More than two-thirds of this year’s 15 selections are renovations or adaptive reuse projects. Libraries of all types are finding ways to acknowledge historical and environmental realities, embrace natural elements and cultural identities, evolve traditions, and build in flexibility to account for the unexpected. Read on for snapshots of these communities in motion. Natural immersion … Continue reading 2026 Library Design Showcase
Academic and school libraries More than 30,000 square feet Jen Library, Savannah (Ga.) College of Art and Design Design Firm and Photo: Savannah College of Art and Design Li Lu Law Library, Columbia University in New York City Design Firm: Perkins Eastman Photo: Andrew Rugge 30,000 square feet and less Confluence Library, Church of Christ … Continue reading 2026 ALA/IIDA Interior Design Awards
Uncertainty may be the most notable overarching theme of federal policy in the past year. Legal challenges and other acts of resistance by librarians have prevented, overturned, or at least delayed some of the administration’s most notable attacks on libraries from taking effect. In other cases, policy changes have been announced that may affect libraries … Continue reading One Year of the Trump Administration
Last April, Choice, the publishing unit of the American Library Association’s Association of College and Research Libraries, convened the virtual panel “Affirmative Action and the Future of DEI.” Moderated by Fatima Mohie-Eldin, social sciences editor for Choice and editor of its Toward Inclusive Excellence blog, the panel explored how these coalescing issues are impacting academic … Continue reading Moving Beyond the Acronym
We are looking for examples of innovative library architecture that address patrons’ needs in unique and effective ways. We are especially interested in submissions from libraries that are approaching design with sustainability, accessibility, and smaller budgets in mind. Partial renovations, projects under $1 million, and school libraries are encouraged to apply. To be eligible, projects … Continue reading Submissions Open for Library Design Showcase
Welcome to the 2025 Library Design Showcase, American Libraries’ annual celebration of new and renovated libraries throughout North America. Today’s libraries are places where people from diverse communities can connect, learn, and grow. The institutions featured in this year’s showcase embody the library’s role as a true third space while honoring local histories and cultures … Continue reading 2025 Library Design Showcase
London, Milan, New York, and Paris will host their Fashion Weeks throughout September and October. 754 Number of 20th-century vintage sewing and knitting patterns held by Arizona State University’s California Center Library in Los Angeles. 1,500 Number of fashion designers whose files can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s Irene Lewisohn … Continue reading By the Numbers: Fashion and Beauty
In 2021, we created the peer-to-peer Undergraduate Library Advisors (ULA) program, where four students help to spread awareness of library resources and services among UF’s nearly 40,000 undergrads. Our goal was to make sure students knew that our six vibrant campus libraries offer myriad academic resources—as well as student wellness resources and opportunities to discover, … Continue reading Reading the Room
“Corporate archives are a key part of a society’s cultural heritage,” said Annette Bochenek, assistant professor of information studies at Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies and coauthor of a 2024 paper, “Business Archives as a Tool for Academic Business Researchers,” in the Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship. “Accessing business archives can … Continue reading How to Succeed in Business
A panel of academic librarians, moderated by Zara T. Wilkinson, reference and instruction librarian at Rutgers (N.J.) University Libraries, discussed the direct and indirect threats that book bans and challenges pose to academic librarians in “Can It Happen Here? Book Challenges, Censorship, and Academic Freedom in Academic Libraries,” a June 29 session at the American … Continue reading Censorship Can Happen Anywhere
Before joining ALA, Anderson spent more than three decades at ASIS International, a professional organization for security management professionals. She held several positions at the organization, most recently serving as vice president of innovation and outreach, a role in which she provided subject matter expertise and liaised with partners across the security industry. Anderson is … Continue reading 11 Questions: Teresa “Teri” Anderson
International Workers’ Day is May 1. 8 Date in April that National Library Workers Day was celebrated this year. Since 2004, it has been commemorated on the Tuesday of National Library Week. 25,000 Number of library workers represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). AFSCME represents more library workers than … Continue reading By the Numbers: Workers’ Rights
