MORE 'PUBLIC-LIBRARIES' POSTS
From UW: Seattle Public Library, or SPL, is the only U.S. library system that makes its anonymized, granular checkout data public. Want to find out how many times people borrowed the e-book version of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” in May 2018? That data is available. The hitch is that the library’s data set contains nearly 50 […]
Digital Collections: Now Available Online via the KC Library: Over 500,000 Photos From the Kansas City Star’s Historical Photo Archives
| Archives and Special Collections, Digital Collections, Interactive Tools, Libraries, News, Public Libraries
\From the Kansas City Star (via the Kansas City Public Library): Today, I’m excited to announce the launch of KCStarPhotos.org, a new project from the Kansas City Public Library and The Kansas City Star. It’s a free website with a database of hundreds of thousands of images from The Star’s archives of the pre-digital era of photography. It’s […]
Tennessee: Here’s Which Libraries Have Been Ordered to Review Book Collections
| Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Libraries, News, Public Libraries
From The Tennessean: ||| Archived Version Some 181 libraries in the Tennessee Regional Library System, in 91 of the state’s 95 counties, received letters from the secretary of state in October calling for a full audit of the libraries’ juvenile books to better align them with Trump administration standards on gender topics. The directive has caused […]
New Report From US GAO: Public Libraries: Many Buildings are Reported to Be in Poor Condition, with Increasing Deferred Maintenance
| Archives and Special Collections, Associations and Organizations, Data Files, Funding, Libraries, News, Public Libraries
The report linked below was published today by the US Government Accountability Office (US GAO). From the Report: Public libraries serve as cornerstones of many communities. But aging and outdated buildings can make it hard for libraries to meet increasing expectations to provide access to programming, technology, emergency services, and voting sites—in addition to books. […]
Urban Libraries Council (ULC) Announces 2025 Innovations Award Winners
| Awards, Libraries, Management and Leadership, News, Public Libraries
From the Urban Libraries Council: For more than 15 years, the Urban Libraries Council has celebrated the creativity, leadership, and impact of our member libraries through the Innovations Initiative. We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2025 Innovations cycle! Congratulations to Dayton Metro Library (OH), DC Public Library (DC), Gwinnett County Public Library (GA), Pasadena Public Library (CA), Pioneer Library System (OK), and Prince […]
Clarivate Releases Pulse of the Library 2025 Report
| Academic Libraries, Data Files, Funding, Libraries, National Libraries, News, Open Access, Public Libraries
From Clarivate: Clarivate today released the Pulse of the Library 2025 report. The report examines how libraries globally are adapting to fast-moving opportunities and challenges such as AI adoption, open science and geopolitical pressures. The findings reveal a steady rise in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, with 67% of libraries exploring or implementing AI tools, an […]
From the AP: The more than 200-year-old institution [Boston Athenaeum] is one of only about 20 member-supported private libraries in the U.S. dating back to the 18th- and 19th-centuries. Called athenaeums, a Greek word meaning “temple of Athena,” the concept predates the traditional public library most Americans recognize today. The institutions were built by merchants, […]
Videos Recordings: Presentations From Future of Libraries 2025 Conference
| Funding, Libraries, News, Public Libraries, Video Recordings
Video recordings of presentations were shared on YouTube yesterday. The conference was organized by the Pacific Library Partnership and held at the San Francisco Public Library on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. From the Conference Website: This year’s program will feature talks on: Library funding issues and advocacy with Deborah Doyle (United for Libraries) Disability inclusion […]
Alabama: State Library Board Head Seeks Help From GOP Backers. Opponents Say ‘Conflict of Interest’
| Associations and Organizations, Libraries, News, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries
UPDATES Alabama Public Library Service Holds Public Hearing on Proposed Gender Ideology Amendment (via WSFA) The Alabama Public Library Service heard from the public about a proposed amendment during a meeting in Montgomery Tuesday morning. The amendment would deem any content that ‘promotes, encourages, or positively depicts transgender procedures, gender ideology, or the concept of […]
From Wyoming Public Media: Campbell County has agreed to pay $700,000 to Terri Lesley, its former library director, according to a settlement agreement shared with Wyoming Public Radio. Lesley alleged in a lawsuit filed earlier this year that the county removed her for defending LGBTQ+ materials. The county denied her allegations. [Clip] Lesley had worked in […]
