public libraries Archives | Page 2 of 26 | American Libraries Magazine

From left: Filmmakers Trish Adlesic, Nazenet Habtezghi, and Sheila Nevins.

Newsmakers: Trish Adlesic and Nazenet Habtezghi

By Megan Bennett | February 20, 2024

Adlesic is codirector and producer of The ABCs of Book Banning, a 2023 film that has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Short category. Sheila Nevins, famed documentarian and current head of MTV Documentary Films, led the project, and journalist-turned-filmmaker Nazenet Habtezghi also codirected. American Libraries spoke with Adlesic and Habtezghi … Continue reading Newsmakers: Trish Adlesic and Nazenet Habtezghi →

Glen J. Benedict (right), access services librarian at the University of the District of Colombia in Washington D.C. and Mel Baldwin, adult services librarian at Granville County (N.C.) Library System, present “Upholding Trans Patron Privacy & Information Access” January 21 at the 2024 LibLearnX Conference in Baltimore.

Protecting Trans Patrons

By Megan Bennett | January 21, 2024

This is one of the scenarios library workers were asked to ponder during “Upholding Trans Patron Privacy and Information Access,” presented January 21 at the American Library Association’s 2024 LibLearnX conference in Baltimore. Privacy is “not just a service aspect,” said Glen J. Benedict, access services librarian at the University of the District of Colombia … Continue reading Protecting Trans Patrons →

Rakisha Kearns-White, senior YA librarian at Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library (BPL), left, and Brenda Bentt-Peters, BPL's community outreach supervisor, present at "Creating Welcoming and Supportive Libraries for Asylum Seekers and People Experiencing Homelessness and Poverty."

Opening Doors

By Megan Bennett | January 21, 2024

“This is the first step.… We want the library to be a place where they know they can come in and feel welcome,” she said during “Creating Welcoming and Supportive Libraries for Asylum Seekers and People Experiencing Homelessness and Poverty,” a January 20 session at the American Library Association’s 2024 LibLearnX Conference in Baltimore. Bentt-Peters … Continue reading Opening Doors →

2023 Year in Review

January 2, 2024

Another record year for book challenges Preliminary data from the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) through August 31 showed a 20% increase in reported book challenges for 2023—surpassing the record set in 2022. The data also showed an increase in challenges that targeted multiple titles, with libraries in 11 states receiving challenges that included 100 or … Continue reading 2023 Year in Review →

Farmers for Libraries sign in support of Columbia County Rural Library District

Referenda Roundup 2023: Campaign Stories

By Ryan Ireland | January 2, 2024

Overall, library measures across the US continue to pass at a high rate. However, in many communities, the discourse over what materials can be held in certain sections of their libraries has escalated to people introducing ballot measures seeking to defund, shut down, or weaken the library’s authority. Tried and true campaign messaging, like touting … Continue reading Referenda Roundup 2023: Campaign Stories →

In Their Own Words

By Emily Udell | January 2, 2024

Phan had volunteered for essential duties, including monitoring the parks that remained open, and had become busier than ever as people turned increasingly to outdoor activities. In January 2021, his work took him to central Kentucky, where NPS had recently acquired Camp Nelson, a former US Army base that was once a destination for many … Continue reading In Their Own Words →

Music and Mocktails at Grand Forks (N.Dak.) Public Library

Spirit-Free Spaces

By Cass Balzer | January 2, 2024

In response, several public libraries around the country are now providing adults-only, sober-curious programming to educate attendees on making alcohol-free mixed drinks, often called mocktails or sober cocktails. “Coming out of COVID, there were a lot of people [who said], ‘I want to get healthier, I want to feel better,’ and they tried a sober … Continue reading Spirit-Free Spaces →

Aydin Kwan, adult services librarian at Sunnyvale Public Library uses an induction cooktop available for loan.

Hot Topic

By Bill Furbee | January 2, 2024

Bunk, a father and lecturer at University of Massachusetts Amherst, had heard that induction stoves were better for the environment than gas stoves, but he says he also “wanted to find out how difficult [they were] to use and how steep the learning curve was.” Induction ranges, like their traditional gas or electric counterparts, heat … Continue reading Hot Topic →

Middle Country Public Library in Centereach, New York

Show Us Your Beautiful New Library

January 2, 2024

We are looking for examples of innovative library architecture that address patrons’ needs in unique, interesting, and effective ways. We are also interested in submissions from libraries that are approaching design with sustainability, accessibility, and smaller budgets in mind. If your library is on the cutting edge, we want our readers to know. To be … Continue reading Show Us Your Beautiful New Library →

By the Numbers: Literary Baltimore

By Megan Bennett | January 2, 2024

ALA’s 2024 LibLearnX conference will be held January 19–22 in Baltimore. 1882 Year that Enoch Pratt Free Library (EPFL) in Baltimore was founded. Six years after ALA’s founding, EPFL received its initial funding from local businessman and philanthropist Enoch Pratt. The system now has 22 locations across the city. 1992 Year that Atomic Books—an independent … Continue reading By the Numbers: Literary Baltimore →

Stock image of two women leaning on one another in a support group.

