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You can ban a book, but can you stop teens from finding it online?

Heather Kelly

September 22, 2022 |

The Washington Post |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

To combat the banned books war and issues with book access, the Books Unbanned program offers free online access to the library’s entire collection for 13-to-21-year-olds. The program has already issued more than 5,100 cards and checked out 20,000 materials. And because the program is funded independently, it can offer books to people out of state.

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How Teens Are Pushing Back On Book Bans

Ashira Morris

August 10, 2022 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

In response to a wave of book bans within school districts, the Brooklyn Public Library began offering digital library cards to increase book access. The initiative, Books Unbanned, allows13 to 21-year-olds to sign up for a digital library card that provides access to an entire library of books, including those that were banned.

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What can a library card get you? Try a popcorn maker or ukulele.

Roy Rivenburg

August 03, 2022 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sacramento, California

A Sacramento library’s “library of things” allows the public to borrow nontraditional things like cake pans and weed whackers in an effort to attract patrons in the digital age.

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Public Libraries Are Making It Easy to Check Out Seeds—and Plant a Garden

Bridget Shirvell

April 25, 2022 |

Civil Eats |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Jefferson, Georgia

More and more public libraries around the United States are creating seed libraries as a way to encourage gardening, combat hunger insecurity, and build community resilience. For example, the Jefferson Public Library in Georgia has seen the number of people using the seed library grow to more than 300 in 2021. It can be a lot of work to maintain the seed libraries, but some librarians see it as a way to engage the community.

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The Human Library connects people by tackling stigma and isolation

JoAnna Haugen

January 04, 2022 |

Shareable |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Denmark, Copenhagen

Library patrons are being encouraged to have dialogues and explore diversity through The Human Library. People from various backgrounds are “on loan” to chat for 30 minutes at a time, which can lead to conversations with people who may not have ever met under any other circumstances. The aim of the project is to improve a sense of community and even to “address global challenges.”

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Close-knit community in Port Orford and Langlois, Oregon

Betsy Ladyzhets

September 05, 2021 |

COVID-19 Data Dispatch |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Port Orford, Oregon

Despite its tiny size and modest resources, the Port Orford-Langlois school district in Oregon managed to minimize coronavirus spread among students in the 2020-21 school year. A key factor was the partnership between the town and school libraries. Librarians prepared educational packets, sparing parents from having to scramble for materials. Schools and families dutifully followed safety guidelines while putting a priority on getting the youngest students into the classroom as soon as possible and preserving opportunities for them to play together. There were no cases of the virus spread in the schools.

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Fighting Boko Haram One Book At A Time In Cameroon's Far North

Leocadia Bongben

August 22, 2021 |

Zenger News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Cameroon, Maroua

In Cameroon's Far North region, mobile libraries lend books to children and adults who have been deprived of both libraries and education by Boko Haram militants. The tricycle-powered libraries are part of Lire au Sahel (Read in the Sahel), an organization begun in 2018. The group now has about 5,000 books and has served about 500 adults and 1,000 children in the region.

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A New Project Is Bringing the Gay ‘Green Book' Online

Marianne Dhenin

June 29, 2021 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

In 1965 a traveling salesman published a series of travel guides with gay or gay-friendly businesses across the U.S. that became survival guides for the LGBTQ community. “Mapping the Gay Guides” has digitized those collections, allowing users to explore the original descriptions and added historical content written by graduate students. Reasons for why locations appear and disappear from year-to-year are provided, which sometimes intersect with LGBTQ hate crimes. A $350,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities will allow them to continue to preserve and make the forgotten history accessible.

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Free Wi-Fi, e-magazines, dial-a-story: Kansas City libraries' popular pandemic services

Celisa Calacal

June 01, 2021 |

The Kansas City Beacon |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

Digital library services in Kansas City were ramped up to serve patrons even as doors closed to visitors during the pandemic. Wi-Fi Hotspots were made available for downloading books, virtual story times for children were offered, and in addition to digital programs, services like dial-a-story were also offered over the phone for families without adequate internet service.

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Teton County Library feeling fine after eliminating late fees

Tom Hallberg

May 26, 2021 |

Jackson Hole News & Guide |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Jackson, Wyoming

Teton County in Wyoming is implementing a new "fine free" system at community libraries, and anecdotal results show it's been successful. Eliminating fines is a way for the library to address the root cause of people not accessing the resources they often need the most due to accrued fines. Instead, the library will simply freeze patrons' accounts if they have an overdue book, and have longer grace period for returns.

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