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Chicago Public Library's Merlo Branch and Indianapolis PL's Martindale-Brightwood Branch have opened to the public, while work is proceeding—after some delays—on St. Louis County PL's Eureka Hills Branch, the new North Branch of Clinton-Macomb PL, and Carroll County PL's Exploration Commons.

In many towns across the United States, seeing members of the police in the public library is common-place. Off-duty officers moonlight as library security guards. Library programs like “Coffee with a Cop” aim to help the police develop closer bonds of trust with the community. And police are often called to deal with behavioral issues or threats to patron or staff safety. But as the past weeks of protest after the police killing of George Floyd, among others, make plain, for a substantial portion of patrons and staff, the presence of the police is itself a threat.

How do you reopen a library with no guidelines or best practices to work from? That’s the question public leaders and staff are considering as library buildings gradually open across the country.

Most public libraries stopped distributing materials during the pandemic to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But that doesn’t mean they stopped distributing anything. Some leveraged their expertise at getting resources into the hands of patrons to help those suddenly struggling with the bare essentials of life: food, diapers, the means to clean up, or a place to sleep.

Though most libraries remain closed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, public librarians are still connecting with their patrons—thanks, in part, to virtual book clubs.

School and public librarians are joining forces to help socially distanced kids finish the school year and stay strong through summer.

The American Library Association’s (ALA) recent survey on how U.S. public, academic, and K–12 libraries have responded to the coronavirus pandemic will not surprise anyone with an eye on the field, but serves as a snapshot of mid-May concerns and projections.

Kaetrena Davis Kendrick recently completed a new study examining low workplace morale among public librarians, and is working on a report analyzing responses to a November 2018 call for librarians who wished to talk about their experiences. What she discovered included a disturbing level of abuse coming from patrons, a lack of institutional support to help librarians resolve such issues, and a mindset in which librarians view surviving such abuses as “earning their stripes.”

Some libraries are already attempting to reopen their physical locations to the public, at least to some limited extent. Others, in harder hit areas or with local governments more focused on stopping the spread of Coronavirus, are still months away. But all are considering how to reconfigure their space, as well as their service, to best shield staff and patron health.

With buildings closed to flatten the COVID-19 curve, libraries respond with a rapid pivot to contactless service.

As libraries approach their third month of closure, many institutions that had continued to pay employees—whether or not they were able to engage in active work—are now turning to layoffs or furloughs, often citing concerns about budget cuts.

There’s been a trend in articles coming out in major publications about how excited people are to get back to their libraries and how resilient libraries are. While they pay important attention to the needs libraries are still striving to meet in their communities, these narratives do nothing to expose the miserable realities that library workers are experiencing, or incite any kind of action to be taken in their defense.

A handful of shuttered library buildings across the country are temporarily providing workspace that allows essential workers and services to properly social distance amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Construction work is scheduled for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, OH, and Saugatuck-Douglas District Library, MI; Paramus Public Library has applied for NJ Construction Bond funding; and yes, there's a podcast for everything—now, a new library construction podcast from the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shuttered public libraries nationwide, compelling librarians to quickly deploy virtual alternatives to programming and online learning while boosting electronic collections to meet a growing demand. But these virtual offerings often leave out some of public libraries' most devoted yet vulnerable patrons: those who are unhoused or coping with mental health problems or substance use.

In the midst of the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, many library workers and archivists have carried on with what they do best—gathering and preserving information for future researchers. Numerous digital archives are already capturing life during lockdown, represented through images, journals, videos, and other formats.

We all know that libraries are under attack, especially in regards to funding, pretty much all the time. I think part of our collective fear at this moment is local governments thinking that because we closed that we aren't really that important. I believe some are feeling that tension without verbalizing this sentiment. We worry about the short-term as well as the long-term consequences that our closings will have on our libraries. However, I do not thinking rushing to reopen solves this issue.

