Sam Helmick is the president of the American Library Association from 2025 to 2026. He also works as a community and access services coordinator at the Iowa City Public Library.
Education and career
Sam Helmick received a Bachelor of Science in Human Services from Iowa Wesleyan University and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois School of Information Sciences in 2012.
They worked on committees for the United States National Library of Medicine, Stonewall Book Award, Young Adult Library Services Association, and Sophie Brody Award.
Helmick was president of the Iowa Library Association in 2023 and chairperson of the Iowa Governor's Commission on Libraries. As president of the Iowa Library Association, they wrote to newspapers in Iowa to support a library levy.
Helmick has opposed Iowa legislation that limits library funding and book censorship. Publishers Weekly noted Helmick's anti-censorship work in 2024.
American Library Association
They worked on the American Library Association Executive Board. They were also previously next chair of the ALA's Intellectual Freedom Round Table and Freedom to Read Foundation.
They were chosen as president-elect by the ALA Council, following the organization's rules, on July 23, 2024, after Raymond Pun left the position in June 2024. They began serving as ALA president in July 2025. Before this, Pun received 5,611 votes, while Helmick received 2,778 votes during the organization's election in April 2024 for the 2025–2026 ALA president.
In August 2025, Helmick stated they are a Republican, as the Trump administration tried to stop "some federal funding." Helmick told Reuters, "As a Republican myself, I would love to hear more from my team on this." Earlier, in February 2024, the Sioux City Journal described Helmick as a Republican.
As president, Helmick writes for the Association's journal, American Libraries.
- "Why We Show Up." July, 2025.
- "Sustainability at Our Core." September, 2025.
- "The Pulse of Our Profession: Chapter advocacy is vital to the library’s lifeline." November, 2025.
- "Your Library Story: In a World Filled with Noise, Storytelling Stands Out." January 2026.
- "Good for Business: Cultivating strong networks and deepening community trust." March/April, 2026.
In an interview with Paul Raushenbush on the podcast The State of Belief, Helmick discussed their presidential theme, “Our stories are worth sharing,” and explained the important role of libraries and the need for community involvement.
Helmick wrote "Choice Requires Access" about how libraries "can affirm parental authority without diminishing professional expertise" in a guest column for The Gazette in March 2026. (Cedar Rapids, IA).
Personal life
Helmick identifies as aromantic, asexual, and nonbinary. In April 2024, they told Publishers Weekly that they are the first nonbinary, aromantic, and asexual president of the Iowa Library Association. They also mentioned that the organization opposes SF 496, a law in Iowa that sought to ban books like Gender Queer.