(left to right) Andy Cardimen, BMO Harris Bank managing director, Jackie Nytes, Indianapolis Public Library chief executive officer, Chris Cairo, director of project development at Indianapolis–Marion County Public Library, and Greg Ballard, mayor of Indianapolis, hold the One Book, Two Cities book selection, Vienna by Eva Menasse, at the program’s launch in December 2013. Photo: Indianapolis Public Library

The Indianapolis Public Library Goes Global

September 29, 2015

With advanced technology and the ability to connect globally, the Indianapolis Public Library (IPL) formed partnerships with the eight international cities that are part of Indianapolis’s Sister City Program. IPL has made connections so far with Campinas, Brazil; Hangzhou, China; Cologne, Germany; and Piran, Slovenia. The first meetings involved a collection exchange between each city. … Continue reading The Indianapolis Public Library Goes Global



Workers remove rubble and earth from the foot of a temple destroyed in the April 25 earthquake in Nepal. Photo: Shutterstock.com

ALA Partners to Help Restore and Build

September 24, 2015

Vanuatu Churning in the South Pacific, Category 5 Cyclone Pam made a direct hit on the island nation of Vanuatu, March 12—14, 2015. Advance preparations helped alleviate much of the damage, but many school libraries were destroyed across the archipelago. Due to its proximity to Vanuatu, the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) connected with … Continue reading ALA Partners to Help Restore and Build


The Mzansi Youth Choir of Soweto performs at the opening session of the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Cape Town. Photo: George M. Eberhart

Strong Libraries, Heritage, and Crises: IFLA in Africa

September 23, 2015

The opening session on August 16 began with a dynamic performance by South African actor, poet, and author Gcina Mhlophe, one of the few women storytellers in the country. Against a backdrop of images of African scenery and wildlife, Mhlophe described how creativity and musical rhythm were born long ago on the continent, and people … Continue reading Strong Libraries, Heritage, and Crises: IFLA in Africa


Better Communication, Safer Facilities

Better Communication, Safer Facilities

September 14, 2015

Safety and security are everyone’s jobs. This includes the library director, every department head, every supervisor, all full- and part-time employees, library board members, Friends of the library members, elected officials, and even patrons—who can and should tell us about safety or security concerns when using our branches. Safety and security themes Facility safety and … Continue reading Better Communication, Safer Facilities


Library stacks

It’s All in the Numbers

September 10, 2015

Calculating the growth of spaces and collections can be a source of anxiety for library managers, who must evaluate the various factors that affect growth from their own perspective. Many times the calculations fail, resulting in a building that is too large or too small. The costs associated with predictive errors can bleed budgets and … Continue reading It’s All in the Numbers


Sonia Manzano played Mariam on Sesame Street for nearly 45 years. (Photo: Edward Pagan)

Newsmaker: Sonia Manzano

September 9, 2015

You once mentioned the importance of seeing West Side Story as a child. Could you talk about what it was like seeing representations of yourself in entertainment and what that meant to you? SONIA MANZANO: When I was a kid, there were no people of color on television or in books. And so I grew … Continue reading Newsmaker: Sonia Manzano


Open Access graphic

Open Access Publishing

September 8, 2015

“I really believe open access is not a passing fad,” Mary Ellen Davis, executive director of ALA’s Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) division, told an open-access panel at the American Historical Association’s 2014 annual meeting. “I believe open access is a durable feature of the landscape of scholarly communication.” ACRL made its scholarly … Continue reading Open Access Publishing


2015 ALA Award Winners

September 2, 2015

Sidney E. Berger ABC-CLIO AWARD FOR THE BEST BOOK IN LIBRARY LITERATURE award of $2,500 recognizes those who improve management principles and the practice, understanding, and application of new techniques, or who further the education of librarians or other information specialists. Donor: ABC-CLIO Rare Books and Special Collections, published by ALA Neal-Schuman, provides a broad … Continue reading 2015 ALA Award Winners


AIA/ALA Library Building Awards

September 1, 2015 The following libraries are winners of the 2015 Library Building Awards, sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ALA’s Library Leadership and Management Association. The biennial award recognizes distinguished accomplishment in library architecture by an architect licensed in the United States for any library in the US or abroad. The awards were presented at … Continue reading AIA/ALA Library Building Awards

Library Design Showcase

2015 Library Design Showcase

September 1, 2015

Renovating History The John Hay Library, Brown University,  Providence, Rhode Island Built in 1910, the John Hay Library at Brown University was brought into the present with recent renovations. In addition to enhanced research spaces in the main reading room and special collections room, the library added a new ADA-accessible entrance and safety and security … Continue reading 2015 Library Design Showcase


K. C. Boyd (Photo: Andrew Nelles)

Bookend: Urban Renewal

September 1, 2015

“These are stories that are about inner-city life and urban life, and the kids could really relate,” says Boyd, now library media specialist and director of social media at Wendell Phillips Academy High School, where she has worked since 2010. When Boyd began advocating for the urban fiction genre, she was sometimes misunderstood. Many people, … Continue reading Bookend: Urban Renewal