23 million Number of items contained within the Boston Public Library (BPL) system. BPL is ranked second only to the Library of Congress in collection size. 3 Rank of Harvard University, another Boston-area institution, on the same list of the nation’s largest libraries by volumes held. 1721 Year that the New-England Courant, considered the first independent … Continue reading By the Numbers: Boston
In many ways, Boston and librarians are a lot alike. They are innovators, educators, and revolutionaries. They are creators and curators, abetting progress, expanding services for their communities, and standing on the front lines when change is brewing—whether it’s taxation without representation or legislation that threatens how we use and share information. And they like … Continue reading 2016 ALA Midwinter Preview
Concurrent to the tour, Libraries Transform street team members went around D.C. to bring the message of the transformative impact of libraries to the public. American Libraries followed the Libraries Transform street team and tour, and here’s what we saw. 8:25 a.m. – Dupont Circle The Libraries Transform street team had an enticing proposition for … Continue reading Seeing How Libraries Transform
Across D.C.
Many libraries are celebrating Back to the Future Day—October 21, 2015—with screenings of the Back to the Future trilogy and programming related to the films. The date, which is featured prominently in Back to the Future Part II, has been incorrectly depicted in internet hoaxes and memes for years. “We actually have a super fan … Continue reading Marty, We’ve Got to Go Back—to the Library!
1968 Year that Congress passed a joint resolution, under President Lyndon B. Johnson, establishing Hispanic Heritage Week. 20 Years later, under President Ronald Reagan, that Congress passed an act to extend the observation to Hispanic Heritage Month—starting September 15 and ending on October 15. 1943 Year to which the Archive of Hispanic Literature on Tape … Continue reading By the Numbers:
Hispanic Heritage Month
11,300 Number of books that have been challenged since 1982, according to the American Library Association. The Banned Books Week campaign launched the same year, in response to the surge in challenges to books in schools, bookstores, and libraries across the country. 60 Years ago, this September, that Vladimir Nabokov first published Lolita in Paris—after … Continue reading By the Numbers: Banned Books Week
“We realized we had to go for accreditation because there’s a fine line between legal advice and helping someone on the computer,” says Homa Naficy, chief adult learning officer for Hartford (Conn.) Public Library (HPL). Naficy is referring to Board of Immigration Appeals Recognition and Accreditation (BIA R&A), granted by the Department of Justice (DOJ), … Continue reading Librarians as Immigration Lawyers
This post is the sixth of a six-part series commemorating libraries and librarians 10 years after Hurricane Katrina. Yet Howard-Tilton reopened the same day classes resumed at Tulane in January 2006. “It was a little rocky that first semester,” says Corrigan. “The first day we brought staff back we had a glitch and didn’t have power … Continue reading The “Landmark Undertaking” of the Tulane Libraries Recovery Center
This post is the fifth of a six-part series commemorating libraries and librarians 10 years after Hurricane Katrina. The city built a new facility—renamed City of Bayou La Batre Public Library—at a new location approximately two miles north in Irvington, that opened in early 2007. “The new library is far enough away that, even if we … Continue reading Following Up with Bayou La Batre
This post is the fourth of a six-part series commemorating libraries and librarians 10 years after Hurricane Katrina. More than 50 people in Hancock County died as a result of Hurricane Katrina, and Thomas believes that’s because many had stayed in structures that had withstood Camille. “There’s a saying around here: Camille killed more people the second … Continue reading Coming Together as One Mississippi
This post is the third in a six-part series commemorating libraries and librarians 10 years after Hurricane Katrina. “That was my first year as a librarian,” says Jeanne Tagge, library media specialist and art teacher at the school. “I had a library for three weeks, and then it was months without a library.” Katrina had … Continue reading Pineville Elementary Rebuilds After Katrina
In this six-part series, American Libraries looks back at the stories of libraries and librarians in the 10 years since Katrina. Reflecting on our October 2005 coverage, we remember the librarians who provided services in extraordinary circumstances. We recall the libraries that recovered because of the generosity of others. While Katrina can be a difficult topic for those … Continue reading 10 Years After Katrina: Commemorating Libraries and Librarians
