It's one of our favorite weeks of the year — National Library Week!

This year's theme is "There's More to the Story," celebrating the wide-ranging and often unexpected ways libraries serve their communities beyond books. 

Founded in 1958, this annual celebration is a time to reflect on the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and their role in transforming lives and strengthening the areas they serve. It’s also a time to collectively promote library use and support. As you can imagine, it's music to our ears! Read more about the history of National Library Week with American Libraries magazine, and check out the list of past National Library Week themes and honorary chairs. 

Today marks Right to Read Day, and as such, the American Library Association (ALA) will officially kick off the week by releasing the State of America’s Libraries Report, which will include the top 10 frequently challenged books of 2022. Stay tuned for that, as we'll share it on our social media channels as soon as it's available! April 24 marks one year since the launch of the Unite Against Book Bans campaign, and to honor the occasion, we're calling on readers, advocates, and library lovers to fight back against censorship in a national day of action to defend, protect, and celebrate your right to read freely.

Are you wanting to join the National Library Week festivities? Here are a few ways you can get involved:

• Visit your library! Whether in person or virtually, we hope you'll use this week to take advantage of all we have to offer. And of course, if you don't have a Library card, what better time to get one?
• Participate in the #MyLibraryStory campaign. National Library Week Honorary Chair Kelly Yang found the courage to pursue her dreams through access to resources at her childhood library and the support of librarians. What role has the library played in your life? Did you find inspiration in a book? Get help finding a job or starting a business? Have you made new friends at the library? Tell us by posting to Instagram, Twitter, or on the I Love Libraries Facebook page. Use the hashtag #MyLibraryStory. The ALA will gather all the entries and one randomly selected winner will receive a $150 Visa gift card and a Kelly Yang Front Desk poster. Three second-place winners will receive Kelly Yang Front Desk posters. The promotion runs through Friday, April 28 at 1 p.m. ET. Don't forget to tag us, too! Official rules will be posted as a PDF on the ALA website soon.
• Support your library! This is a great time to make a gift to the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, which supports many of our impactful programs that enhance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity throughout our region.
• Visit our website at freelibrary.org to learn something you might not know about us! Browse our catalog, use our digital media resources and databases, find a program at one of our 54 locations, join our online community, download a new image for your social media or lock screen, learn something new with our Explore Topics, with pages dedicated to everything from Green Living to LGBTQ issues, and even try your luck with some trivia in our Knowledge Base!
• Keep up with us on social media this week as we celebrate National Library Workers Day (April 25), National Library Outreach Day (April 26), and Take Action for Libraries Day (April 27). We'll also be sharing fun facts, information about our services, and more!

Happy National Library Week, and thank you for being part of our community!