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Patrons at Mt. Lebanon Public Library (MLPL) in Pittsburgh play with a tongue drum, rain stick, and singing bowls—instruments used during MLPL’s sound bath sessions. Photo: Katie Donahoe After talking with students who were grappling with mental health challenges, Katie Donahoe wanted to do something to help. Donahoe, teen librarian at Mt. Lebanon Public Library […]
The spring 2023 cohort of Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Library’s entrepreneurship program celebrates after completing a six-month course to help cohort members start their own businesses. Photo: Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Library More than 1.8 million people in the United States were incarcerated in a prison or jail at the end of 2021, according to […]
Tracy K. Smith Photo: Andrew Kelly Author, professor, and librettist Tracy K. Smith is as prolific as she is distinguished. She has won a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (for 2011’s Life on Mars), earned a National Book Award nomination (for her 2015 memoir, Ordinary Light), and served as 2017–2019 US poet laureate. With To Free […]
A catalog from the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play in Rochester, New York. 230,000Number of volumes available at the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, located at Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The museum is also home to the National Toy Hall of Fame. The library houses books, […]
Photo: Aaron Clamage All signs pointed to Philip Espe joining the Marines. The 34-year-old comes from a long line of military family members. But he also had a calling in music. Espe studied clarinet performance, earned a master’s of music in orchestral conducting, and directed community and youth orchestras. He used those skills when serving […]
Libraries and schools nationwide are working overtime to repel an unprecedented level of attacks on the freedom to read. Vigorous debate, advocacy, and coalition-building remain the backbone of the fight against book banning. But some libraries, groups, and individuals have recently taken innovative approaches to ensure information access for all. Books Unbanned is one of […]
LeVar Burton Photo: Sarah Coulter for Paramount+ When asked about the impact libraries have had on his life and work, LeVar Burton answered simply and succinctly: “Better to ask what role sunlight and water plays in the life and work of flowers.” The actor, known for his roles in the iconic series Roots and Star […]
Libraries are facing a record number of attempts to restrict access to books and other library materials. In the first eight months of 2023, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) reported challenges against 1,915 titles in libraries. This pace is expected to eclipse the record set in 2022, which saw 2,571 titles challenged. To help […]
High school senior Da’Taeveyon Daniels has quickly become a passionate leader in advocating for students and intellectual freedom. The 16-year-old from Fort Worth, Texas, is the youngest member of the National Coalition Against Censorship’s Advisory Council, the partnership director for Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT), and the leader of Student Advocates for Speech (SAS) […]
Banned Books Week takes place Oct. 1–7 1,269Number of book challenges documented in 2022 by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). This is nearly double the number reported in 2021 and the highest number of book ban attempts since OIF started compiling this data more than 20 years ago. The 2022 challenges […]
This blog has entirely morphed into “Jason talks about theater” it appears. I’m going to be directing another show! I’m heading up the Millennium Repertory Company’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. We open in late January, so rehearsals and such will be over the holiday season. I’ve got an amazing cast: The biggest challenge […]
Welcome to the 2023 Library Design Showcase, American Libraries’ annual celebration of new and renovated libraries that address patron needs in exciting and effective ways. This year’s selections represent a return to prepandemic normalcy and demonstrate a firm step into the future, with physical spaces designed to draw in communities, celebrate local history, and acknowledge […]
The following libraries are winners of the 2023 Library Building Awards, sponsored by Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures (a division of the American Library Association) and the American Institute of Architects. The awards, recognizing the best in library architecture and design, are open to any architect licensed in the US. Projects may be located anywhere in […]
Illustrations: Tom Deja Amanda Jones has been called a pedophile and a groomer. She’s received death threats. She’s lost friends, weight, and hair. She even had to take a leave of absence from her job as a school librarian in Louisiana for mental health reasons. All because she spoke at a public library board meeting […]
Every year, the American Library Association (ALA) recognizes the achievements of more than 200 individuals and institutions with an array of awards honoring their service to librarians and librarianship. Winners are chosen by juries of their colleagues and peers and embody the best of the profession’s leadership, vision, and service as well as a continued […]
World War I–era peace pins housed at the Hoover Institution Library and Archives at Stanford (Calif.) University. The pins belonged to pacifist and feminist activist Alice Park. Photos: Hoover Institution Library and Archives On a winter Chicago afternoon, near the end of her life, renowned social worker and activist Jane Addams started to burn her […]
Illustration: Gaby FeBland A vintage Wells Fargo padlock that runs anywhere from $50 to $500. A pristine, late-19th-century glass bottle produced by a local company worth a grand. A 1930 baseball signed by 26 baseball players, including six future Hall of Famers—Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Grove, Connie Mack, Babe Ruth, and Al Simmons—valued at […]
Anna Pilston (right), branch librarian at Spartanburg County (S.C.) Public Libraries’ Landrum Library, holds a Bag of Hope alongside a member of Operation Hope, a local nonprofit.Photo: Spartanburg County (S.C.) Public Libraries Spartanburg County is the fifth most populated county in South Carolina—and it’s growing. In 2022, it had close to 346,000 residents, but nearly […]
Rick Riordan Photo: M. Sharkey Rick Riordan is best known for his Greek mythology–inspired Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which has since inspired a larger franchise. In May he released The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure (Hachette) with coauthor Mark Oshiro, about the son of Hades and his boyfriend on […]
Code Talker by Chester Nez and Judith Schiess Avila 1979Year that the American Indian Library Association (AILA) was founded. AILA, an affiliate of ALA, is a membership group that supports individuals and institutions working to improve library services to American Indians and Alaska Natives and disseminate information about Indian cultures, languages, and values. 300Number of […]
