Sam Hel
mick
\n President\, American Library Ass
ociation
______ _______________
\n \nSEPTEMBER 4\, 2026 | 12:00 –
1:00 PM
\n ** virtual event **
In
an era dominated by hyper-partisan content and "no
ise\," public libraries remain essential sanctuari
es for authentic community connection\, intellectu
al freedom\, and the shared right to read. In Sept
ember\, Intersections explores how modern politica
l attacks on public libraries threaten not only ou
r democratic institutions but also the core tenets
of religious freedom and civil dialogue. Grounded
in a commitment to fiscal responsibility\, instit
utional transparency\, and faith-led community ste
wardship\, we will discuss how diverse voices can
unite to safeguard libraries as vital spaces for a
ll Iowans.
< span style="color:#9b59b6\;">You may make your res ervation to attend virtually by clicking on the "R egister Now" button. This online presentation will b e livestreamed on our YouTube channel.
\ n \nIf you have any issues registerin g\, please email info@interfaithallianceiowa.org or call 515.279.8715.
\n \nABOUT OUR PRESENTER | Sam Helmick (they/them) is a lifelong Iowan with over two decades of dedicated service i n the library field\, currently serving as the Pre sident of the American Library Association and the Community and Access Services Coordinator at the Iowa City Public Library. A former President of th e Iowa Library Association and the current Chair o f the State of Iowa Library Commission\, Sam’s lea dership is deeply informed by their Christian fait h and a steadfast commitment to the intersection o f religious freedom\, intellectual liberty\, and r obust public stewardship. Their advocacy focuses o n defending the right to read\, resisting administ rative overreach\, and ensuring that public instit utions remain resilient\, inclusive\, and transpar ent spaces of grace and discovery for communities across the state and nation.
\n \nIntersections is a monthly gathering of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa in Cedar Rapids. It's an opportunity to learn\, to participate in civil dialogue\, and to discuss issues at the crossroad s of religion and politics.
DESCRIPTION:\n \n \n \n Faith\, Freedom\, and the Future of Ou r Public Libraries\n \n \n Sam Helmick\n \n Presid ent\, American Library Association\n \n \n \n ____ _________________\n \n \n \n SEPTEMBER 4\, 2026 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM\n \n ** virtual event **\n \n \n \n \n In an era dominated by hyper-partisan conte nt and "noise\," public libraries remain essential sanctuaries for authentic community connection\, intellectual freedom\, and the shared right to rea d. In September\, Intersections explores how moder n political attacks on public libraries threaten n ot only our democratic institutions but also the c ore tenets of religious freedom and civil dialogue . Grounded in a commitment to fiscal responsibilit y\, institutional transparency\, and faith-led com munity stewardship\, we will discuss how diverse v oices can unite to safeguard libraries as vital sp aces for all Iowans.\n \n \n \n \n You may make yo ur reservation to attend virtually by clicking on the "Register Now" button. This online presentatio n will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel.\n \ n \n \n If you have any issues registering\, pleas e email info@interfaithallianceiowa.org (mailto:in fo@interfaithallianceiowa.org) or call 515.279.871 5 (tel:5152798715).\n \n \n \n \n ABOUT OUR PRESEN TER | Sam Helmick (they/them) is a lifelong Iowan with over two decades of dedicated service in the library field\, currently serving as the President of the American Library Association and the Commu nity and Access Services Coordinator at the Iowa C ity Public Library. A former President of the Iowa Library Association and the current Chair of the State of Iowa Library Commission\, Sam’s leadershi p is deeply informed by their Christian faith and a steadfast commitment to the intersection of reli gious freedom\, intellectual liberty\, and robust public stewardship. Their advocacy focuses on defe nding the right to read\, resisting administrative overreach\, and ensuring that public institutions remain resilient\, inclusive\, and transparent sp aces of grace and discovery for communities across the state and nation.\n \n \n \n \n Intersections is a monthly gathering of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa in Cedar Rapids. It's an opportunity to l earn\, to participate in civil dialogue\, and to d iscuss issues at the crossroads of religion and po litics.\n \n CATEGORIES:Event c3 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN DTSTAMP;TZID=America/Chicago:20260904T120000 DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260904T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260904T130000 LOCATION:virtual event\, \n URL:https://interfaithallianceiowa.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=306 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR