Wildfires Damage Libraries
“We are open regular hours- except of course the branch that burned to the ground.”
News & Opinion
Be Like RBG – Lessons from a Life
Like countless others, I admired the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG), Supreme Court Justice and human rights icon. In 2017 I painted her portrait as part of a series on human rights leaders. I had a quality art print made from the original and mailed it with a letter of appreciation. To my delight, I […]
Bookmobile Conference Goes Virtual
For the first time in its history, the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services’ annual conference will be conducted virtually this year. Learn more about this organization and the benefits of outreach professionals swapping trade secrets.
A Pandemic Side Effect: Low Morale in Public Libraries
Employee morale takes another hit in the age of COVID.
Voices are Power
The insights gained from a library visit in Nashville, have put into motion events that will certainly change lives and create a new future for many libraries in Africa. We are on the threshold of making history as we seek to transform lives by empowering African voices to tell their stories.
Collections May Be Low Risk but Public Spaces are Not
Public libraries are caught in a Catch-22 where their services are low risk for individuals who are able to access the internet from home, but increase the risk for marginalized patrons, who rely on shared public space.
Relationship as a Resource
These are tough times, and we’ve got questions. What are we supposed to do? We face so much communal and individual pain—pain that is fueled by a global pandemic and systematized racial injustice—pain that existed long before 2020 but has been ignited, amplified, and now refuses to be ignored. What are we supposed to do now?
Libraries Launch BLM Book Clubs
As indicated by the ALA’s response to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, libraries have an obligation to act on behalf of racial justice with genuine systemic change, not just statements or book lists.
Encouraging Computational Thinking for Young Children and Families From a Distance
Development of computational thinking skills can begin in very early childhood, helping to foster creative problem solvers capable of solving 21st century challenges. By intentionally incorporating, modeling, and making computational thinking skills accessible in your programs and services during this time and beyond, you can empower and support families in this realm.
Rising to the Challenges
Like many of you I am struggling to adapt to the new world in which our branches are empty and quiet.
Public Library Association Call to Action for Public Library Workers to Address Racism
The Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), calls on public library workers to commit to structural change and to taking action to end systemic racism and injustice.
Fostering Resilience via Libraries/Library Work
As I continue to report to work during shelter in place, I have witnessed people linger at the front gates of the San Francisco Public Library anxiously asking when the library will open again.
Gerard Koeppel on the Clash of Cultures that Turned Deadly on the High Seas
In Gerard Koeppel’s engrossing Not a Gentleman’s Work: The Untold Story of a Gruesome Murder at Sea and the Long Road to Truth, Koeppel investigates a murder trial that captured the attention of the late nineteenth century but is now largely forgotten. In 1896, six days into a twelve-week voyage to Buenos Aires, crew members […]
A Covid-19 Digital Archive
Participatory digital archives allow libraries to collect community responses to the pandemic in real time.
Bookmobiles Navigate New Terrain
Amid a public health crisis and a host of new safety considerations, mobile libraries are finding creative solutions to continue bringing services to communities that need it most.
