grants Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Call Number Podcast: Small Libraries, Big Ideas

November 11, 2024

At Burlingame (Kans.) Community Library, sensory spaces and a new loanable resource collection are improving the lives of patrons with disabilities and their families. Meanwhile, at North Liberty (Iowa) Library, staffers are moderating discussions on hot-button topics that are getting community members to open up, listen to one another, and connect. Both libraries have received … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: Small Libraries, Big Ideas →

A young patron at Joeten-Kiyu Public Library in Susupe, Northern Mariana Islands plays in the library's new Sensory Corner

Libraries Transforming Communities, One Year Later

By Alison Marcotte | November 1, 2024

During the first round of funding, 240 small and rural libraries, located within towns with populations of under 25,000 people, received awards of $10,000 or $20,000 to improve the accessibility of their facilities, services, and programs. American Libraries spoke with five libraries that participated in the program’s inaugural year about their projects’ impact on those … Continue reading Libraries Transforming Communities, One Year Later →

Librarian's Library by Araceli Mendez Hintermeister

Getting Down to Business

By Araceli Méndez Hintermeister | March 1, 2024

Libraries That Build Business: Advancing Small Business and Entrepreneurship in Public Libraries Edited by Megan Janicki Libraries are valuable allies for local entrepreneurs, breaking down barriers to technology and information access while fostering community connections. Drawing from ALA’s Libraries Build Business initiative, this book is divided into two parts. The first outlines strategies and considerations … Continue reading Getting Down to Business →

Finding Funding

By Reanna Esmail | January 2, 2024

The Grant Writing Guide: A Road Map for Scholars By Betty S. Lai This is one of those books that accomplishes everything it promises. Divided into manageable tasks, the chapters provide practical advice, sample templates, and guided exercises to help applicants articulate their projects. Lai demystifies the grant writing process while thoughtfully reflecting on its … Continue reading Finding Funding →

Jeanie Austin speaks at a podium during a session at ALA's Annual Conference and Exhibition.

Setting the Standards

By Megan Bennett | June 26, 2023

“I stood up and said, ‘I’m going to become a librarian,’” James remembered. “The laughter was quite intense.” Despite being told it was “unrealistic,” James went on to receive his master’s degree in information science from University of Texas at Austin in 2007. Since then, he’s worked with several American Library Association (ALA) groups advocating … Continue reading Setting the Standards →

A patron at Charleston County Public Library in South Carolina picks up fruits and vegetables from one of its Free and Fresh Fridges.

Fresh Ideas

By Megan Bennett | June 1, 2023

“We know that if people don’t have enough food, every other need they have is going to seem secondary,” says Montgomery, associate director of community engagement at Charleston County (S.C.) Public Library (CCPL). The pandemic exacerbated food insecurity throughout the country, with an estimated 3 million more US residents facing food insecurity in 2020 than … Continue reading Fresh Ideas →

Older Beginners

By Lynne Weintraub | June 1, 2023

It’s not unusual for libraries to offer English as a Second Language (ESL) and citizenship preparation programs. But Jones Library (JL) in Amherst, Massachusetts, has designed a program specifically for older adult beginners ages 50 and over. A college town that attracts workers and academics from around the world, Amherst has a higher immigrant population … Continue reading Older Beginners →

A photo of one of the Wi-Fi-enabled benches installed by the Pioneer Library System in Oklahoma

Sit and Surf

By Bill Furbee | May 1, 2023

The twist? Those patrons are doing this all outside while sitting at benches placed throughout the community—sometimes mere steps away from their own homes. PLS is one of a growing number of libraries nationwide to install high-tech, solar-powered benches that offer more than just a place to rest; they also provide free Wi-Fi and charging … Continue reading Sit and Surf →

An illustration representing libraries who utilized relief funding to support recovery from the pandemic as well as natural disasters.

A Perfect Storm

By Megan Bennett | March 1, 2023

The library served as a hub for the school’s approximately 400 students and faculty. It had separate spaces for elementary and high school students to study, check out books, and use computers. Maria and its aftermath claimed most of the library’s collections. Of an estimated 4,000–5,000 books, 90% were no longer usable. “Everything was full … Continue reading A Perfect Storm →

Pickens County (S.C.) Library System's blood pressure medical kit

A Checkup for Checkout

By Emily Udell | March 1, 2023

“We’re a fairly tight-knit, smaller community, so we get to know our patrons very well and we hear a lot of different challenges that they’re facing in their everyday lives,” says Lepore, director of North Scituate (R.I.) Public Library (NSPL). She and library staffers began searching for ways to address pandemic recovery with a focus … Continue reading A Checkup for Checkout →

A close-up of the cell phones provided through the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District's Cellphone Lending Program

Libraries on Call

By Kelvin Watson | March 1, 2023

When Las Vegas–Clark County (Nev.) Library District (LVCCLD) closed its doors at the start of the pandemic, the technological barriers that existed within the community were laid bare, particularly those affecting people facing homelessness. Last April, LVCCLD launched its Cellphone Lending Program, an innovative approach to providing hundreds of unhoused individuals with access to needed … Continue reading Libraries on Call →

Julia Kress, senior electronic resources assistant at the Fondren Library at Rice University in Houston, and Neyda Gilman, assistant head of sustainability and STEM engagement and pharmacy, nursing and health sciences librarian at Binghamton University in New York, discuss their work as part of ALA's Resilient Communities grant.

Climate Change Chat

By Megan Bennett | January 29, 2023

Alexandria Library was one of 25 libraries that received an American Library Association (ALA) Resilient Communities grant to help educate patrons on the climate crisis. Representatives from five public and academic library recipients joined to discuss their work in a January 28 program at ALA’s 2023 LibLearnX conference in New Orleans. The Resilient Communities’ six-month … Continue reading Climate Change Chat →

Latest Library Links

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Elisa Shoenberger writes: “These days, it seems that humor and murder mysteries go together like cookies and milk. With films like Knives Out and See How They Run and television shows like Only Murders in the Building, it seems that murder mysteries with a lot of humor are fashionable right now. Plus, we’re going to get the film adaptation of Richard Osman’s delightful The Thursday Murder Club later this year. I’ve put together a list of recently published humorous murder mystery books.”

Book Riot, Feb. 17
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Pranay Parab writes: “Google’s recent foray into artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t going to stop anytime soon. While you can hide Google Workspace’s Gemini buttons and prompts for now, you can’t actually stop the company from continuing to build its apps around a technology that revolves around getting its hands on as much data as possible. I rely on Google Docs for collaboration, but the company’s AI push has got me looking for alternatives, even if Google currently denies using your data to train its models. On that note, these are the best AI-free, encrypted alternatives to Google Docs.”

Lifehacker, Feb. 13
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Elizabeth Coen and Mary Manning write: “In the winter of 2023, we reimagined the curricular design of an undergraduate survey course called American Drama. We wanted students to think deeply about the nature of representation in American theatre, and whose voices are traditionally privileged in play anthologies and theatrical productions and whose voices are not. We also wanted students to examine these privileges and gaps through primary and secondary source research—through group discovery and ‘play’ in the archives and in the stacks.”

TPS Collective, Feb. 14
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Suzan Karabakal writes: “As a UX research and design student at the School of Information, I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to conduct user research on Library Search, the University of Michigan Library’s discovery layer, last summer. My goal was to uncover how novice users approach Library Search features and functions, and to identify design opportunities to improve student experiences. After conducting interviews with librarians in the Learning and Teaching division, student employees who provide ‘Ask a Librarian’ services, and undergraduate students, I compiled a list of five key findings and five key design recommendations.”

University of Michigan Library, Feb. 13
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María Evelia Emerson writes: “Diversity audits, like much of librarianship, are not a simple box to check off once complete. Collections, as well as other programs and services, need to be consistently revisited in order to stay abreast of current trends and make sure that libraries strive to be as inclusive as possible. Although this requires time (something few librarians have an abundance of), without consistent check-ins, reviews, and feedback, collections and services are at risk of catering to a specific group of people, without taking into account the variety and differences of experiences and needs that make up our society.”

Portal: Libraries and the Academy, Jan.
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ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services will host “Libraries Respond: Racial Healing and Transforming Communities through Mental Health Practices,” a virtual panel discussion, on February 25 at 3 p.m. Central. The 90-minute event will feature mental health professional Grace Le sharing her expertise on how mental health can impact our individual journeys towards racial healing, and a moderated panel of ALA leaders sharing perspectives and experiences on collective community healing towards racial equity and our roles in our library spaces. Register to receive the Zoom link.

ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy, and outreach Services
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Michelle Reed and Tova Gaster write: “Neo-Censorship in US Libraries: An Investigation into Digital Content Suppression, a new Library Futures report, dives into an underreported area of library censorship—database bans that restrict youth access to ebooks, research resources, and other digital content. While bans on beloved print books are often more visible, challenges to databases and digital collections risk restricting children from viewing a wide range of content—from breast cancer awareness to resources for identifying and reporting sexual abuse.”

Library Futures, Feb. 13

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