The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 67.3 million Americans speak a language other than English at home, a number that has more than doubled since 1990. That’s a huge number with powerful implications for social institutions, including libraries. For many of us, getting started serving those communities feels like an overwhelming task. I’m here to tell you—you can do it. And you can start today to make a significant difference for your community with multilingual programming.

About ten years ago, my library system focused primarily on English, even as the Spanish-speaking population was rising dramatically. When we started down... Read more

Public libraries have been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic on many levels. Navigating the sea of decision-making related to communicating during a crisis, managing staff needs, and maintaining our facilities have been major tasks. The newly released Public Health Crisis Management Playbook for Archives, Libraries, and Museums offers a set of guiding processes, resources, and tools to aid cultural heritage institutions when planning for, navigating through, and recovering from a significant public health emergency.

The playbook is part of the REopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums (REALM) project, which looked at the issues and challenges being faced by archive,... Read more

OCLC's WebJunction program will support efforts in three new Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant projects. WebJunction will serve as advisory, dissemination, or design partners on one IMLS National Leadership Grant and two Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grants.

The WebJunction team will be working with partners on these IMLS grants, leveraging their experience and expertise in designing, delivering, and disseminating transformational programs that connect public library service to community needs. Read summaries of these responsive new projects below to learn more.

East Tennessee State University will partner with the School of Library and Information Studies at... Read more

Library staff – let’s get ready! Two Solar Eclipses Coming to North America! An Annular Eclipse in 2023 and a Total Eclipse in 2024. STAR Net will support your eclipse efforts by providing eclipse glasses AND training. The STAR Net team, through a generous grant from Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is here to support public libraries through the distribution of over 5 million eclipse glasses, activities, and upcoming trainings through your state library! Remember, whenever any part of the Sun’s surface is showing, you will need protective glasses or filters!

For the U.S., the annular eclipse... Read more