LibLearnX 2025, dedicated to the learning experience of library workers, will bring together authors, thought leaders, and subject matter experts at the Phoenix Convention Center for educational programs, awards, celebrations, and networking opportunities. This year’s programmatic theme is “Reimagine, Refocus, Reset: Charting a Path for the Future.” LibLearnX will not be held in 2026, while … Continue reading 2025 LibLearnX Preview
“I don’t know of another institution that has the capability to make such a diverse set of people feel dignified and welcome when they walk in the door,” Klinenberg told attendees at the outset of United for Libraries Virtual, a three-day virtual conference hosted by United for Libraries (UFL) July 30–August 1, 2024. Klinenberg’s latest … Continue reading Into the Future
Then, without checking out these titles, these patrons leave. They may mark up the books they take. They won’t return the materials. And, according to Doreen Horstin, manager of San Francisco Public Library’s (SFPL) Park branch, this is just fine. These patrons are participants in Read to Recovery, an SFPL program that has been providing … Continue reading No Questions Asked
Those great big red books were four double-size, incalculably valuable folios of John James Audubon’s 1838 Birds of America. Fewer than 200 sets exist. Brown realized that one of them was probably being stolen from her library. On the 20th anniversary of what became known as the Transy book heist, American Libraries looks back at … Continue reading Stolen Pages
The guidelines include three principles that instructors must provide via multiple means: engagement (the “why” of learning), representation (the “what” of learning), and action and expression (the “how” of learning). The guidelines are an excellent reference for planning library instruction sessions that can reach learners regardless of disability, learning styles, and preferences. However, to create … Continue reading 10 Tips toward Accessibility
“There’s so much that we share / That it’s time we’re aware / It’s a small world after all,” several older adults sang along with students, who were visiting from nearby Totoket Valley Elementary School (TVES) as part of an intergenerational book club. The song was part of the club’s discussion of the picture book Mr. … Continue reading For the Ages
For nearly half of US families with young children, the answer is: all of the above and more. A National Diaper Bank Network study found that in 2023, an unprecedented 47% of families with young children nationwide struggled to afford diapers—a drastic increase from 2010, when 33% of families reported diaper need. In response, libraries … Continue reading The Bottom Line
Noting the public’s eroding faith in the election process and its growing mistrust of many information sources, staffers at Vernon Area Public Library District (VAPLD) in Lincolnshire, Illinois, realized the library could help. The Pew Research Center has found that eight in 10 Americans trust libraries to help them find reliable facts, and that a … Continue reading The Political Scientist Is In
Every day, library workers provide a vital public function. We are entrusted to serve our communities, and we know that the best way to serve the public good is to welcome everyone into libraries to access accurate information. To answer the call to join public service is to step into the rank of noble professionals … Continue reading Calling All Nations
Microlearning involves condensing instructional content into bite-sized chunks of information for maximum cognitive impact. Typically, instructional content is delivered online asynchronously, meaning microcourses can easily fit into a learner’s schedule as desired. Ideally, each course should range from five to 10 minutes to make the information graspable and maximize engagement, with the intention that learners … Continue reading Small Victories
These concepts are deeply entrenched in librarianship, but I think we’re beginning to see how they can cause problems. The recognition of the harms of vocational awe, the notion that librarians, the library profession, and the institution of libraries as a whole is inherently good and therefore above reproach, seems to have set change in … Continue reading Redefining Resilience
Early literacy activities are certainly fun—but also valuable. For parents and caregivers who are already reading, writing, talking, singing, and playing with their children, offering tips might seem superfluous. But many aren’t aware that simple, everyday activities—such as listing different food items in the grocery store—can benefit their child’s early language and literacy development and … Continue reading The Upside to Asides
