At the Public Library Association’s 2022 conference, Dr. Audrey Barbakoff gave a talk on "Digital equity through community partnerships," in which she discussed how community partnerships can be building blocks for sustainable digital inclu...

The best part of my job at OCLC is getting to hear about the impactful programs and activities that libraries create to solve community problems and help transform lives. I recently got the chance to talk to Nancy Pacheco and Elizabeth Gray from the ...

It started as part of a Saturday program with underrepresented students in STEM, paired with mentors from Northwestern University to work on monthly engineering design projects. After several years of one-off projects that were, frankly, a bit stale,...

A new report on Socially Connected Communities: Solutions for Social Isolation published by Healthy Places by Design highlights how librarians and other leaders can work together to address this issue. The report was developed based on a series of co...

It’s no secret that a lot of really wonderful people work in libraries. I learn so much from having regular access to motivated, smart people who are so passionate about helping others. The best librarians possess a unique blend of conviction, commit...

Ric Morgan is a humble man who brushes off any accolades to himself and gives all the credit to librarians. “Go give the librarians a hug. Thank the librarians, they’re the ones who make this all possible!” Morgan is referring to successes of the Vir...

As the REALM project (REopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums) continues to gather and adapt science-based information to inform local decision making by libraries, archives, and museums, it’s been essential to listen to the real-world experiences...

Outreach efforts in the public library increasingly center around building, sustaining, and leveraging community partnerships, including with public health partners. That fact was evident at the 2021 Association of Bookmobile & Outreach Services’...

Like many libraries across the nation, the Free Library of Philadelphia is undergoing a paradigm shift. Increasingly, our focus is not only on extensive collections but on how we are engaging with our communities. To address this shift, the Free Libr...

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, public librarians grappled with the challenge of how to continue supporting the types of social connections they had, pre-pandemic, facilitated through engaging programming and inviting spaces. For many older adult...