”
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani today announced that the Fiscal Year 2027 Executive Budget permanently baselines $31.7 million for New York City’s three public library systems: the Queens Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library and the New York Public Library.
Results of last year’s library elections show strong support for existing work, but also caution about new initiatives.
Political action committee EveryLibrary has released its 2025 annual impact report, detailing its recent efforts to create pro-library model legislation and encourage coalition-building related to librarianship.
“New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and New York Public Library (NYPL) officials are making good on their promise to add affordable housing atop public libraries sited on city-owned land.”
“While many homeless library patrons seek assistance, Montano said, others like 76-year-old Elizabeth Fresquez see the library as their last hope to keep their housing and find other services.”
“Menomonee Falls residents are concerned about the future of their public library after the village board voted late last month to move $300,000 from the library’s 2026 budget to the police department.”
SLJ wants to share the stories of how the loss of funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services—including Laura Bush Foundation grants —will impact your library and community.
“The state of New Hampshire gets funding from the federal government, which is administered through the State Library. The most impact that we will see with a lack of funding is the elimination of the Talking Books Program, which is the way that sight impaired people are able to take in materials. It would also eliminate the interlibrary loan service and also the platform of Libby, by which our patrons throughout the state of New Hampshire are able to download electronic and digital information.”
“It is not the homeless person that needs to be humanized,” Lommasson said. “It is us. One thing I’ve learned from this project is that any of us, if one or two circumstances changed in our lives, we could be unhoused. There’s a whole list of factors why people are homeless.”