Holiday Healing

By Megan Bennett | December 13, 2023

El Progreso Memorial Library (EPML) in Uvalde, Texas, is one of an increasing number of libraries, with help from community partners, organizing programming about handling grief during the holiday season. EPML has been a center for grief recovery since May 25, 2022. The day before, the community faced the unimaginable tragedy of losing 21 community … Continue reading Holiday Healing →

Colorful icons arranged in a grid representing a 3D printer, a person using a computer, a cloud, a book with a cursor clicking, and a mobile phone

2023 Public Library Technology Survey

November 7, 2023

Do you have digital media or maker production equipment for patron use at your library? What types of technology-based equipment does your library circulate? Do you provide space for patrons to conduct individual telehealth sessions? What are the greatest challenges your library faces in providing digital literacy assistance or training? What factors affect your library’s … Continue reading 2023 Public Library Technology Survey →

Latest Library Links

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Joe Árvai writes: “As artificial intelligence (AI) creeps further into people’s daily lives, so do worries about it. At the most alarmist are concerns about AI going rogue and terminating its human masters. But my own research as a psychologist who studies how people make decisions leads me to believe that all these risks are overshadowed by an even more corrupting, though largely invisible, threat. That is, AI is mere keystrokes away from making people even less disciplined and skilled when it comes to thoughtful decisions.”

The Conversation, Apr. 12
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Tess Prendergast writes: “As someone who teaches contemporary children’s literature, I have been following the surge of picture books about climate and environment topics for several years. While there has been some great scholarly research about such books, I have devised a simple framework for grouping these kinds of books. This four-tiered categorization may help you decided what to read, suggest, or display in various scenarios and for different audiences.”

ALSC Blog, Apr. 11
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Max Eddy writes: “It’s a nightmare scenario: You’ve protected all of your online accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA), but then your phone is broken, lost, or stolen, and you’re locked out of everything. Past You’s effort to protect Future You has made Present You’s life a living hell. 2FA is supposed to keep attackers and scammers out of your online accounts, but what if something happens to your second factor? With a little planning, you can reduce that risk and still keep your accounts safe.”

New York Times Wirecutter, Apr. 12
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Nik Altenberg writes: “About 100 librarians and their supporters rallied outside San Francisco Public Library’s Main Library on April 9 to demand the city hire security guards for every branch. Workers decried a lack of security at most of the city’s branches and said they are often forced to de-escalate volatile situations and step into the role of providing security themselves. The rally is the latest in a series of union actions [from 10 unions representing more than 25,000 city workers across city departments] seeking to draw attention to what they say is a pervasive understaffing crisis.”

KQED-TV (San Francisco), Apr. 9
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“Two years after Brooklyn Public Libraries’ (BPL) launch of Books Unbanned, an initiative to protect the freedom to read for young people, In Their Own Words: Youth Voices on Books Unbanned gives new insight into the impact of censorship on teen and young adults across the US and how restrictions and other barriers to access build upon and reinforce each other. The new report, published April 11 by BPL and Seattle Public Library, analyzes 855 stories shared by young people who signed up for a free Books Unbanned ecard from April 2022 through December 2023.”

Seattle Public Library, Apr. 11
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Samantha Guss, Sojourna Cunningham, and Jennifer Stout write: “Recruitment and retention are both critical to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in academic libraries, and failing to improve retention has and will continue to derail these initiatives. Research that addresses retention tends to focus on proposed strategies, such as stay interviews (structured interviews aimed at strengthening employee and employer relationships) and mentorship programs. But there is no agreed-upon definition of retention that would allow us to assess these strategies. We should recognize that involuntary staying can be just as negative an outcome for the individual and the organization as leaving, setting the stage for legacy toxicity.”

In The Library With The Lead Pipe, Apr. 10
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Jackie Edwards writes: “As spring rolls around, seasonal allergies can flare up among library workers, resulting in symptoms like sneezing; runny or stuffy nose; itchy eyes, ears, and nose; coughing; and asthma. Not only are these symptoms detrimental to well-being and productivity, but they can also mean you’re less able to provide excellent customer service to library users. Fortunately, by purifying the air, preventing mold, and keeping your work area clean, you can improve indoor air quality and combat allergies in your library.”

Library Worklife, Apr.

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