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Public libraries ×
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Public Libraries' Latest Offering: Musical Instruments

Next City

Julia Hotz

HUB MEMBER

14 January 2020

New York City, New York, United States

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Instrument rentals help to address a gap in privilege. The Central Branch of Brooklyn Public Library in New York City is one of several programs in the US and Canada that loan out musical instruments for free. The pro...

Education after the school bell rings: libraries lend help with homework difficulties

The Beacon Today

Brenna Brown

HUB MEMBER

8 January 2020

West Palm Beach, Florida, United States

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1500-3000 Words

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Libraries around West Palm Beach, Florida, have collaborated to offer resources to children who need to work on technology-dependant homework after school, but who don't have access to the Internet or a computer at ho...

A year after Denver Public Library ended late fees, patrons — and their books — are returning

The Denver Post

Elizabeth Hernandez

28 December 2019

Denver, Colorado, United States

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Eliminating overdue fines at libraries allows low-income patrons to reengage with public resources. The Denver Public Library replaced fines with a lending restriction, meaning that patrons could only check out new it...

Books on wheels: When the library comes to the homeless shelter

The Christian Science Monitor

Harry Bruinius

31 October 2019

New York City, New York, United States

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A bookmobile program in Queens brings stories, computers and wifi to family shelters to help expand access to these vital resources to children and families without a permanent home. The book-filled bus has served ove...

A Big Little Idea From Nashville

The Atlantic

Deborah Fallows

30 September 2019

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

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In Nashville, the public library system and metropolitan public school district are working together to ensure students have access to all the educational resources they need. To start, every student ID doubles as a l...

The Library That's Also an Art Gallery

The Atlantic

Deborah Fallows

17 September 2019

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States

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Public libraries can serve as vital community resources. In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the Forsyth County Public Library operates as a multi-use facility thanks to investments from a voter-approved bond and state ...

A Public Library of, by, and for the People

The Atlantic

Deborah Fallows

6 August 2019

Brownsville, Texas, United States

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A public library in Brownsville, Texas continues to remain relevant through its dedication to learning from failed initiatives, investing in new technology, and ensuring that the space keeps up with ever-changing town...

How Chicago Is Facing Its Violent History

Yes! Magazine

Jonita Davis

26 July 2019

Chicago, Illinois, United States

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Discussing history can help communities heal from racial violence and trauma. Organizations like the Greater Bronzeville Action Plan, the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project (CCR19), and the Chicago Center...

Your Local Library May Have A New Offering In Stock: A Resident Social Worker

NPR

Colin Dwyer

17 July 2019

Long Branch, New Jersey, United States

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Libraries across the United States are expanding what they offer to not just include books, but also a host of social and human services. From stocking an anti-overdose drug to offering mental health services and lega...

A Public Library Brings Opportunity to the Blind

The Atlantic

Deborah Fallows

29 June 2019

New York City, New York, United States

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The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library is a branch of the New York Public Library system that offers a wide array of services for vision-impaired adults and children. They hold the largest physical colle...

For Remote Communities In Scotland's Outer Hebrides, Mobile Libraries Are A Lifeline

NPR

Celeste Noche

8 June 2019

Stornoway, Scotland

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Mobile libraries provide a crucial point of engagement for remote communities. In Scotland, the country’s mobile library service has provided residents of its Western Isles with access to books, Gaelic culture, and a ...

'Adulting' classes around St. Louis offer life skills not taught in school

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Blythe Bernhard

3 June 2019

Ferguson, Missouri, United States

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As American schools have become increasingly focused on preparing students for higher education and careers, life skills classes like home economics, financial literacy, and wood shop classes have fallen to the waysid...

The City That Crowdfunded Its Only Library From a Facebook Post

OZY

Joanna Lobo

9 April 2019

Dimapur, Nagaland, India

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The city of Dimapur in India had no public library - until an online crowdfunding campaign provided the capital needed to rent a small space and get the library idea off the ground. While funding is still limited and ...

