Public Library News Roundup
Alberta
Stanley A. Milner Library Revitalization Gets $4-Million Boost (via Edmonton Journal) & $84.5M Edmonton Downtown Library Project Gets Government Funding Infusion (via CBC)
Arizona
10 Months After Major Flood Damage “Phoenix Burton Barr Central Library Almost Ready To Reopen…” (via KJZZ)
Kingman Library To Undergo $4 Million Expansion Project (via Mohave Valley Daily News)
California
Los Angeles County Library System to Dramatically Upgrade Wi-Fi Access (via MyNewsLA)
Mayor’s Initiatives to Improve San Diego Libraries Move Forward (via KUSI)
Monterey County Libraries, Tutors Use Graphic Novels to Teach Literacy (via The Californian)
San Francisco Could Add More Library Branches to Meet Population Growth (via SF Examiner)
San Francisco Public Library’s “$3.4M Radio Frequency Technology Proposal Meets with Opposition”
Two State Officials Are On A Mission To Make Libraries The Public’s Hub For Government Data (via StateScoop)
Colorado
Fort Collins Libraries Prioritize Security While Remaining Open to All (via The Coloradoan)
Infographic: Notable Quotable Facts About Colorado Libraries 2018 (via Colorado Library Research Service) ||| PDF Version
Florida
A Once-Flooded Library Opens It Doors Again: Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island Reopens this Weekend (via Daytona Beach News-Journal)
Georgia
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System Hits Record Breaking Volunteer Numbers (via AJC.com)
Renderings of Central Atlanta Library’s Proposed Redesign Now Available (via Curbed)
Idaho
Illinois
19 Kane County, DuPage County Public, School, and Private Libraries Join SWAN Cooperative (via Daily Herald)
Audit From City of Chicago Inspector General: “Chicago Library Staffing ‘Not Aligned With Community Needs'” (via Chicago Sun Times) ||| Direct to Full Text of Audit (37 pages; PDF)
Aurora Library Display Prompts Both Hate and Censorship Claims (via The Beacon News/Chicago Tribune)
and
Video Report (via WLS/ABC Chicago)
Harvey Library Board Cuts Hours, Salaries to Keep Library Open (via WLS)
Illinois Secretary of State Awards Grants Totaling $15.4 Million to 630 Public Libraries
Quincy: City Funding Cuts To Library Linked to Staff Raises (via Herald-Whig)
Vernon Area Library Officials Finalizing $8 Million Budget (via The Daily Herald)
Indiana
Allen County: Draft Report Calls For $47 Million In Library-Branch Upgrades (via The Journal Gazette)
Johnson County Library Makes Plans For Future (via The Daily Journal)
Louisiana
Lafayette Parish Voters Reject Library Tax Renewal (via KATC)
Kansas
440,000 Items are on the Move to Wichita’s New $38 Million “Advanced Learning Library” (via The Wichita Eagle)
- See Also: Wichita Central Library Closing Early May for Transition to Advanced Learning Library (via KMUW)
- See Also: Wichita Central Library Closing Early May for Transition to Advanced Learning Library (via KMUW)
An Advance Look Inside Wichita’s Advanced Learning Library (via KMUW)
Lawrence Public Library’s Visitors Up Significantly Since Renovation, But Checkouts Drop (Lawrence Journal-World)
Wichita Central Library Closing Early May for Transition to Advanced Learning Library (via KMUW)
Kentucky
Henderson County Public Library to Add $6 Million Expansion (via WTVW)
Louisville Free Public Library’s Downtown Branch Preparing For Staff Transfers And Service Cuts, Part of Budgetary Savings Plan (via Inside Louisville)
Manitoba
Winnipeg’s Carnegie Library Called One of Canada’s Most Endangered Historic Sites (via CBC)
Maryland
4 Baltimore Libraries Providing Help to Navigate Social Services (via WBAL)
Nebraska
Library Innovation Studio Brings Creative Tools to Rural Areas (via Nebraska.TV)
New Jersey
Hackensack: Johnson Public Library Funding Cut; City Manager Releases Statement (via TAPInfo)
Library Directors Look at Libraries as Community Hubs and then Some (via NorthJersey.com)
New York
Preview: Albany Public Library’s 2019 Budget Proposal (via WAMC)
The New York Public Library Celebrates a Record-Breaking Fundraising Year at the 37th Annual Library Lunch
The New York Public Library Elects Carlos Rodriguez-Pastor, Andres Santo Domingo, and Tali Farhadian Weinstein to its Board of Trustees
Schenectady County Community Breaks Ground on New Library (vja WAMC)
Ohio
Fulton County Library Levy Could Cost Lucas County Libraries Over $200k Yearly (via WTVG)
Hamilton County Voters Pass Library Tax Levy (via WCPO)
Ohioans Approve 100% of Public Library Levy Issues on Primary Ballot (via Ohio Library Council)
Westlake’s Porter Public Library Levy Gets Voter Approval (via Cleveland.com)
Pennsylvania
Free Library Of Philadelphia Receives Three-Year $3 Million Grant From The Vanguard Strong Start For Kids Program (Largest Corporate Grant in Library History)
Oregon
Medford Comic Con Brings Nearly 20,000 to Medford Library (via KDRV)
Saskatchewan
Saskatoon Public Library Completes Staff Restructuring (via GlobalNews.ca)
Texas
Video and Text: Dallas Central Library: Changing With The Times, Better For All (via CBS DFW)
—
Barbara Bush Branch of Harris County Public Library Reopens For First Time Since Hurricane Harvey (via KPRC/Click2Houston.com) ||| Library Blog Post
UPDATED: Patrons Cheer as Barbara Bush Library Reopens its Doors After Being Closed Since Harvey (via Houston Chronicle)
Fort Worth Library Writes Off $11.5 Million in Unpaid Fines (via NBCDFW)
Virginia
With Budget Cuts on the Way, Arlington Libraries Looking for Feedback on Services to Save (via ARLNow) ||| View User Survey
Washington
It Appears Voters Have Approved the Sno-Isle Libraries Levy, Vote is Currently Passing 50.4% to 49.6% (via HeraldNet)
San Juan Island Library Board Studies Expansion Possibilities (The Journal of the San Juan Islands)
Wisconsin
Voter Registration Kiosks Debut at all Branches of the Milwaukee Public Library (via Journal Sentinel)
MORE TO COME
See Also: More Recent Public Library News Headlines from Around Canada and U.S. in Our Previous Roundup
Filed under: Awards, Data Files, Funding, Libraries, News, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries, Roundup
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.