September/October 2024

Features & Trends

2024 Library Design Showcase

By Phil Morehart

From Brutal to beautiful Toronto Public Library, York Woods branch The York Woods renovation and addition retains the original 1970 brutalist library and connected theater while enhancing them with a new 2,000-square-foot glass entrance pavilion, topped with a timber roof to create a welcoming entryway. The interior retains the original structure but now incorporates exposed … Continue reading 2024 Library Design Showcase →

2024 ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Awards

New English Canaan (1637) by Thomas Morton

Censorship throughout the Centuries

By Cara S. Bertram

OIF, which began collecting data about censorship attempts in US libraries in 1990—and started observing Banned Books Week in 1982—was formed in 1967 to provide tangible support to library workers as they sought to uphold the intellectual freedom tenets of the Library Bill of Rights and ALA’s Freedom to Read Statement. As high-profile battles with … Continue reading Censorship throughout the Centuries →

Columnists

We All Belong
By Cindy Hohl
Busy Intersections
by Jasmine Shumaker and Joe Lee
Gearing Up for a Great Build
By Toni Lombardozzi
Designing for Equity
By Linda W. Braun
Picking Up the Pieces
By Dan Groberg
Beyond the Bookshelves
By Araceli Méndez Hintermeister

Latest Library Links

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“Between 1893 and 1919, Andrew Carnegie gave away $60 million of his fortune to fund 1,689 public libraries across the country. These ‘Carnegie libraries’ became cultural centers in towns big and small and were instrumental in constructing the blueprint of small-town America as we know it today. These towns were often so proud of these monuments of culture that they distributed postcards celebrating the new library. Many of these postcards, along with thousands of other postcards of libraries around the world, are housed at the ALA Archives.”

ALA150, Aug. 11
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Jeff Lang writes: “For too many of us, conversations about accessibility in scholarly communication begin and end with alt text. While text descriptions are an important accommodation, they represent just one element of a much broader challenge: ensuring that research can be understood by the widest possible audience. The goal is not simply to make content available, but to communicate ideas effectively across different abilities, contexts, and modes of engagement. This is the foundation of open science and a core tenet of universities, funders, scholarly societies and many others.”

Katina, Aug. 4
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Austyn Szempruch writes: “With Florida’s homestead exemption amendment appearing poised to be voted into law in November, the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners are looking to be proactive in making the cuts necessary for staying under budget. The tentative 2027 budget was set to shutter West Hernando Library to save upwards of $500,000. Due in large part to over a thousand emails, and the fervent opposition of over 30 citizens at the county’s special budget meeting August 6, the board unanimously voted 4–0 for a budget that included keeping the popular local library.”

Hernando (Fla.) Sun, Aug. 7
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Lauren Busser writes: “Designing a new website is about more than just aesthetics. It’s also a time to consider what is and isn’t currently working for your audience. Analytics can help you make some suggestions, but engaging your audience in the design process can help uncover aspects of your website that you’ve never considered. Over the last two years, I have been engaging the community at Fairfield (Conn.) University to aid in redesigning the DiMenna-Nyselius Library website. These are a few exercises we conducted that got us talking about ways to make meaningful change.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Aug. 10
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Betsy Gomez writes: “ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom has released two reports providing additional detailed insights from 2025, the year with the highest level of library censorship ever documented in the US The reports are derived from additional analysis of the 2025 data that was announced during this year’s National Library Week. One report focuses on censorship activities that took place at public libraries, and the other examines censorship at school libraries. Each report includes an overview of significant changes and trends, data on threats to intellectual freedom at public libraries or schools, and details on the censorship of books.”

Intellectual Freedom Blog, Aug. 5
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Comic-Con International announced the winners of the 38th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards July 24. Topping this year’s winners is Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC) by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez, which won Best Limited Series and Best Penciller/Inker and shared the prizes for Best Cover Artist (Rodriguez) and Best Lettering for Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. The only other title with multiple wins was This Place Kills Me (Abrams Fanfare), by Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux, which received awards for Best Publication for Teens and Best Writer.

San Diego Comic-Con International, July 24
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Slone Williams writes: “In April 2025, I presented a proposal to the Cobb (Ga.) Library Foundation to turn library brand loyalty into a sustainable funding mechanism. The result was the Cobb Library Shop, a permanent, virtual storefront designed to move beyond traditional fundraising and into the realm of modern e-commerce. Today, the shop features over 100 products with price ranges designed for broad community accessibility, maintaining a profit margin of 20% to 60% depending on the item. The shop achieved a full return on investment within the first 14 days. Every dollar earned in net revenue flows directly back into the community.”

Georgia Library Quarterly, vol. 63, no. 3, Summer