Video Recording of a Mellon Foundation Event: “America is at the Library—Not Just the Ballot Box”

The Mellon Foundation event, “America is at the Library—Not Just the Ballot Box” was recorded on October 27, 2022.

About the Event

This livestream event features Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander, American Library Association Executive Director Tracie Hall, and Los Angeles Public Library’s City Librarian, John Szabo.

Voters soon head to the polls for one of the country’s vital exercises in civic engagement: an election. But the ballot box is just one place to participate in democracy in action—the full potential of civic life occurs daily at your local public library. And unlike the vote, the library is open to all.

At the library today, you can participate in citywide reading programs, take citizenship and language classes, register to vote, and research your genealogy and heritage in local archives. No longer relegated to the reference desk, library workers are on the front lines of some of our most pressing social justice issues.

Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Libraries, News, Public Libraries, Video Recordings