Carnegie Libraries across the United States started October 22 with incredible news—they will each receive a $10,000 gift to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence through a special initiative by Carnegie Corporation of New York.
It’s National Friends of Libraries Week! Now in its 20th year, this weeklong celebration recognizes all the incredible things that volunteer Friends groups do for their local libraries. Want to get involved? We have you covered!
In Dunkerton, Iowa, population 842, more than 15% of the population lives with some type of disability. Dunkerton Public Library has stepped up to serve this community, using funds it received from ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant to help older adults with mobility issues, people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, and those who are blind or low vision to fully participate in all library services.
American Libraries, the magazine of the American Library Association, has released the 37th annual edition of its Library Design Showcase, which spotlights the year’s most exciting new and renovated libraries. And, as usual, it’s lovely.
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.