When a laundromat becomes a library

PBS NewsHour

Lisa Stark

2 April 2019

New York City, New York, United States

Broadcast TV News

5-15 Minutes

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Librarians in New York City are attempting to "promote literacy in ordinary locations." By adding books and staff to laundromats in low-income communities, they are providing opportunities for children living in "bo...

Rebuilding Cities, With Culture at the Core

CityLab

Tanvi Misra

12 March 2019

Medellín, Colombia

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City planners and governments often overlook culture when trying to rebuild cities blighted by war, disasters, or other types of urban distress. But not Medellín, Colombia. After the drug trade made Medellín a violent...

Collaborating on co-locating: Chicago's innovative approach to mixed-use facilities

Smart Cities Dive

Katie Pyzyk

14 February 2019

Chicago, Illinois, United States

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Some of Chicago's public housing buildings now house a public library on the base floor. The co-location design is a result of a collaboration between the Chicago Public Library and Chicago Housing Authority intended ...

Libraries Want to Change Your Relationship With Public Data

CityLab

Linda Poon

11 February 2019

United States

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800-1500 Words

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Libraries serve as trusted stewards of information in the public domain. Looking beyond the traditional management of printed records and archives, libraries across the United States and Canada aim to make data sets r...

Library Systems Embracing Their New Roles As Social Service Hubs

Next City

Emily Nonko

HUB MEMBER

22 January 2019

San Francisco, California, United States

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Public libraries are increasingly using their positions as accessible centers for information to address homelessness and mental health issues - in San Francisco, a team of Health and Safety Associates have helped pla...

How community library is serving an under-served Lagos community

EduCeleb

Abdussalam Amoo

HUB MEMBER

17 January 2019

Ojokoro, Lagos, Nigeria

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A community library built in Lagos, Nigeria by a nonprofit called Pyramid Educational Advancement (PEA) is filling a literacy gap in the area due to the low number of government-owned public libraries. Aside from simp...

Calgary's New Public Library Opens with Ambition and Style

CityLab

Tim Querengesser

7 November 2018

Calgary, Canada

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In Calgary, the new Central Library does more than just provide a beautiful space in which to read books. It also provides a place to access technology and acts as a connection space between the more and less affluent...

Libraries hire social workers to help homeless patrons

Chicago Tribune

Lisa Schencker

27 October 2018

Chicago, Illinois, United States

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Public libraries once turned a blind eye to the homeless people using their spaces, but many libraries have now shifted into action mode by hiring social workers to help with behavioral health challenges of patrons. I...

Community building: Chicago experiment links libraries and apartments

The Christian Science Monitor

Eva Fedderly

24 October 2018

Chicago, Illinois, United States

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When a need for more libraries and more affordable housing arose in Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel pursued a plan to combine the two. The result is a partnership between the Chicago Housing Authority and the Chicago Publ...

Need a Handbag or a Tie to Land Your First Job? Borrow One With a Library Card

The New York Times

Melissa Gomez

9 October 2018

New York, New York, United States

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As the New York Public Library's career counseling offerings have grown, one of the most popular features has been an interview clothing rental service. Just as they might check out a book for a set period, patrons ca...

American democracy is fracturing. Libraries say they know how to help

Quartz

Jenny Anderson

5 October 2018

New York, New York, United States

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Public libraries have remained one of the last public non-commercial spaces where people from all walks of life can coexist and learn. New York Public Library in particular is working to improve and expand their servi...

You Can Now Read Literary Classics on New York Public LIbrary's Instagram

CityLab

Linda Poon

23 August 2018

New York, New York, United States

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The New York Public Library Insta Novels program makes public domain works available to be read on Instagram. Featuring engaging artwork and a user friendly format, Insta Novels make literature available to users with...

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Photos are licensed under Attribution Non Commercial 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license / Desaturated from original, and are credited to the following photographers:

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Photo Credit: Sonia Narang