In her new role at the NYPL Performing Arts Library, Jennifer Schantz will blend her passion for classical music and her dedication to libraries and museums.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced on April 13 that it would begin steps to distribute the first $30 million appropriated to the agency through the federal Coronavirus Aid Package, or CARES Act. The $2 trillion emergency funding legislation, which passed on March 27, included a $50 million package spearheaded by the Washington Office of the American Library Association (ALA) to help ensure that libraries could continue to provide workforce development, connectivity, and digital content during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, as well as to protect core library services in the face of future expected cuts and to help support library organizations.

Libraries have a vital role to play in the census—especially this year, as the process moved primarily online, increasing the potential for undercounts of those on the wrong side of the digital divide. Historically, libraries have assisted the U.S. Census Bureau in helping people apply for field operations jobs, promoting the census, providing informational materials, educating patrons about census misinformation, and assisting patrons in the library with filling out response forms. However, much has changed with the spread of COVID-19 and the closure of thousands of libraries.

Librarians and other library staff, especially part-time workers and those who have been laid off or forced to take pay cuts or personal leave because of COVID-19 shutdowns, are often struggling to pay their bills, the promised $1,200 stimulus check notwithstanding. To address that need, the EveryLibrary Institute has launched the Help a Library Worker Out (HALO) Fund.

UPDATE: The HALO Fund is ready to start taking applications on a cash-available basis. You can apply at everylibraryinstitute.org/haloapply.

With their on-site, physical work temporarily on hold during the coronavirus outbreak, conservators and other museum, library, and archive workers have started a grassroots movement to collect and donate their supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) to healthcare workers on the front lines of their work with COVID-19 patients.

With colleges and universities across the country shutting down their campuses and moving to distance learning to slow the COVID-19 pandemic, academic librarians are being forced to up their reference game abruptly.

The lights are out at libraries across the country, but the WiFi signal is staying strong even during a time of unprecedented closures.

Whether lobbying legislators for funding libraries or a foundation for new shelving, public library leaders, communications staff, and even frontline workers need to be efficient and nimble when articulating their impacts to outside stakeholders. Crucially, they need to approach the question from the vantage of how the library’s outcomes align with that particular stakeholder’s mission.

Deciding whether—and when—to close doors to the public is merely the first of countless decisions that librarians have had to make during the COVID-19 outbreak. Library Journal’s survey of public library responses to COVID-19 captures the myriad behind-the-scenes choices, such as whether or not staff will continue to report to work in person after libraries are closed, that public libraries are facing as they handle the crisis.
 

In a week of closures and cancelations, the New York Public Library announced some rare good news: The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has acquired artist and activist Harry Belafonte’s personal archives.

As recommendations to slow the spread of COVID-19 across the country become common knowledge, public events have been canceled, public schools have closed, and calls for social distancing to flatten the curve have become the norm. But some libraries remain divided on whether to remain open but suspend public programming, outreach, or meeting room rentals; limit hours; or close entirely.

Nearly four months after Macmillan enacted its 60-day embargo on library ebooks, the state of digital collections is still a subject of intense interest in the field. This played out at the Public Library Association (PLA) conference, held in Nashville, TN, on 25–29, when the panel “Building the Case for #eBooksForAll” saw attendance of close to 300 conferencegoers.

The engaged and engaging slate of speakers at the Public Library Association (PLA) 2020 conference, held from February 25–29 in Nashville, TN, featured guests ranging from politicians to lawyers to journalists to satirists. Audiences filled the ballroom at Nashville’s Music City Center for each keynoter, and every session ended with an excited buzz and plenty of conversation.

Library Journal’s reception at PLA celebrated Sacramento Public Library, the inaugural winner of the $250,000 Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, for the many ways it is deeply embedded in its community. Director Rivkah Sass brought some 16 SPL staff members—all color-coordinated in purple and gray “#1” team jerseys—as well as Sacramento City Council member and Mayor Pro Tem Angelique Ashby to join the party.

Library budgets continued to expand in 2019, but varying areas of growth make patterns—and predictions—hard to discern.

