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Frederick E. Berry Library and Learning Commons, Salem (Mass.) State University

Submit Your Architectural Project to the 2015 Library Design Showcase

By Phil Morehart | January 23, 2015

We are looking for libraries that are shining examples of innovative architecture and that address patrons’ needs in unique, interesting, and effective ways. Previous submissions have consisted of projects ranging from innovative kids’ spaces and outdoor facilities to expanded high-tech academic libraries and restorations of libraries devastated by natural disasters. If your library is on … Continue reading Submit Your Architectural Project to the 2015 Library Design Showcase →

Mind the Gap

By Jennifer Burek Pierce | January 22, 2015

Last fall, I paid assiduous attention to early childhood literacy, striking up conversations on the subject and creating lengthy lists of resources. My obsessive information seeking supports students in my community engagement class who are helping Sioux City (Iowa) Public Library (SCPL) staffers locate area organizations with an interest in children’s reading. Library Director Betsy … Continue reading Mind the Gap →

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

By Bailey Brewer | 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 →

Financially Healthy

By Mario González | January 20, 2015

As I have said before, we continue to be completely transparent and regularly communicate with the membership about the finances of the Association. As you are aware, we entered the year with a cautious outlook; however, ALA’s management made a number of organizational and operational changes, to ensure that expenses would be in line with … Continue reading Financially Healthy →

Everyone’s Work

By Courtney L. Young | January 15, 2015

I believe diversity is an essential value for everyone working in a library or pursuing a degree in library and information science or a related field. Libraries that have the most significant impact on their communities understand and embrace the importance of diversity. They showcase their librarians, staff, and volunteers as members of a vibrant … Continue reading Everyone’s Work →

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

Second Chances

By Kristen Lepore | 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 →

Outlander author Diana Gabaldon. Photo: Elenna Loughlin

Newsmaker: Diana Gabaldon

By Mariam Pera | January 8, 2015

When you began writing Outlander, you didn’t think anyone would ever see it, but you shared some of what you wrote on literary forums. Can you talk about what role the online literary community played for you as a novelist starting out? I started showing people a bit of what I was doing on [a … Continue reading Newsmaker: Diana Gabaldon →

At the Fairfield Woods branch in Connecticut, library volunteer Eric Frisk gives a lesson in the library’s community garden plot.

Not Your Garden-Variety Library

By Greg Landgraf | January 5, 2015

The basic concept of a seed library is fairly simple: Gardeners “check out” seeds to plant in their own gardens, and when the growing season is done, they save seeds from the plants they grew and return them for other gardeners to use next year. In practice, seed libraries adapt this basic concept to the … Continue reading Not Your Garden-Variety Library →

2015 ALA Midwinter Preview

By Mariam Pera | 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 →

Referenda Roundup 2014

By Kathy Rosa | 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 →

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 →

Digital Media Labs

by Amanda L. Goodman | December 31, 2014

Where in a library can families share their stories? Where can teens create music videos and upload them online? Where can a veteran revisit his Army buddies? The answer is in the library’s own digital media lab (DML). A DML consists of equipment for either creating original digital content or converting older media to digital … Continue reading Digital Media Labs →

Latest Library Links

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Anita Sundaram Coleman writes: “The ALA Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy Working Group has released a draft guidance document for libraries. This is a good document. It says, in one quiet clause buried in its appendix, that AI should enable ‘human flourishing—including mental and social wellness.’ But neither it nor we may know what that means yet. That’s what this section is for. Before we delve into flourishing, we need the rule: ‘Question the chatbot back on everything. Verify anything that carries your name. Triangulate, with other AI tools and with non-AI sources.’”

Infophilia: A Positive Psychology of Information, May 9
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A new report from PEN America found that 3,743 unique titles were removed from at least one school library or classroom during the 2024–2025 school year. “In the last school year, we found a surge in the banning of nonfiction titles. We documented bans on over 1,100 unique titles that are educational or informational books for young people—textbooks or reference texts on a wide range of subjects, history books, biographies, and autobiographies.” The most common topics in banned titles included violence, death and grief, and empowerment and self-esteem.

PEN America, May 7
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Nominations are being accepted through September 1 for ALA honorary membership, the Association’s highest honor, which is bestowed on a living person whose contribution to libraries and/or librarianship, or a closely related field, is so outstanding that it is of lasting importance to the advancement of the whole field of library service. Honorary members are elected for life by vote of the ALA Council upon recommendation of the ALA Executive Board. Newly elected honorary members will be formally recognized at the Opening General Session during the 2027 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition.

ALA Governance Office, May 6
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Jessica Brownley writes: “As we observe Mental Health Awareness Month, I’ve been thinking about the role libraries play in supporting the emotional well-being of children in library programs. In a recent art program, a participant became frustrated when their painting did not turn out the way they expected. They stopped following instructions, changed their work, and eventually became tearful. These kinds of moments are not unusual in library spaces. Emotional reactions can show up quickly and may seem big compared to the situation—but they are very real for the child experiencing them.”

ALSC Blog, May 6
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Brett Bonfield writes: “When it comes to the ALA’s more than $66 million endowment, we trustees are mindful of the ethical impact of the Association’s investments. That’s where ESG, or environmental, social, and governance, investing comes in. ESG investing refers to the practice of incorporating environmental impact, social issues, and corporate governance into investing decisions. This column will answer the primary questions that endowment trustees are asked about ESG investments and how ALA approaches them.”

American Libraries Online, May 11
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Dan Montgomery writes: “While the commemoration of ALA’s 150th anniversary kicked off in January, ALA staff and member leaders have been building momentum toward its largest in-person celebration, the 2026 Annual Conference and Exhibition in our hometown of Chicago. I feel honored and privileged to be here in this moment as we celebrate this Magnificent Milestone! (Did you catch my Chicago pun?) I invite you to join your colleagues at Annual to observe our past, reflect on our present, and envision our future.”

American Libraries column, May
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Anne Ford writes: “For 150 years, ALA has shaped the landscape of libraries and the profession itself—but its leadership has often reflected the racial and gender biases of society at large. For this special anniversary issue, American Libraries spoke with eight barrier-busting Association leaders about their struggles, triumphs, breakdowns, and breakthroughs. The stories and lessons they share reveal how diversity fuels and transforms the power of libraries everywhere.”

American Libraries feature, May

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