From Commitment to Action: How Libraries Support Immigrants, Refugees, and Newcomers

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Description

In 2025, the American Library Association (ALA) and Welcoming America launched a new national partnership to strengthen libraries’ role in building inclusive, connected communities. This collaboration highlights how libraries, both public and academic, serve as vital anchors for belonging by fostering cross-cultural understanding, supporting immigrants and refugees, and creating spaces where everyone feels welcome. 

This session will introduce the ALA–Welcoming America partnership and share how it connects to the broader Welcoming America network of cities, nonprofits, and institutions. Participants will learn practical ways libraries can engage in welcoming work, from programming and resource development to coalition-building with local partners. Examples will highlight scalable approaches, including language access initiatives, community celebrations, civic engagement, and academic library support for international students. Attendees will leave with strategies to strengthen their own library’s welcoming efforts, ideas for building partnerships across sectors, and an understanding of how this national initiative can translate into local impact.

Learning Objectives

  • Describe the mission of Welcoming America and explain how libraries can connect to its national initiatives, including Welcoming Week.
  • Identify practical strategies public and academic libraries can use to support welcoming work year-round.
  • Provide ideas for narrative support and how to advocate for bringing Welcoming Week to your library.

This event will be hosted in Zoom. Automatic captions will be enabled for this event. This event will be recorded, and registrants will receive access to the recording within a day after the event ends.

If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact us at ce@ala.org or at 312-280-5100.

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