Magazine Archive | American Libraries Magazine

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Cover of the Mach/April 2026 issue of American Libraries featuring Mychal Threets

March/April 2026

Cover of the January/February issue of American Libraries featuring the 2025 Year in Review

January/February 2026

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Annual Conference Preview; the Liberty Bell

June 2025

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Under the title 'The Sustainability Issue' is an illustrated scene in which a person rides a book-bicycle along a grass-lined path toward a library building

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Latest Library Links

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Witt Salley writes: “A library can collect thoughtful teen feedback and still leave participants unsure how their answers informed a decision. Teens contribute time and ideas, and they deserve to know what the library did with their input and what happens next. Building on the Association for Library Service to Children’s discussion of program evaluation, I recommend identifying the decision teens can influence and planning how staff will report back before collecting feedback.”

ALSC Blog, Oct. 31
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Lori Misaka and Jessica Regitano write: “Have you ever been asked to explain the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries to a colleague, an administrator, or someone who wants to know more about what happens in your school library? Maybe you’ve been the one asking those questions yourself! That’s where the “Getting Started with the AASL Standards” one-pager comes in. This resource was created to help school librarians introduce the standards in a way that’s approachable, practical, and easy to share.”

Knowledge Quest, Oct. 27
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Rachel Bachman writes: “After enough time reading to children, you begin to notice certain patterns. Not necessarily in what books they enjoy, but in how they enjoy them. Some children want to hear the same story a hundred times. Others have very strong opinions about the second page. Some listen with rapt attention, while others appear to be conducting an entirely unrelated investigation of the ceiling tiles. Which brings me to my entirely unscientific attempt at classification. After years of reading picture books to children, I have concluded that there are several distinct species of storytime attendee.”
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Lish McBride writes: “It’s the spooky season, the time for tricks and treats, and today I bring you whimsy that has a little of both. Horror is the salty to whimsy’s sweet, each one bringing out hidden nuances and subtle flavors you might not catch otherwise. They also make a pretty good team. Studies show that horror can act as a safe space to process trauma in multiple ways. While horror helps you process, humor is there to help you cope. They combine to make a powerful psychological tool, a one-two punch in the gut of trauma!”

Reactor, Oct. 26
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Emily Long writes: “If you’ve opted in to Google’s ‘Personal Intelligence’ feature in the hopes of receiving more tailored AI responses from Gemini, there’s a good chance that more of your data than you realize is being used for targeted advertising. In a recent privacy policy update, Google quietly added an exception to how it handles information from Drive, Gmail, and Photos to personalize the ads you see—but there’s a way to opt out.”

Lifehacker, Oct. 27
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Madison Dearnaley writes: “A strategic plan should be rooted in your current school context and school’s strategic direction. It should also be true to good library practice. Start by gathering evidence of your school context. You might use your school’s strategic plan, website, vision and mission statements, or even meet with leadership to get them to articulate to you the school’s strategic direction. Write this all down, and highlight the key terms and frequently occurring words and themes.”

Madison’s Library, Oct. 22
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Olivia Rae Heerman writes: “About a year ago, I noticed a shift in my storytimes. Something was off. I felt less excited to walk out, welcome, and lead participants with energy and joy. I drifted into thinking about other parts of my day while singing my favorite songs. I was more frustrated by grown-ups having side conversations and more overstimulated by upset children. It was burnout. I needed, and my community needed, a storytime reset—a redesign.”

ALSC Blog, Oct. 21

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