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Sallyann Price writes: “Welcome to American Libraries’ 2026 Library Design Showcase, our annual celebration of new and renovated libraries across the US and Canada.
The word welcome appeared in many of this year’s submissions, reflecting a growing understanding that in anxious times, the library is a place that should feel good: safe, comfortable, well-lit, plugged in, and deeply connected to its surroundings.
Libraries of all types are finding ways to acknowledge historical and environmental realities, embrace natural elements and cultural identities, evolve traditions, and build in flexibility to account for the unexpected.”...
American Libraries feature, Fall
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Maria McCauley writes: “When it comes to building resilient and equitable communities, libraries are natural leaders.
We provide places where neighbors meet, learn, and support one another; where sustainability education becomes action; and where residents can find year-round climate refuge.
When communities are resilient, they are better able to overcome barriers.
So how do we advance long-term resiliency? The first step is to engage in cross-sector and intergovernmental partnerships, social safety networks, and community-wide sustainability planning.”...
American Libraries column, Fall
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Zoë McLaughlin writes: “The goals for our sensory room were to provide a place for library visitors to find stress relief, relax and work through emotions, and use items related to different sensory experiences.
To get this project going, we needed a combination of administrative buy-in, funding, and direction.
We specifically have left it unlocked and without a reservation system, with the idea being that you won’t be able to predict when you’ll need a moment to regroup and therefore won’t be able to make a reservation ahead of time.
We’ve seen a lot of use just walking by and noting whether or not the door is closed.
The feedback left by visitors has been nice to receive.”...
ACRLog, Aug. 28
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Bringing book processing into your library after outsourcing might seem daunting at first, but it can prove cost-effective and fun while yielding exceptional results.
Fortunately, the tools exist to make the transition easier than you might think.
Explore four simple steps for making a smooth transition and building an efficient in-house workflow.
Click here to read the full blog post.
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ALA’s Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) officially reunited on September 1, bringing together members, resources, and expertise supporting library services for children and teens under one division.
The reunification process has been underway for more than a year, guided by input and collaboration from ALSC and YALSA members, boards, committees, and staff.
Work will continue throughout the coming year to shape the identity, governance, programs, and priorities of the reunified division....
Association for Library Service to Children, Aug.
26
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ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services awarded 2026 Spectrum Scholarships to 60 exceptional students pursuing graduate degrees in library and information studies.
Since 1997, ALA has awarded more than 1,600 Spectrum Scholarships.
A committee of jurors selected this year’s Spectrum Scholars based on their commitment to community building, leadership potential, and planned contributions to making social justice part of everybody's everyday work in library and information science....
Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services, Aug.
27
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Tess Vrbin writes: “Saline County, Arkansas, agreed this week to pay $275,000 to Patty Hector, the former library director who was
fired in October 2023 after speaking against local conservatives’ push to limit children’s access to books. County Judge Matt Brumley’s firing power came from an
ordinance approved by the all-Republican quorum court, which previously
urged Hector to move books with ‘sexual content or imagery’ out of children’s reach. The books in question pertained to LGBTQ+ topics, sex education, and systemic racism, which Saline County conservatives called ‘indoctrination’ and inappropriate for children.”...
Arkansas Advocate, Aug.
27; Oct. 9, 2023; Aug. 21, 2023; Apr. 17, 2023
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Leah Weinryb-Grohsgal writes: “As the steward of over 200 petabytes of data, the Library of Congress (LC) has spent decades building infrastructure and services to preserve and provide access to digital materials.
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies offer enticing possibilities for maintaining, delivering, and analyzing some of the nation’s most influential research and treasured cultural and historical artifacts.
Yet the use of these technologies requires extensive evaluation and monitoring before implementation.
In 2025, LC introduced its AI Sandbox for Staff to do just that.
The most recent cohort of the Library’s AI Sandbox for Staff supported over a dozen small-scale experiments.”...
Library of Congress: The Signal, Aug. 31
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Hana Lee Goldin writes: “More than half a billion people around the world now listen to podcasts, across more than 4 million shows. Buried in that catalog is a kind of source material that barely existed a generation ago: Experts talking about their own work, at length and in their own words.
The clearest proof that podcasts already work as sources is how often we quote them.
Each repetition runs on memory alone.
So the archive is already in use as a source, just without a way back to the moment.”...
Card Catalog, Sept. 1
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“Public libraries nationwide are reaching a breaking point as a result of mounting pressures to censor collections, increased intimidation against library staff, and disruptions to library operations, according to a September 1 report by PEN America.
Out of Circulation: Expanding Censorship in Public Libraries examines the fallout from book bans, canceled story hours, harassment of librarians, funding cuts, and the undoing of libraries’ independent governance.
Taken together, the report argues, these actions threaten ‘the very existence of public libraries’ as a cornerstone of democracy.”...
PEN America, Sept. 1
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Dan Johnson writes: “Viktoria Haidai surveys the mangled remains of the printing press, which should have been busy churning out textbooks ready for the new school year.
The plant, on the edge of Kyiv, was hit during the night by a Russian missile, just as production was ramping up to deliver 1.3 million books—10% of Ukraine’s schoolbooks. Russia has hit printing presses and publishing houses across Ukraine in a series of recent attacks, destroying 12 million books and damaging other icons of Ukrainian history and culture.”...
BBC, Aug. 30
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Yasir Mahmood writes: “I’ve been gradually building up my Excel shortcut knowledge over time, and it has genuinely helped me work with spreadsheets more efficiently. Once you start incorporating shortcuts into your daily workflow, there’s honestly no going back to the old way.” Shortcuts can speed navigation, data selection, formatting, formula-building, data management, and simply working with worksheets....
MakeUseOf, Aug. 27
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Librarians joined the world in mourning Dolly Parton and remembering both her artistic achievements and her philanthropy.
Parton’s award-winning
Imagination Library initiative, inspired by her father’s inability to read or write, has put hundreds of millions of books into the hands of children, and she considered it one of her greatest achievements.
ALA conferred Parton with
honorary lifetime membership, its highest honor, in 2023. American Libraries
interviewed Parton in 2018 as the Imagination Library was delivering its 100 millionth book. Libraries, including
Knox County (Tenn.) Public Library and
Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Public Library, created commemorative displays and book lists, while the
University of Louisville (Ky.) Archives and Special Collections and the
University of North Carolina Libraries shared rare photos and recordings....
I Love Libraries, Aug.
27; American Libraries Trend, Jan./Feb. 2018; Knox County (Tenn.) Public Library, Aug.
26; Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Public Library, Aug.
26; University of Louisville (Ky.) Archives and Special Collections, Aug.
27; Chapelboro.com, Aug. 27
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