Cover of Our Enduring Values by Michael Gorman

The Life of Libraries

February 25, 2015

I wrote Our Enduring Values, which was published by ALA Editions in 2000. In the decade and a half since, the world has endured the savagery of September 11, 2001; the deaths of millions in wars and other con­flicts, many waged in and over the cobbled-together countries that are the poisonous legacy of colonialism and … Continue reading The Life of Libraries


Keep Me Safe Storytime

Keep Me Safe Storytime

February 25, 2015

This case fueled talk in the community for months. However, on the heels of the Boston Marathon bombings four months later, much of the talk dissipated. Community leaders became concerned that the issue of child sexual abuse would take a back seat to newer—more sensational—news, and lose focus within the community, leaving abuse to perpetuate. … Continue reading Keep Me Safe Storytime


Kody Keplinger

Newsmaker: Kody Keplinger

February 20, 2015

An avid reader, Keplinger was born with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, a disorder that causes legal blindness. Last fall, she wrote about the important role honors like the Schneider Family Book Awards play in ensuring people with disabilities see themselves in the stories they read. Keplinger shared her thoughts with American Libraries on the appeal of YA literature, encouragement for young … Continue reading Newsmaker: Kody Keplinger


Charlie Chaplin in The Gold Rush.

Screening Legally

February 16, 2015

Film programming can seem more complicated than other kinds of programming. How do you choose films to show? What equipment should you use? How do you market your programs? Where do you begin? The most challenging part—but in many ways the most important—is to make sure you are in compliance with the law relating to … Continue reading Screening Legally


Karen Maki, deputy director of GBPL, with a "traveler" who is participating in the Tales and Travels program.

Stimulating Minds

February 9, 2015

Welcome to Tales and Travel, a recreation program designed to encourage participation, conversation, and expression among Alzheimer’s and dementia patients by simulating the act of traveling to different countries and US states. While seated around a communal table at one of the six nursing home, assisted living, and memory care facilities that Degnan and her … Continue reading Stimulating Minds


Kenneth Wayne Thompson, director of Davenport (Iowa) Public Library, participates in small-group work at an ALA-Harwood Institute training in Atlanta in October.

Libraries Transforming Communities

January 22, 2015

Of course it wasn’t Freudenberger and the community alone who made these changes happen; it was thanks in part to an initiative called Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC), which launched a program in April 2014 involving 10 library districts. The initiative is the result of a partnership between the American Library Association and the Bethesda, Maryland–based … Continue reading Libraries Transforming Communities


Mario Rideaux, COHS student at Sacramento Public Library, and Volunteer Services Coordinator Cathy Crosthwaite discuss next steps.

Second Chances

January 12, 2015

She was working full-time as a general manager at a bakery while taking classes toward her associate’s degree at Los Angeles Harbor College. “I’ve always done really well without my high school diploma, but there were a few classes that I wanted to take,” she says. “At the time, I was thinking of possibly becoming … Continue reading Second Chances




2015 ALA Midwinter Preview

2015 ALA Midwinter Preview

January 2, 2015

Sandburg could have been talking about librarians. As societal and technological shifts continue to influence (and create gaps in) who has access to information and how, librarians’ roles as the bridges connecting different and diverse communities to relevant resources becomes more prominent. Big shoulders indeed. Librarians from around the world will arrive in Chicago for … Continue reading 2015 ALA Midwinter Preview


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Referenda Roundup 2014

January 2, 2015

The vote on library referenda determines whether or not libraries can support their operating budgets, make improvements, and stay current with technology resources. Passage of referenda also helps build new libraries that support the growing US population. The Institute of Museum and Library Services reports that 299.9 million people, or 95.3% of the US population, … Continue reading Referenda Roundup 2014


Casey Davis (Photo: Lisa Abitbol)

Bookend: In the Vault

January 2, 2015

That’s where Casey Davis, project manager for the American Archive of Public Broadcasting at WGBH Educational Foundation in Boston, comes in. Davis (standing in the WGBH vault) works with a team at the WGBH Media Library and Archives and the Library of Congress to coordinate a national effort to identify, preserve, and make accessible as … Continue reading Bookend: In the Vault