In May 2023, with funding from the Mellon Foundation, Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) launched an 18-month research project to collect and study cardholder signup policies from public libraries across the nation. The project aims to identify the range ...

Libraries are no stranger to change. As community expectations shift, so do our libraries. This adaptability was on full display during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But as that pressure has subsided, we’re seeing widespread reflection around ...

Each year, the Global Council has selected an area of focus to help concentrate efforts around a challenge facing libraries around the world. This important work spans not only geographic regions, but all types of libraries, and provides opportunitie...

This article provides an overview of the New Model Library research, supporting learner guide, examples from public libraries, and information about an upcoming webinar on the topic. We hope that these materials can help facilitate local conversa...

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...

Like many libraries across the nation, the Free Library of Philadelphia is undergoing a paradigm shift. Their extensive collections offer boundless discoveries, but increasingly their focus is not only on what is housed within their walls and on thei...

In the spring of 2020, the 15 small and rural libraries participating in WebJunction’s Small Libraries Create Smart Spaces project were on the verge of activating their newly transformed smart spaces with collaborative community programming;...

After opening up a world of possibilities with community discovery and ideation brainstorming, the Small Libraries Create Smart Spaces libraries were ready to move on to the next step in the design thinking process: prototyping. Creating a prototype ...

In their community discovery process, the 15 libraries participating in the second round of Small Libraries Create Smart Spaces learned that community input is likely to lead to more questions than neat, complete answers. In sorting through the tangl...

The design thinking process begins with a deep investigation into a community’s values, needs, and interests before rushing to develop space and service transformations. Forging connections and starting conversations with your community are essential...