New ADA Signage Standards Take Effect

New rule changes to the Americans With Disabilities Act will improve services to blind or visually impaired patrons

Time to Dine in Anaheim

PLA2012: Powerful Advice, Practical Solutions

To Catch a Library Thief: Black Belt Security

Directions to Library Wayfinding

Directional and informational signs guide patrons into and around the library

Library Design Showcase 2012

American Libraries’ annual review of the best in new and renovated library facilities

Library History and Women’s History: An Ongoing Convergence

How the storied struggle for women’s rights dovetails with library history

Building Displays That Move “the Merchandise”

Observe, eavesdrop, ask—and the books will fly off the shelves

O Sister Library, Where Art Thou?

Libraries near and far can thrive by forming “the strongest relationship”

A Publisher’s Perspective on Ebooks

The digital revolution has transformed every aspect of the publishing business

Top 10 Library Stories of 2011

Facing natural disasters, technology issues, and privatization concerns, librarians responded with advocacy and innovation

The Conversation Starts in Dallas . . .

… on the transformation of the profession, the best books for children, top authors, and exhibits

Dining in Dallas

Midwinter attendees won’t want for a good meal.

Helping Warriors Unleash the Power of the Pen

A library in Ohio helps veterans share their experiences

Serving Players Through Selection

A guide to videogame collection development

Summer Reading Levels Up

How two library summer reading programs evolved into summer games

Talk to Teens—They’re Still Listening

A powerful, no-tech social and civilizing medium: Conversation

Main Street Public Library

Study challenges traditional assumptions about libraries’ roles in the community

A Century of Philanthropy: Carnegie Corporation of New York

Strategic nurturing “to try to make the world in some way better than you found it”

September 11, 2001: Traumatized by Terrorism

Read the American Libraries news coverage of the September 11 Terrorist attacks, from the November 2001 issue

Step Easily into the Digital Future

Lyrasis gets varied collections online quickly, and cheaply, through collaboration

The Case for Graphic Novels in Education

Use students’ visual vocabulary as a learning tool

Is the Line Between Librarianship and Journalism Blurring?

Libraries and the Future of Electronic Content Delivery

Seizing the opportunity to preserve unfettered access to information

Who’s the Boss?

Does private management have a place in public libraries?

Fanbase to the Rescue: A Massachusetts Tale

How social media mustered a groundswell that saved cooperative library services

Keeping Our Message Simple

Here’s the fundamentally different approach to advocacy we need to adopt—yesterday.

Facebook for Libraries

It’s easy to use social media’s most popular tool to connect with your community

Reading for Life: Oprah Winfrey

The television talk-show host and media mogul has championed books and libraries

Renewing Our Mission in New Orleans

New combined opening session/exhibits kickoff, an extended film series, and a host of authors and speakers are on tap for 135th Annual Conference

Born Here, Died Here

Preservation awareness makes possible the digitization of vital records by the University of Cincinnati Library

Booking Passage to a New Home

Expert Army transporters needed transportation for their own repository of recorded knowledge and culture.

One Book for Every Young Child

Author and illustrator visits bring fun to early literacy program

Building a Culture of Literacy through Día

Library events celebrate bilingual bookjoy

This Old Library

Strategies for reducing energy consumption

Susan Stroyan

Candidate for ALA President

LSSI Finds More Resistance to Its Library-Management Bids

Recession-stricken communities fight to retain local control

Running a Passport Acceptance Facility at Your Library

Processing patron passport applications enhances customer service—and your library’s bottom line

Telephone Reference: A Children's Author Learns to Work the Wires

What one children’s author learned about getting the answer to a simple question

Is the Association Ripe for Rebellion?

ALA Connect is the library world’s communication tool

Info Pro: Adopting Tools from the World of Business Consulting

A successful ServiceScape encourages consumer-staff interaction and makes everyone’s tasks easier.

12 Ways Libraries Are Good for the Country

A gift from American Libraries magazine of one dozen ideals toward which libraries strive.

Ted Danson, Neil Gaiman Headline Midwinter

Youth Media Awards, celebrity authors, and what to expect from the new U. S. Congress highlight San Diego conference

Booking to the Future

Paper or electronic? Futurists have been pushing one option for years—but do we have to choose?

