The theme of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 2019 conference, “Recasting the Narrative,” was in evidence throughout the event. Offerings at the conference, held April 10–13 in Cleveland, OH, took on a range of subjects that reflected the ways academic libraries—and librarianship—are changing, from new tools to shifting roles for libraries and those who work in them to a growing focus on the importance of centering equity, diversity, and inclusion in the library’s work.

On April 4 the American Institute of Architects (AIA), in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA), announced the winners of the 2019 AIA/ALA Library Building Awards, spotlighting public and academic library construction, renovation, and restoration projects completed no earlier than 2014. The six featured libraries range from Toronto to Kentucky, from the 22,000 square foot Half Moon Bay Library in California’s San Mateo County to the Calgary Public Library’s 240,000 square foot Central Library.

Emilio Estevez’s new film The Public, which puts the challenges and ideals of a large urban public library in the spotlight, held its premiere April 1 at the New York Public Library. Fans from both the film and library worlds packed the Celeste Bartos Forum, where NYPL president and CEO Anthony Marx introduced Estevez and members of The Public ’s cast, many of whom had a shout-out or two for libraries.

San Diego State University (SDSU) is currently archiving and digitizing a trove of letters from detainees at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Otay Mesa Detention Center facility in southern San Diego, 25 miles south of the SDSU campus and less than two miles from the United States–Mexico border. The Otay Mesa Detention Center Detainee Letter Collection is the product of correspondence initiated by members of Detainee Allies, a grassroots group organized in summer 2018 to offer support to refugees arriving from Central America.

OCLC has selected 15 public libraries to participate in its “Small Libraries Create Smart Spaces” project. This will be the second cohort to participate in the initiative, led in partnership with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL). “Small Libraries Create Smart Spaces” was funded by a $223,120 award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to create a second iteration of the original 2016 National Leadership Grant project .

On March 6, the 15th annual Story Prize, awarded to the top short story collection of the year, went to Lauren Groff for Florida (Riverhead). Groff takes home the $20,000 first prize, as well as an engraved silver bowl, for the collection, which was also short-listed for the 2018 National Book Award for Fiction. The two runners-up—debut author Jamel Brinkley, whose A Lucky Man (Graywolf) won the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, and 2011 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction winner Deborah Eisenberg for Your Duck Is My Duck (Ecco), her fifth collection—received $5,000 each. The $1,000 Spotlight Award, for a collection of exceptional merit, went to Akil Kumarasamy for her debut collection Half Gods (Farrar).

Library Journal ’s latest round of the New Landmark Library series, which celebrates projects that set new standards for library design, is now accepting submissions. The award is open to any public library in the United States (including U.S. territories) and Canada that completed new construction, expansion, or significant renovations between January 2016 and March 1, 2019.

On Wednesday, February 20, the Center for an Urban Future held its latest symposium, Where Do Public Libraries Fit in NYC’s Tech Skills–Building Ecosystem? Funded by the Charles H. Revson Foundation and hosted at the Manhattan campus of technology educator General Assembly, the meeting convened library innovators, tech trainers, educators, city officials, and partners from a range of other fields to explore the role of libraries as a critical part of the pipeline to the technology job market.

LJ ’s 2019 Budgets and Funding survey shows less lending but more programming, patron amenities, and outreach.