The American Library Association (ALA) is thrilled to announce that award-winning and bestselling author Kelly Yang will serve as honorary chair of National Library Week, April 23-29, 2023.
“I am the product of amazing libraries and librarians, who saw me, supported me, and nurtured me,” Yang said. “Through books, movies, games, giveaways, and engaging programming, I found the courage to go for my dreams. So it is with the greatest joy that I join ALA in celebrating libraries everywhere and all they do to inspire, invigorate and lift up communities!”
This year’s theme for National Library Week is “There’s More to the Story,” which will shine a light on all the programs, services, and infrastructure libraries provide to communities in addition to books, ebooks, and audiobooks.
“As a young immigrant child, I came to this country when I was six years old with no English. I know firsthand that there’s so much more to the story when it comes to libraries, just like there’s more to my story,” said Yang.
Yang is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of many books for young readers, including the Front Desk series: Front Desk, Three Keys, Room to Dream, Key Player and Top Story (coming September 2023), as well as standalone titles New from Here and Finally Seen. Front Desk won the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature and was chosen as a Best Book of the Year by multiple organizations, including NPR, the Washington Post, and New York Public Library.
“We are thrilled to have Kelly Yang as our National Library Week Chair,” said ALA President Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada. “Not only am I a huge fan of her work for youth, I am also a huge fan of her advocacy for the freedom to read. Yang’s heart and enthusiasm for ensuring youth can see themselves and their peers, as well as have access to those stories, is inspiring to us all.”
First observed in 1958, National Library Week is an annual observance by the American Library Association and libraries across the country each April. National Library Week celebrations include the release of the ALA’s “State of America’s Libraries Report,” April 24; National Library Workers Day, April 25; National Library Outreach Day, April 26; Take Action for Libraries Day, April 27; and the celebration of School Library Month throughout April.
For more information about National Library Week, please visit ala.org/nlw.
The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world. Founded on October 6, 1876 during the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the mission of ALA is “to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.” For more information, visit www.ala.org.
