Nov 13 Watch 7:07 Why a library fire feels like an ‘attack on humanity’ By Jeffrey Brown In April 1986, fire raged through the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles, damaging or destroying more than a million books. Journalist and author Susan Orlean resurrects this nearly forgotten story in “The Library Book,” which also explores the emotional… Continue watching
Jun 07 Watch 4:11 Getting books from the U.S. feeds these students’ love of reading By Fred de Sam Lazaro Books For Africa has sent more than 41 million books over the last 30 years to 53 different countries, where students say the variety of titles have made them enthusiastic readers. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports. Continue watching
Jul 22 The Library of Congress opened its catalogs to the world. Here’s why it matters By Melissa Levine, The Conversation Catalog data are a library's most important map to knowledge. What does it mean that the Library of Congress just released 25 million records to the public?… Continue reading
Apr 15 The 8 books librarians can’t stop talking about right now By Elizabeth Flock For National Library Week, we asked the New York Public Library -- the largest library in the country and one of the most beloved -- what we should be reading right now. Continue reading
Feb 14 Love is fleeting but these vintage valentines are worth keeping By Dayana Morales Gomez If you're looking for inspiration, the Library of Virginia has a collection of a few hundred postcards and greeting cards dating back to the early 20th century. Continue reading
Feb 13 Why these librarians are protesting Trump’s executive orders By Elizabeth Flock Since Trump took office last month, a vocal and growing number of librarians across the country are taking a more politically active stance. Continue reading
Jan 06 Column: Can librarians help solve the fake news problem? By Donald A. Barclay for The Conversation As a long-time academic librarian, I have spent a good part of my career teaching college students to think critically about information. For me, the recent spate of stories about large segments of the population falling for fake news stories… Continue reading
Sep 19 Watch The new librarian of Congress on the value of ‘free information’ By PBS News Hour The Library of Congress has a new chief: Carla Hayden. Most of her predecessors in the role have come from scholarly institutions, but Hayden is a librarian through and through. She is also the first woman and the first African… Continue watching
Sep 23 People love public libraries, but they aren’t using them By Laura Santhanam, Megan Crigger Most people say public libraries provide communities with essential resources for literacy and education, but the number of people who actually take advantage of library services may be slipping. Continue reading
Jan 28 From nurses to social workers, see how public libraries are serving the homeless By Sandi Fox Public Libraries have become more than just a makeshift day shelter for the homeless, they are actively reaching out to them to provide services. Here are seven examples of what libraries across the nation are doing to serve the homeless. Continue reading