financial literacy Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Money Know-How

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | June 27, 2022

Patrons and students need guidance to navigate what can feel like an overwhelmingly complex financial landscape. And if the nation is to address its wealth inequality, libraries can help. Moderator Kenneth McDonnell, financial education program analyst at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, gave an overview of a pilot project the US federal agency created to … Continue reading Money Know-How →

A cartoon image of a woman snips off a chain attaching her to a graduation cap, meant to symbolize student debt.

Recognition and Relief

By Bill Furbee | June 1, 2022

Created to facilitate the forgiveness of remaining balances on federal Direct Loans (student loans made directly by the US Department of Education), PSLF made headlines as a way to free up financial futures for many people. To be eligible for forgiveness, individuals had to have made 120 monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while … Continue reading Recognition and Relief →

Call Number Podcast: Making Financial Sense

April 18, 2022

Episode 70, “Making Financial Sense,” marks the podcast’s six-year anniversary and the first installment helmed by American Libraries Associate Editor Diana Panuncial. In this episode, we celebrate Financial Literacy Month and wrap up Money Smart Week (April 9–16). The podcast team talks with library workers about some big questions around money: How do we raise … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: Making Financial Sense →

Recognition and Relief

By Bill Furbee | March 15, 2022

From left: Robert Ganem, Aiden Street, Matthew Lyttle

Can You Afford a Disaster?

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | June 25, 2019

For a significant number of Americans, the answer is no. Roughly 30% of respondents to a 2018 National Household Survey said they do not have any money set aside for an emergency. In another survey, 40% of Americans reported that they don’t have enough money to cover a $400 emergency expense. At “A Natural Disaster … Continue reading Can You Afford a Disaster? →

By the Numbers: Money Smart Week

By Alison Marcotte | March 1, 2019

1,000 Approximate number of libraries that participated in Money Smart Week activities in 2018. This year it will be observed March 30–April 6 and will include thousands of free programs and events across the country to help educate consumers on how to better manage their personal finances. 141,740 Number of people who attended Money Smart … Continue reading By the Numbers: Money Smart Week →

Dewey Decibel Podcast: Money Talk

April 9, 2018

First, American Libraries Associate Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart talks with Lori Burgess, director of operations at Fond du Lac (Wis.) Public Library and the recipient of a 2012 Wisconsin Financial Literacy Award, about her library’s programs and why financial literacy education is important. Next, Morehart speaks with Heather McCue, a children’s librarian … Continue reading Dewey Decibel Podcast: Money Talk →

Latest Library Links

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Emily Temple writes: “As you might have heard, on [June 24], the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, eliminating Americans’ constitutional right to an abortion and dragging the country back in time almost 50 years. If you’re looking for help making sense of it all, here are just a few recent pieces we recommend.” The list includes a recent New York Times essay by librarian and public intellectual Tressie McMillan Cottom (pictured).

LitHub, June 28; The New York Times, June 28
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Liz Mineo writes: “Collections at Schlesinger Library at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute document the abortion dispute in the US, providing rich historical and political context and offering insights into the evolution of one of the nation’s most stubbornly polarizing issues. The holdings of Schlesinger, a research library on the history of women in America, include archival materials that chronicle the dispute from both the abortion rights and the anti-abortion movements, said Jenny Gotwals, Johanna-Maria Fraenkel Curator for Gender and Society there. Among them are photographs, records of abortion-rights organizations, posters of anti-abortion advocates, and personal letters of women asking for help to terminate their pregnancies, as well as personal papers and documents of anti-abortion activists.”

Harvard Gazette, June 28
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Laura Sackton writes: “These days I cannot get short stories into my bloodstream fast enough. There are so many! More come out every month! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with non-queer short story collections, but as someone who grew up hungering for queer lit, this current abundance is especially satisfying.”

Book Riot, June 28
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Madeleine List writes: “Parents who attended an LGBTQ-themed storytime at a Wilmington, North Carolina, public library say members of the Proud Boys protested outside and entered the building during the event to antagonize them.… ‘I was starkly nervous that they were in the building,’ one parent said. ‘I definitely felt unsafe at that point. I never imagined that the police would allow them to go into the library.’”

Qnotes Carolinas, June 25
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Alisha Ebrahimji writes: “A library board in New York reversed its decision to remove all LGBTQ-related displays from its children’s section in four of its libraries during Pride Month after the removal was criticized. On [June 21], four out of seven Smithtown Library Board of Trustees had voted to remove all Pride material displays from the children’s section in its Commack, Kings Park, Nesconset, and Smithtown locations on Long Island.… On [June 23], however, the board met once again for an emergency meeting to talk about the ban, resulting in a reversal on a 4–2 vote. The Pride Month material will remain on display through July 15 and be removed afterward at the supervisory librarian’s discretion.”

CNN, June 24
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Brett Zongker writes: “Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced today that historian George Chauncey will receive the 2022 John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity. Chauncey is the DeWitt Clinton Professor of American History at Columbia University. He directs the Columbia Research Institute on the Global History of Sexualities. ‘Professor Chauncey’s trailblazing career gave us all better insight into, and understanding of, the LGBTQ+ community and history,’ Hayden said. ‘His work that helped transform our nation’s attitudes and laws epitomizes the Kluge Center’s mission to support research at the intersection of the humanities and public policy.’ Chauncey is the first scholar in LGBTQ+ studies to receive the prize.”

Library of Congress Blog, June 22
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Deanna Schwartz writes: “Authors are protesting Amazon’s ebook return policy, a system they say allows readers to ‘steal’ from self-published authors. Amazon’s current return policy for ebooks allows customers to ‘cancel an accidental book order within seven days.’ But, for some readers, seven days is more than enough time to finish a book and return it after reading, effectively treating Amazon like a library.… Those suggesting the read-and-return practice think they’re ‘sticking it to Amazon’ but in reality are only harming the authors, said Eva Creel, a fantasy writer who publishes under the name E. G. Creel. ‘I have my book available at the library. If somebody wants to read it for free, they can,’ Creel said.”

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