Public Libraries

A game-loving librarian's suggestions to raise the level of your collection. With recommended games for elementary, tweens, and teens, from Candy Land, Uno and Oregon Trail, to Exploding Kittens and Sushi Go.

The plight of immigrant families at the U.S. border prompted the Brooklyn Public Library and others to act. 

It’s hard to limit my ALA reminiscences to just a few key moments. So hard, in fact, that I struggled for a week to collect my thoughts succinctly enough to draft this blog. Then I asked myself, “If you had to sum up your ALA experience in three words, what would they be?” Easy, I thought: Inspiration, innovation and interaction.

The beloved Mo Willems character is captured in bronze at the Park Slope Public Library in New York City.

While traditional storytime isn’t going away, public libraries are exploring new strategies to serve toddlers and preschoolers, from STEM for babies and Touchpoints for Libraries, to new guidance on screen time.

Getting more families into libraries is one goal of the FamLAB Project, which has tapped a cross-sector cohort to expand out-of-school learning opportunities for young children and their families.

Grant kids agency in choosing their own books and a love of reading will follow. Donalyn Miller’s essay addressing the backfire effect of those required summer reading lists and what to do about it resonated with readers. Herewith, our most viewed stories on SLJ.com.

In rural areas, a library's success can have less to do with circulation or program participation and more with meeting a range of needs for a community of 2,500 or fewer.

These 12 board books tackle topics from sharing to bathtime routines with a deft  touch.