IV 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 328 
Expressing support for the staff of public, school, academic, and special 
libraries in the United States and the essential services those libraries 
provide to communities, recognizing the need for funding commensurate 
with the broad scope of social service and community supports provided 
by libraries, preserving the right of all citizens of the United States 
to freely access information and resources in their communities, sup-
porting a strong union voice for library workers, and defending the 
civil rights of library staff. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 10, 2025 
Ms. JAYAPAL (for herself, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. BOYLE of 
Pennsylvania, Mr. CASAR, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. EVANS of 
Pennsylvania, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Mr. NADLER, 
Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. NORTON, Mr. POCAN, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, 
Ms. SCANLON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. TONKO, 
and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the staff of public, school, academic, 
and special libraries in the United States and the essen-
tial services those libraries provide to communities, recog-
nizing the need for funding commensurate with the broad 
scope of social service and community supports provided 
by libraries, preserving the right of all citizens of the 
United States to freely access information and resources 
in their communities, supporting a strong union voice 
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•HRES 328 IH 
for library workers, and defending the civil rights of 
library staff. 
Whereas library staff are cornerstones of their communities 
in the United States, providing visitors with access to 
books and media, delivering high-quality programming to 
visitors of all ages, ensuring equitable internet access for 
all, and linking people to crucial information about ac-
cessing social services; 
Whereas libraries are an economic powerhouse in their com-
munities, providing resources to small business owners, 
job seekers, and individuals learning new skills; 
Whereas, in recent years, library staff have been called on to 
address the fallout from difficult public crises in the 
United States, taking on roles that exceed the traditional 
role of providing a space for, and access to, educational 
and cultural enrichment; 
Whereas library staff provide lifesaving care to members of 
their communities who are suffering the effects of the on-
going and tragic opioid epidemic in the United States, in-
cluding being called on to administer medication to treat 
overdoses; 
Whereas libraries are a safe haven for individuals and fami-
lies who are unhoused, and library workers provide the 
supportive community environment and resources needed 
by unhoused individuals and families; 
Whereas libraries are often the only source of internet for un-
derserved communities; 
Whereas library staff maintained public access to essential li-
brary services and were relied on to distribute personal 
protective equipment and provide testing to the public 
during the worst days of the COVID–19 pandemic; 
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•HRES 328 IH 
Whereas libraries have met an expanded and intensified de-
mand for community, public health, and safety net serv-
ices, often while contending with severe funding cuts, cre-
ating unsustainable and frequently unsafe working condi-
tions for library staff; 
Whereas the EveryLibrary Institute recently found that 
Project 2025 encourages the mistreatment and misrepre-
sentation of minority communities as well as the harass-
ment of library staff; 
Whereas, on March 14, 2025, President Trump signed Exec-
utive Order 14238 (90 Fed. Reg. 13043; relating to con-
tinuing the reduction of the Federal bureaucracy) to 
eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services; 
Whereas eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library 
Services would harm the ability of libraries to provide 
critical resources to millions of people in the United 
States, especially in rural, Tribal, and other underserved 
communities; 
Whereas the health and survival of democracy in the United 
States requires that everyone be able to exercise rights to 
information and services, and it is especially important 
for young people to have the opportunity to learn, en-
counter, and debate all manner of ideas, including con-
troversial ones; 
Whereas students have been shown to spend more time read-
ing and exhibit higher reading scores when given access 
to diverse titles, and library staff play a crucial role in 
curating diverse book offerings for young readers; 
Whereas a fundamental responsibility of the job of library 
staff is making decisions about the books and media in 
their collections and assisting visitors in accessing those 
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•HRES 328 IH 
materials without fear of censorship or reprisal for ful-
filling the role of providing information and resources to 
the public; 
Whereas PEN America found 10,046 instances of book bans 
in school libraries and classrooms during the 2023–2024 
school year; 
Whereas libraries and library staff are more capable of pro-
viding their communities with access to a diverse, inclu-
sive, and comprehensive selection of books and media 
when they operate free from threats of book bans and 
censorship; 
Whereas library staff have faced termination and criminaliza-
tion for refusing to remove banned books from their li-
braries; 
Whereas, from 2024 to 2025, there were deplorable incidents 
throughout the United States that were orchestrated to 
intimidate library staff and prevent them from fulfilling 
their central work responsibility to provide the public 
with free and unfettered access to information; 
Whereas library staff across the United States are mobilizing 
for a collective union voice in their workplaces to elevate 
their profession, to ensure safe and adequately resourced 
spaces that meet the needs of the communities they 
serve, and to protect the essential role of libraries in the 
democracy of the United States; and 
Whereas the week of April 6 through April 12, 2025, would 
be an appropriate time to celebrate ‘‘National Library 
Week’’: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
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•HRES 328 IH 
(1) commends the work of library staff in the 
United States; 
(2) supports the goals and ideals of ‘‘National 
Library Week’’; 
(3) recognizes that libraries and library staff 
provide critical infrastructure for the United States 
and are essential to the future of the United States; 
(4) supports the prioritization of full funding of 
library services at the Federal, State, and local levels 
to ensure the continuation and improvement of li-
brary services; 
(5) reaffirms— 
(A) the fundamental right of the people of 
the United States to access information, which 
is made real through the efforts of library staff; 
(B) the fundamental right of library work-
ers to organize and collectively bargain at work 
and to have a protected voice in their work-
place; and 
(C) the civil rights of library workers to ex-
ercise their responsibilities to the public without 
threats or intimidation; and 
(6) recognizes the right of library staff— 
(A) to speak out on matters of public con-
cern; 
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•HRES 328 IH 
(B) to address themselves to elected offi-
cials and to the administration of the entities 
that employ library staff; and 
(C) to inform the people of the United 
States about their right to free and unfettered 
access to information, and about threats to that 
access. 
Æ 
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