The EveryLibrary Institute, a national nonprofit that advances policy and funding for libraries, today released its 2025 Annual Report, Resilience in a Time of Great Pressure, highlighting a year of policy victories, national research, and large-scale civic engagement to protect and strengthen libraries across the United States.

The report reflects a pivotal moment for libraries as they navigate rising political pressure, censorship challenges, and funding uncertainty while expanding their role as trusted civic institutions and community anchors.

“Libraries today sit at the center of some of the most important conversations in American civic life, from free expression and civil rights to education and access to information,” said John Chrastka, Executive Director of EveryLibrary and the EveryLibrary Institute. “In 2025, our work focused on making sure libraries had the legal, policy, and community support they need not just to survive these pressures, but to lead.”

Major policy and advocacy outcomes

In 2025, the Institute helped shape legislative and regulatory outcomes in multiple states, supporting the passage of Right to Read protections and advancing the Libraries for All Act as a model for embedding civil rights protections into library law. The organization also played a leading role in national efforts to protect federal library funding by providing early legal analysis and guidance during attempts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Through coalition leadership and policy research, the Institute continued to position libraries as essential institutions within broader conversations about governance, education policy, and democratic resilience.

Turning civic concern into action

The Institute’s FightForTheFirst.org initiative helped local communities organize in response to censorship campaigns. In 2025 alone:

• More than 150 local petitions were launched
• Over 85,000 individuals were mobilized
• 112,300 messages were sent to local decision makers
• Access to books was restored or protected in 70 of the 87 communities facing intense censorship efforts

These results demonstrate the power of coordinated local action supported by national infrastructure.

At the same time, the FundLibraries.org platform enabled rapid response fundraising for libraries facing sudden funding losses. In Fairhope, Alabama, a community campaign replaced more than $42,000 in revoked state funding in just six days.

Research shaping national conversations

Research remained central to the Institute’s impact in 2025. Key projects included:

• The Book Censorship Database, tracking national book challenges and bans
• The Censorship Acceleration, a major analysis of coordinated book ban trends
• The ninth Freckle Project survey, documenting shifts in reading habits and the growing importance of digital borrowing

These resources informed litigation strategies, legislative drafting, professional training, and institutional planning nationwide.

Building stronger civic infrastructure

The Institute expanded partnerships across the democracy and civil liberties landscape, including leadership in the national IMLS Coalition and participation in the #DefendResearch network of more than 175 organizations.

Through its VoteLibraries and Civic Season initiatives, the organization also helped libraries support voter registration, civic education, and nonpartisan election engagement, reinforcing their role as trusted community spaces for democratic participation.

Looking ahead to 2026

As the Institute prepares for the year ahead, priorities include protecting the rule of law for libraries, advancing civil rights protections through the Libraries for All Act, strengthening academic library governance, addressing emerging issues such as artificial intelligence, and expanding community funding infrastructure through FundLibraries.org.

“Democratic institutions do not endure on principle alone,” Chrastka added. “They depend on strong educational, legal, and civic infrastructure. Libraries are a critical part of that system, and our work is focused on making sure they remain resilient, independent, and accessible to everyone.”

2025 Annual Report and a summary presentation.

Supporters and partners can learn more or make a sustaining donation at EveryLibraryInstitute.org/donate

About EveryLibrary Institute

The EveryLibrary Institute is a non-profit library focused on public policy and tax policy think tank dedicated to ensuring that libraries have the funding they need to serve their communities or campuses. We believe that libraries are anchors of education, economic development, and growth. Through our programs, we connect people to each other and to their communities through their libraries. Through our research projects, we help community and school leaders put libraries to work solving some of the biggest problems in society. Find out more at everylibraryinstitute.org.