How to Be Prepared in Case Violence Strikes

Proactive security audits trump written policies

Chicano Librarianship

On the 40th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium, a leader in the movement remembers the early years in East Los Angeles County

Gaming 2.0

Playing games in Houston leads to families learning and having fun together

Librarians Laud National Book Festival

Report from Washington: The big book event is a readers paradise

Twenty Years of Assistive Technologies

Celebrating 20 years of American with Disabilities Act

Winning Grants: A Game Plan

How to write proposals that work

Early Literacy: A Sustainable Statewide Approach

A coalition in Colorado may serve as a template for other regions to establish programs critical to the development of our youngest citizens

Reaching Undergrads: Recruitment via Internship

As interns, undergraduate students can cultivate a career in library and information science and technology

Librarians Head for the Hill to Rally for Reading

ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., attracts 26,000 enthusiastic professionals.

Our Authors, Our Advocates

Four authors help kick off ALA President Roberta Stevens’s “Our Authors, Our Advocates” presidential initiative

Good Dog. Sit. Listen.

Therapy dogs help youngsters overcome their reluctance to read

Books and Literacy in the Digital Age

Can we grow technophiles who are also bibliophiles?

Top 10 Lists in The Librarian’s Book of Lists

A collection of humorous, serious, and sometimes bizarre lists for librarians to be released this summer by ALA Editions.

Annual Conference 2010 Preview

Library Advocacy Day, appearances by authors including Toni Morrison and John Grisham highlight ALA Annual Conference agenda

Wisconsin Says "Cheese!"

Library Snapshot Day ups awareness

Frontline Advocacy Is Everybody’s Job

ALA President Camila Alire’s presidential initiative offers a systematic approach to staff participation

10 Tips for Tracking Trends

Libraries can stay relevant to their users by strategically riding the wave of societal trends

From Children’s Literature to Readers Theatre

Get kids excited and engaged with books by getting them onstage

Fixing the Federal Depository Library Program

The system must respond to the digital age and a weakened economy

A Literature of Risk

Teens dealing with violence and other risky behaviors can get help from young adult fiction

Remodeling on a Budget

These California projects show that a low-cost approach can pay off with big returns

A Circulation Renovation Cuts Expenses

Self-service checkout and return reduces staffing costs

Librarians, Self-Preservation, and Construction Budgets

Be prepared for cost overruns, finger-pointing, and bad publicity

Canadian Library Serves Community as Olympics Host

The Winter Games were an opportunity to show the world that libraries are more than just books

A Library Grows in Newburg

An underserved community gets a long-awaited branch

Designing Space for Children and Teens

How to carve out a niche that epitomizes service

Coaching in the Library

A professional coach can help leaders and staff up their game in dealing with an ever-changing environment and shrinking resources

To Help You Plan

Ready reference for public programming

Partnership Possibilities

Your library can reap resources from these nonprofits

10 Technology Ideas Your Library Can Implement Next Week

Even non-techies can offer cutting-edge services right away

Embracing Change for Continuous Improvement

In a period of transition, libraries must redevelop their services to create loyal customers

How to Thrive by Design in Tough Times

A low-cost library makeover can make newbie visitors into hardcore patrons

ABLE in Afghanistan

Nancy Hatch Dupree has dedicated a lifetime to documenting and preserving Afghanistan’s cultural heritage

Beyond Books and Bullets

One librarian’s personal account of learning new leadership skills during a deployment in Iraq with the Army National Guard

The Top 10 Reasons to Be a Librarian

(with apologies to David Letterman)

Libel Tourism: Why Librarians Should Care

IFLA 2009 Special Report: Milan’s Warm Welcome

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions sends positive messages home about the world financial outlook.

Facebook à la Fulbright

The Children We Serve

Five notions of childhood suggest ways to think about the services we provide

The Download Dilemma

The demise of the compact disc signals an uncertain future for library sound recording collections.

Summertime in Chicago

The 2016 Summer Olympics U.S. contender city and site of the Association’s headquarters welcomes conference-goers.

Chow Down in Chi-Town

American Libraries’ Annual Conference dining guide.