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Photo: ©SewcreamStudio/Adobe Stock Social workers who connect patrons to needed physical and emotional care. Quiet rooms for rest and relaxation. Robotic pets that purr away patrons’ anxieties. And grief groups to support patrons over the holidays. Over the past decade, mental health support in libraries has grown more inventive, specific, and widespread. Institutions continue to […]
At Roanoke (Va.) Public Libraries’ 2023 Flip the Fair event, elementary school students discuss a research presentation on microbiology with a graduate student from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Photo: Amber Lowery On a school morning last September, small groups of 5th-graders crowded around tools connected to scientific research—a microscope, a robotic camera, and even a […]
Staff members from Collier County (Fla.) Public Library dressed for a Bridgerton-themed high tea. Photo: Collier County (Fla.) Public Library On a leisurely Saturday afternoon, guests draped in Regency-era fashion—lightweight muslin and chiffon, adorned with delicate lace and ribbons—converge in an airy hall to indulge in a spread of tea, elaborate pastries, cakes crowned with […]
Summer reading program participants at Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries choose brand-new books to take home, courtesy of Friends of the Library, Montgomery County. Photo: Jason Turner/Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries Summer reading program prizes are a fun way to spark children’s participation. But those prizes often consist of nonrecyclable plastic items that—once the fun has […]
Photo: Mark Davis Dave Eggers, a dynamic literary force, is also a passionate, innovative, and generous advocate. The cofounder of 826 National, a network of youth writing and tutoring centers around the country, he also established nonprofit independent publishing company McSweeney’s and is an exceptionally creative and prolific writer. His many books for adults include […]
The Dr. Seuss and Cat in the Hat statue outside Geisel Library, the main library of University of California San Diego Photo: Felix Lipov The American Library Association’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition will be held June 27–July 2 in San Diego. 4Number of crown-shaped chandeliers designed by author L. Frank Baum for the Hotel del […]
Photo: Brett Alan Photography Kelley Woolley remembers visiting San Diego Zoo and its Safari Park as a kid. The big cats, giraffes, and koalas were often her first stops. She recalls watching elephants do tricks and riding the now-closed monorail, which offered great views of the tiger habitat. “I’ve been a huge animal person my […]
Photo: Rachel Bright Artist and activist Kathleen Hanna is most known as the lead singer of punk bands Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, and the Julie Ruin. Hanna’s new memoir Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk (Ecco, May) chronicles the challenges and triumphs of her life before, during, and after navigating the male-dominated […]
Illustration: Jacob Stead The library technology industry had a quiet year in 2023. But in the absence of major business moves and acquisitions, companies set their sights on executing strategies to strengthen their market position. Previous cycles of business consolidation have yielded a layered landscape with distinct levels of competition. At the top, a handful […]
Illustration: Rudzhan/Adobe Stock As school librarians, we are always rethinking how to convey who we are and what we do. To compete and remain viable, we need to work on our brand identity. You might be thinking, “Our school library has a brand?” Most of us associate the word with a name, logo, tagline, and […]
In February, Maynard (Mass.) Public Library featured fenugreek as its spice of the month. The library started its spice club in January 2022. Photo: Maynard (Mass.) Public Library Once a month, the aromas of unique herbs and spices waft through Maynard (Mass.) Public Library (MPL). These spices accent dishes like sweet and spicy tahini noodles, […]
Sister Stella, a resident of Queen of Peace, a retirement community for nuns, plays with Henry. The robotic dog belongs to Ela Area Public Library in Lake Zurich, Illinois.Photo: Liz Kristan Liz Kristan wanted to bring four-legged friends to patrons who needed them the most. Kristan, outreach services coordinator at Ela Area Public Library (EAPL) […]
A nearly 100-year-old headstone that was revived as part of Christian County (Mo.) Library’s Uncovering History: Gravestone Cleaning program.Photo: Christian County (Mo.) Library During the pandemic, Christian County (Mo.) Library was looking to launch an ongoing service series that would bring staffers and patrons together outdoors. So it turned to some of the rural area’s […]
From left: Maia Kobabe and Sarah PeitzmeierPhotos: M. Ruddell (Kobabe); Grace Han (Peitzmeier) In early 2020, Maia Kobabe (e/em/eir) was wrapping up promotion for eir memoir Gender Queer when e received an email out of the blue from Sarah Peitzmeier, a social epidemiologist working in LGBTQ+ health at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Peitzmeier, a […]
Photo: University of Michigan Library in Ann Arbor May is National Inventors Month 135,850Number of items in the Edison Sheet Music Collection, housed at University of Michigan Library in Ann Arbor. Thomas Edison, who invented the phonograph in 1877, spearheaded this collection as a way for his phonograph company to select vocal and instrumental scores […]
Pickleball Librarian Drew Evans poses on the court. Photo: Ken Doll Photography Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the US, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, with participation more than doubling to 9 million players between 2020 and 2022. Drew Evans, a retired law librarian who has previously worked at Kansas State University in […]
When you’re president of the American Library Association (ALA), you get asked a lot of questions. “What are you reading right now?” (Pure Life by Eugene Marten.) “Aren’t libraries obsolete?” (Nope.) “Will the organized censors win?” (No way.) But here’s one that’s hard to answer: “What’s your favorite library?” When you’ve seen as many amazing […]
Last November, my home state of Iowa saw a flurry of activity relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), both positive and negative. A group of plaintiffs filed suit against the state over a law that would ban books in K–12 schools that purportedly depict sex acts. (A federal judge temporarily halted enforcement of the […]
Dulcé Sloan Photo: Bronson Farr Two decades ago, while Daily Show Senior Correspondent Dulcé Sloan was doing summer shows at a community theater in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, the library was her main hangout spot. In the small town of 9,000 people, it was a place to gather with other young actors—and the only place with internet […]
Illustration: Drew Bardana What is artificial intelligence (AI)? What do library workers think of it? How are they using it? And what ethical concerns or issues of privacy have developed as AI becomes increasingly commonplace? According to a May 2023 survey of academic librarians by Leo S. Lo, professor and dean of the College of […]