As LJ’s materials survey grew too complex, we turned to vendor data for a granular look at what’s selling to libraries.

Referenda: 2019 library ballot measures see success in renewals, less for new funding.

The Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, developed in partnership between the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Library Journal, was created in 2019 to recognize the public library as a vital community asset. When libraries, civic entities, organizations, and the people they serve become close partners, their communities thrive. One winning library will receive $250,000 in unfettered monies from the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation, and will be profiled in the November issue of Library Journal and online.

Public libraries are using new vendor solutions to enhance local schools’ ebook and audiobook collections, creating a new generation of library users.

In the first step of a now-familiar process, the Trump administration’s preliminary FY21 budget , submitted on February 10, calls for drastic cuts and eliminations of cultural and educational agencies, including—for the fourth year in a row—zeroing out the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), among others “as part of the Administration's plan to move the Nation towards fiscal responsibility and to redefine the proper role of the Federal Government.”

Cleveland Public Library (CPL) management and its library workers’ union have narrowly averted a 400-person strike that would have temporarily closed some of its 27 branches and reduced services across the system. As negotiations extended past the union’s contract expiration, the library was also criticized by union members and their supporters for its social media messaging around the labor dispute.

The design for Ontario’s Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada is unveiled, Babson College’s Horn Library gets a new Commons, St. Charles Public Library District will join three sections of the library, and the unBound Library Branch of Meridian Library District, ID, is scheduled to reopen in a new location this fall.

Keith Kesler, social media librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library, was looking for a way for the library to commemorate the late Kobe Bryant and his legacy. The result was Kobe’s Bookshelf, a list of books that inspired Bryant, as well as works he wrote or created. LJ caught up with Kesler to find out more about compiling the list, and what he learned about Bryant in the process.

This year’s Public Library Association (PLA) Conference will be held in Nashville, from February 25–29—the first time PLA has been held in the Southeast in 20 years. Nashville Public Library (NPL) was LJ’s 2017 Library of the Year; the library—and city—have continued to grow and evolve.

George F. Coe named President and CEO of Brodart Co.; Gayle Hunter Holloman approved as Executive Director of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System; Kathelene McCarty Smith appointed Interim Head of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives; and more library people news.

R. Crosby Kemper III, director of Missouri’s Kansas City Public Library (KCPL) since 2005, was nominated in November 2019 by President Donald Trump to serve as the next director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. He was endorsed by the American Library Association (ALA), and voted into the position by the U.S. Senate on January 9.

Arizona State University's Hayden Library reopens, MIT's Hayden Library plans a renovation, Deschutes PL acquires new land, and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County launches a multiyear system-wide improvement project.

Merchandising can be implemented strategically at libraries, just as it is in retail, and can increase circulation, stimulate robust discussions, and generate foot traffic. To drive circ, how you showcase your materials can be as important as what you buy.

Over the years, public libraries have expanded their electronic collections. The evolution of library interfaces has allowed many physical services to extend into a digital space, empowering patrons to check out ebooks, read magazines and journals, stream movies, listen to audiobooks, and more. The demand for digital collections only continues to grow.

Under H.R. 1865, IMLS, LSTA, Comprehensive Literary Grants, the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Library of Medicine, and the Library of Congress will all have increased budgets.

The 2019 New Landmark Libraries celebrates six paradigm-shifting public libraries designed around their communities' changing needs.

The Central Library branch of Tulsa City-County Library, OK, is one of six winners of our New Landmark Libraries for 2019. Its $55 million renovation transformed the original library and created an event space for 400, an interactive and expansive outdoor plaza, and 26 percent more public programming across its five stories. In collaboration with the city, the project was intentionally designed to revitalize the downtown core.

The Half Moon Bay Library of San Mateo County Libraries, CA, is one of six winners of our New Landmark Libraries for 2019. The new building, certified as Zero Net Energy and LEED Platinum, is the culmination of 20 years of planning, engagement, and design led by the library system in collaboration with Noll & Tam Architects.

