Libraries remind us that value isn’t always immediate or measurable in quarterly reports, but it’s real. The impact accumulates over time, quietly compounding. And any organization willing to think more expansively, invest in culture, make room for imagination, and support its people and community can experience it.
When Dan Pelzer died last month at the age of 92, he left his family and friends an incredible gift: a 109-page handwritten list of all the books he’d read since 1962. And now it can be viewed by the world.
With a grant from the American Library Association, a small library in rural New Hampshire created accessible and inclusive spaces for its youngest patrons.
In the almost 15 years since the first Death Café was held in the UK, they have sprouted all over the world. And libraries are often the gathering spots.
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Libraries in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, created a program to encourage Native individuals living in the region to consider running for non-Tribal elected offices themselves to help ensure that diverse perspectives are part of community conversations and policy decisions. They used resources provided by the American Library Association’s 2024 Peggy Barber Tribute Grant to facilitate the initiative.
Encouraging an appreciation for our natural surroundings is always in season, and it’s no secret that libraries often provide garden areas, flower beds, and other outdoor areas for patron and community enjoyment and use. Wright Memorial Public Library in Oakwood, Ohio, took that a step further—and was rewarded a grant from ALA as a result.
Alexis Chanthachack, assistant director of Beals Memorial Library in Winchendon, Massachusetts, knows how difficult it can be to find activities and events—especially in rural areas—that are welcoming to autistic youth. That immediacy led the mother of two sons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to become the driving force behind the library’s accessibility work—work that led the library to receive a Libraries Transforming Communities Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant from the American Library Association to enhance accessibility for patrons on the autism spectrum.
Broadway came to the library when cast members from the musical “Hamilton” paid a visit to Las Vegas-Clark County Library District’s Hip-Hop Storytime.
This September, Roadtrip Nation is sending three people across the U.S. in a green RV to meet librarians, community leaders, and innovators who’ve built careers helping others access knowledge and opportunity. Along the way, they will gain real-world insights, career inspiration, and invaluable mentorship—all while being filmed the Roadtrip Nation television series on PBS. And you can be part of it.
Receiving a grant from the American Library Association allowed an Iowa library to offer its community a safe space from tornadoes and other inclement weather.
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