IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 324 
Expressing support for the staff of this Nation’s public, school, academic, 
and special libraries and the essential services they provide to our com-
munities, recognizing the need for funding commensurate with the broad 
scope of social services and community supports provided by libraries, 
preserving the right of all citizens to freely access information and 
resources in their communities, supporting a strong union voice for 
library workers, and defending the civil rights of library staff. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 25, 2023 
Ms. JAYAPAL (for herself, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. 
BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. CASAR, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. 
ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. LEE of 
Pennsylvania, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. 
NORTON, Mr. POCAN, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. SCHOLTEN, 
Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. TONKO, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. WILSON of Flor-
ida, and Mr. HIGGINS of New York) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the staff of this Nation’s public, 
school, academic, and special libraries and the essential 
services they provide to our communities, recognizing 
the need for funding commensurate with the broad scope 
of social services and community supports provided by 
libraries, preserving the right of all citizens to freely 
access information and resources in their communities, 
supporting a strong union voice for library workers, and 
defending the civil rights of library staff. 
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•HRES 324 IH 
Whereas the staff of the Nation’s libraries are cornerstones 
of their communities, providing patrons 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, the staff of the Nation’s libraries 
have been called on to address the fallout from our most 
difficult public crises on a daily basis, taking on roles 
that exceed the traditional role of providing a space 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 
country’s ongoing and tragic opioid epidemic, including 
being called upon 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 such individuals and families; 
Whereas libraries are often the only source of internet for un-
derserved communities; 
Whereas library workers not only maintained the public’s ac-
cess to essential library services but also 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 324 IH 
Whereas libraries have met this 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 workers; 
Whereas the health of our country and survival of our democ-
racy 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 and en-
counter and debate all manner of ideas, including con-
troversial ones; 
Whereas library staff must make decisions about the books 
and media in their collections and assist patrons in ac-
cessing those materials as a fundamental responsibility of 
their job, without fearing censorship or reprisal for ful-
filling their role in providing information and resources 
to the public; 
Whereas, over the past year, there have been deplorable inci-
dents throughout the country that have been orchestrated 
to intimidate library staff and prevent them from ful-
filling their central work responsibility to provide the 
public with free and unfettered access to information; 
Whereas library workers across the country are mobilizing for 
a collective union voice in their workplaces to elevate 
their profession, ensure safe and adequately resourced 
spaces that meet the needs of the communities they 
serve, and to protect the essential role of libraries in 
American democracy; and 
Whereas the week of April 23 through April 29, 2023, would 
be an appropriate time to celebrate ‘‘National Library 
Week’’: Now, therefore, be it 
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•HRES 324 IH 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives com-
mends the work of the people who staff the Nation’s li-
braries, supports the goals and ideals of National Library 
Week, and— 
(1) recognizes that libraries and library workers 
provide critical infrastructure for the United States 
and are essential to the future of this country; 
(2) supports the prioritization of full funding of 
library services at the Federal, State, and local lev-
els, to ensure the continuation and improvement of 
their services; 
(3) reaffirms the fundamental right of the peo-
ple of the United States to access information, which 
is made real through the efforts of the individuals 
who staff the Nation’s libraries; 
(4) reaffirms library workers’ fundamental right 
to organize and collectively bargain at work and to 
have a protected voice in their workplace; 
(5) reaffirms the civil rights of library workers 
to exercise their responsibilities to the public without 
threats or intimidation; and 
(6) recognizes the right of library workers to 
speak out on matters of public concern, to address 
themselves to elected officials and to the administra-
tion of the entities that employ such workers, and to 
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•HRES 324 IH 
inform the public at large about their right to free 
and unfettered access to information, and about 
threats to such access. 
Æ 
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