The Ives Squared Library, part of the New Haven Free Public Library, is one of six winners of our New Landmark Libraries for 2019. The $1.5 million renovation aimed to launch a nexus of creativity based on design thinking. Community co-creation led the visioning process that resulted in the 4,700 square foot 21st century Maker space and public salon.

The Mitchell Street Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library, WI, is one of six winners of our New Landmark Libraries for 2019. HGA architects designed the former historic 1919 department store around user needs: They refinished the mezzanine and improved sightlines, updated mechanical systems and improved air quality, and added vibrant patterns, and created a Maker and community kitchen space for experimentation, learning, and connection.

The Tukwila Library, part of the King County Library, WA, is one of six winners of our New Landmark Libraries for 2019. Perkins & Will designed the branch to celebrate and support the diverse community, which was so engaged in the planning that it raised money to expand the building's footprint to 10,000 square feet. The building is the first phase of the town's mixed-use urban renewal project. Locally sourced materials, a negative-carbon footprint roof, and geothermal heating are used in the design, recognized by Sustainable Seattle.

The Varina Area Library branch of the Henrico County Public Libary, VA, is one of six winners of our New Landmark Libraries for 2019. The new building, on 22 acres of wooded land, combines the vernacular architecture of the region with the rural character of the landscape. The design includes multifunctional spaces, a digital media lab, an all-ages collaboration zone, and a grand staircase for media viewings and talks. Since the 2017 opening, visits and programming have increased by 188 and 481 percent, respectively.

The Dayton Main Library, part of the Dayton Metro Library, OH, is one of four honorable mentions for New Landmark Libraries for 2019. The building, in the once-dilapidated Cooper Park and on the Miami-Erie Canal, was almost entirely repurposed. Echoing the region's engineering annd nautical heritage, bridges cross the atrium and visually connect the space, which opens to a three-story atrium featuring a grand staircase. The library now includes flexible spaces, a business incubator, and a theater.

The Advanced Learning Library, a branch of the Wichita Public Library, KS, is one of four honorable mentions for New Landmark Libraries for 2019. Sited at the Arkansas River, the library activates a once-abandoned industrial lot and includes 25 collaboration spaces and themed pavilions to suit the needs of the community.

The Union County Carnegie Library, SC, is one of four honorable mentions for New Landmark Libraries for 2019. In addition to its historic renovation, the library now includes spaces for workforce development and United Way services, and is the county's only ADA-accessible public building, which provides safe spaces for diverse populations.

Weber County Main Library, a branch of the Weber County Library System, UT, is one of four honorable mentions for New Landmark Libraries for 2019. The project reclaimed 110,000 and added 5,000 square feet of the 1968 library, recognized by Preservation Utah as an exemplar of New Formalist design and mid-century modern architecture.

These paradigm-shifting public libraries are designed around their communities’ changing needs

The Hayward Public Library, CA, opened its new Hayward Library and Community Learning Center; Yale University has completed renovations to its Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Library; Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC, unveiled design plans on November 7 for its $100 million Main Library; and more new construction and renovation news from the December 2019 issue of Library Journal.

Hendrick Hudson Free Library in Montrose, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, and Saratoga Springs Public Library this year became the first libraries to complete the New York Library Association's Sustainable Libraries Certification Program, demonstrating their commitment to environmental stewardship, economic feasibility, and social equity.

On October 29, writer Meghan Murphy spoke at a rented theater space in Canada’s Toronto Public Library (TPL) Palmerston branch. The discussion—“Gender Identity: What Does It Mean for Society, the Law and Women?"—was booked by an outside group, Radical Feminists Unite, and was not part of library programming. The appearance sparked protests against the library’s decision to rent the space to Murphy, particularly from the transgender and broader LGBTQ communities, as well as a barrage of criticism on social media.

Politics spurred a library budget and spending decision in Citrus County, FL, in October, when the Citrus County Commission withdrew a motion for the Citrus County Library’s request to purchase a digital New York Times subscription. While library acquisitions are often scrutinized from a budget perspective, this refusal raised attention when county commissioners went on record with non-financial reasons for voting against the electronic subscription.

