News & Features

In response to LM_NET queries, Doug Johnson published a BFTP (blast from the past) post today on Your Library’s Back-to-School Letter. Doug encourages us to use the start of school as an opportunity for connection and advocacy, inspiring us to design an initial communication that conveys the energy and contributions of our library programs in [...]

Draconian cuts to Miami public libraries—nearly 45 percent of its branches shuttered and more than 250 staff positions—lost stand to impact the community. The intended cuts pose a monumental loss of service to Miami’s K–12 students, as some of the public libraries slotted to shut down are close to Miami-Dade County public schools.

Based on a report recently released by the National Center for Literacy Education (NCLE), Working Together is Working Smarter, visually demonstrates the role of school librarians as highly involved leaders playing a critical role in their schools through consistent and sustained collaboration with other educators.   The infographic reveals our dedicated, voluntary leadership in the delivery of [...]

Ingrid Abrams, children’s and teen librarian at Brooklyn Public Library in NYC and Natalie V. Binder, a systems librarian at the Jefferson County R.J. Bailar Public Library in Monticello, FL, teamed up virtually to create Libraries Changed My Life (LCML), a patron-driven Tumblr initiative, in direct response to Michael Rosenblum’s article “What’s a Library?”, which was published in the Huffington Post this past May.

It’s the 4th of July and I am delighted to share another important declaration.   Our new ALA President, friend, former school librarian, and Syracuse iSchool professor, Barbara Stripling declares that libraries are essential to a democratic society. She shares: My presidential initiative, entitled Libraries Change Lives, will focus on increasing public understanding of the value of libraries, [...]

The 2013 class of Movers & Shakers represents the many outstanding, diligent, and creative librarians working in the field today. Karyn M. Peterson, SLJ news editor, had the opportunity to get an in-depth look into the innovative programs, important milestones, and daily inspirations of the 13 youth services librarians that were honored this year for their work with children and teens in public libraries and school media centers. We've gathered these interviews into a resource page for your future use.

Check out School Library Journal’s reader responses to Keith Curry Lance and Debra E. Kachel's “Librarian Required” article, tweets from SLJ's first Public Library Think Tank, and highlights from the #lovemylibraryjob social media campaign.

Tech-savvy younger Americans are more likely than older adults to have read printed books in the past year, are more likely to appreciate reading in libraries, and are just as strong supporters of traditional library services as older adults, a new national report from the Pew Research Center shows. And, according to the survey of Americans ages 16–29, a majority of young adults say it is “very important” for libraries to have librarians and books for borrowing.

What if ALA leadership fought for school librarians like it fought for access to ebooks?