ALP Summit
ALP Annual Summit 2026
Libraries as Common Grounds
August 7, 2026
1:00 – 4:00 P.M. EST
Keynote Address by Journalist Bethany Mandel,
speaking on how libraries can rebuild public trust
For generations, America’s public libraries were among the nation’s most trusted civic institutions—places where communities could access knowledge without political litmus tests or ideological gatekeeping. Increasingly, however, many libraries have drifted from that mission, embracing activist causes, partisan advocacy, and professional organizations that see libraries not as neutral public institutions but as vehicles for social change. How that transformation has occurred, from the influence of the library profession’s leadership to controversies over children’s collections and even military libraries, have become flashpoints in broader cultural debates.
Libraries best serve the public when they return to their core purpose: preserving intellectual diversity, respecting the communities that fund them, and rebuilding the public trust that has been eroded by years of unnecessary politicization.