Library trustees are charged with evaluating the ­director’s performance—and, often, securing a director when the position opens up. Trustees need to act efficiently, in these moments of pending vacancy, to secure leadership for their library. There are many considerations that arise when a director submits that dreaded resignation letter. Here are a few.

From open outdoor areas to fantastic and functional fixtures, sustainable systems to to study spaces, LJ's 2019 Year in Architecture roundup celebrates the best new construction and renovation in public and academic libraries across the country.

The Norman Public Library East branch of the Pioneer Library System, OK; Temple University’s Charles Library; Westport Library, CT; and Brambleton Library, Loudon County, VA.

The Centennial Branch of the Anoka County Library, MN; the South Branch of Cleveland Public Library; Auglaize County Library’s Wapakoneta Branch, OH; and Baldwin Borough Public Library, Pittsburgh.

Toledo Lucas County Public Library’s Mott branch, OH; Thornhill Branch, St. Louis County Library, MO; Michigan Road Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library, IN; and Lenexa City Center Library, KS.

Sanibel Public Library, FL; Borrego Springs Library of San Diego County Library, CA; Gutekunst Public Library, IA; Mission Branch Library of the City of Santa Clara Library System, CA; and the Dublin Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH.

Galaxie Library, Dakota County Library, Apple Valley, MN; Keene Public Library, NH; Chicago Public Library’s Northtown Branch; Half Moon Bay Library, CA; and the Missouri City Branch Library, Fort Bend County Libraries, TX.

Explore the data on this year's choices.

If you’re looking for drama, you’ll find it in some of the stunning design on display in the 2019 Year in Architecture roundup.

The architects behind LJ's 2019 Year in Architecture picks

Philadelphia’s Temple University unveils its state-of-the-art Charles Library; Long Beach Public Library, CA, opens its newest branch, the Billie Jean King Main Library; Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning completes the Mui Ho Fine Arts Library; and more new construction and renovation news from the November 2019 issue of Library Journal.

At least 50 libraries had referenda on the ballots on November 5. While results are still coming in, returns are in on some notable measures.

In the weeks following the opening of the Queens Public Library's new Hunters Point branch, a number of visitors pointed out that many areas are not accessible to people with mobility issues that would interfere with their ability to climb stairs.

Bill Ptacek, former head of the Calgary Public Library, Alta., Canada, died on October 15 of cancer, at age 69.

Patience and Fortitude, the iconic New York Public Library lions, have been taking a couple of spa months. Today they emerged from their plywood scaffolding after being cleaned, repaired, and conserved.

The Summer Scares Reading Program, which provides libraries and schools with an annual list of recommended horror titles for adult, young adult, and middle grade readers and encourages a national conversation about the horror genre, will continue throughout 2020, with new titles announced in February.

Sacramento Public Library enriches its community in a way that’s vital locally and imperative in today’s divided times. The winner of the inaugural Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, developed in partnership with the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation, exemplifies the singular power of the public library to be a fully integrated and critically valuable community asset.

Following years of declining investment, the United Kingdom’s public libraries will receive a significant boost, with over £125 million ($160,466,000) in new funding for regional museums and libraries throughout the country.

When Clyde Scoles, longtime director of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library (TLCPL), OH, died unexpectedly in February, Deputy Director Jason Kucsma stepped up as acting director for the 21-branch system. Scoles had announced his retirement only a few weeks before, and Kucsma was already considering his next steps. On August 1, the TLCPL board of trustees voted to appoint Kucsma as executive director and chief financial officer. 

To pass an essential funding measure, Palatine Public Library District’s marketing team made the case with transparency, community feedback, and streamlined messaging—earning it LJ's 2019 Marketer of the Year Award.

When the St. Paul Public Library, MN, went fine-free, the marketing and communication team's successful campaign to get the word out helped earn it an Honorable Mention for LJ's 2019 Marketer of the Year Award.

In early September, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies released a statement about the next phase of Measures that Matter. It will focus on the “potential relationships between public library activities and community outcomes.” In this next phase of the project, the initiative decided to explore job development in public libraries.

The publishing and book retailing ecosystem is changing rapidly, but public libraries continue to offer substantial opportunities to promote authors and books, and it is vital that publishers recognize libraries as important partners, a panel of library leaders said to an audience of publishing executives during Baker & Taylor’s Publisher Summit 2019, held September 24 in White Plains, NY.

The people of Queens can stop waiting and start using their brand new Hunters Point Community Library. And they should. The 22,000 square foot building, which opened September 24 after long delays and a cost of over $40 million, is a major investment that is likely to be intensely used and long enjoyed.

In times of tight budgets and fewer staff members, passive programming—temporary, self-directed activities or exhibits that users interact with in their own time—can answer a library’s need to engage patrons with less funding and fewer human resources. Many libraries have taken the idea a step further, creating initiatives that don’t require active staff interaction or dedicated program hours, but still interest and challenge patrons, address specific community needs, and even contribute to a library’s greater mission.

Honey Grove Library & Learning Center, TX, is one of the two finalists for LJ's Best Small Library in America. The library has been named a finalist before, in 2014; a lot has changed since then.

Whitehall Public Library is one of the two finalists for LJ's Best Small Library in America. When social service agencies began to resettle refugees in Whitehall, in the Pittsburgh, PA, suburbs, the library started building bridges between refugees and long-term residents.

Taking strategic advantage of an eclectic community mix to deliver innovative library service where it’s most needed helped the Copper Queen Library in Bisbee, AZ, win LJ’s 2019 Best Small Library in America, sponsored by Baker & Taylor.

The 2020 United States Census officially launches on April 1 of next year. Because it will be the first conducted primarily online, and the number of regional and area census offices has halved since 2010, libraries stand to play a major role in helping assure an equitable and accurate count. But even before households receive their invitation to participate next spring, there are many opportunities for libraries to get involved—and a strong need for them to do so.

While it has long been clear to library practitioners that public programming positively impacts their communities, there has been little existing research on the effects of such programs, or on how best to equip library staff. In response to this need, ALA has released the “National Impact of Library Public Programs Assessment [NILPPA]: Phase 1: A White Paper on the Dimensions of Library Programs and the Skills and Training for Library Program Professionals,” the first stage of a multiyear, multiphasic foundational study.

What can a marketing firm offer library boards, Friends, or foundations, and can your average library support organization—which may not have deep pockets or a large existing donor base—afford one?

On August 14, staff members of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) voted 173–106 to form a union for more than 300 full- and part-time workers. Library staff, who organized as the United Library Workers Committee (ULW) in summer 2018, will now become part of Allegheny County–based United Steelworkers, and will negotiate a collected bargaining agreement with CLP management.

Washington State has made great strides in helping its citizens exercise their right to vote, but gaps in service and information remain. Public libraries have stepped in to ensure that all voters have access to the ballot box on Election Day.

Cynthia Landrum joined the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) as the new Deputy Director of Library Services in May. LJ caught up with her in July to find out more about the transition from public library to federal agency, and what IMLS’s work has looked like from both sides.

After months of back-and-forth with state officials over Alaska’s FY20 operating budget, Gov. Mike Dunleavy relented on a plan to cut funds for the University of Alaska (UA) by 41 percent. Rather than a one-year, $135 million cut, the university will see state funding cut by $70 million over the next three years—$25 million this year and $45 across the following two.

The role of public libraries in public health is large and expanding: from helping community members sign up for Affordable Healthcare Act insurance to hosting educational programming on physical, mental, and behavioral health issues to becoming a second home to public health nurses who can help more directly. In recent years, they have also served an additional public health role: as a cooling or warming center when their regions are struck with extreme and dangerous temperatures, something that’s happening more and more often as climate warming’s impacts accelerate.