Beyond Baby Mozart, Students Who Rock

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/beyond-baby-mozart-students-who-rock

David Bornstein

The New York Times

8 September 2011

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Why do schools teach music in a way that turns off so many young people rather than igniting their imagination? A program that taps into students’ passion for pop and rock is revitalizing music education in many schools.

Rock Is Not the Enemy

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/rock-is-not-the-enemy

David Bornstein

The New York Times

13 September 2011

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Little Kids Rock has helped to revitalize and broaden music education in more than a thousand schools by encouraging children to learn to play popular music, form bands and compose their own songs. Despite a backlash from traditionalists, teaching children to play music they love doesn’t “dumb down” music education—it enriches it.

What It Takes for an Independent Record Store to Survive Now

http://www.pitchfork.com/features/article/9927-what-it-takes-for-an-independent-record-store-to-survive-now

Joel Oliphint

Pitchfork

3 August 2016

Text / Over 3000 Words

As popular music has become digital and immaterial in the twenty-first century, record stores are hard to find and those in business struggle to be commercially viable. Used Kids record store in Columbus, OH has been in business for thirty years and is perhaps even more popular now that it was ten years ago. The current management treat the medium of vinyl not as a museum artifact, but rather as a commodity in demand by selling online, holding private events with collectors, and selling the materiality to young people.

It Takes a Library

http://ksfr.org/post/it-takes-library-solutions-journalism

Lucia Duncan

Santa Fe Public Radio (KSFR)

4 October 2016

Radio / 5-15 Minutes

In New Mexico, public libraries are funded by municipalities. That means, if you live in an unincorporated town, there’s no funding stream for a local public library. But, in northern New Mexico, residents in several towns have joined together to create independent libraries that have transformed their communities.

How Libraries are Boldly Innovating to Meet the Needs of Changing Communities

http://www.shareable.net/blog/how-libraries-are-boldly-innovating-to-meet-the-needs-of-changing-communities

Anna Pratt

Shareable

16 November 2016

Text / Over 3000 Words

Libraries in the United States have traditionally been centers to consume information, offering users books in quiet isolation. However, a new movement across the country is transforming libraries by providing internet access, creating spaces to study and learn, and meet with members of the community. There has even been the creation of pop-up happy hour libraries at bars, and bike book deliveries to distribute free books. These new libraries are re-inventing how communities learn and demonstrating that even the oldest institutions are elastic to communities' needs.

Homeless Between the Stacks

https://www.citylab.com/life/2017/06/homeless-between-the-stacks/531918

Jessica Leigh Hester

CityLab

28 June 2017

Text / 1500-3000 Words

With new mayor-ordained shelters and support services unlikely to function until 2020, NYC’s 60,000+ homeless population is left in need of assistance in the meantime. But recently, an anti-homelessness nonprofit—Breaking Ground— has paired up with the Brooklyn Public Library to provide social and administrative services to New York’s homeless population. This unique partnership works collaboratively to build engagement, trust and a housing action plan for homeless people; while the librarians help patrons gather practical housing resources and sift through complex bureaucratic matters, social workers build positive community rapport, and provide more holistic, psychosocial assistance with individual cases.

Free Lunch at the Library

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/30/well/family/free-lunch-at-the-library.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fus&_r=0

Catherine Saint Louis

The New York Times

30 July 2017

Text / 800-1500 Words

From New York to Ohio to California, librarians have teamed up with the USDA summer food service program, along with other non-profits, to feed kids dependent on free/reduced-price lunches during the school year. Using census data to locate communities of greatest need and data to measure participation trends, the collaborative has witnessed a surge in effectiveness and impact across the states. Families, librarians, and public officials alike express satisfaction and enthusiasm for the initiative and its future.

Participation in NYC Public Libraries' Tech Trainings Soars

https://civichall.org/civicist/participation-in-nyc-public-libraries-tech-trainings-soars

Jessica Mckenzie

Civic Hall

3 June 2016

Text / Under 800 Words

New York Public Libraries are closing the digital divide by offering tech trainings, that have already been very successful as indicated by their long waitlists. Attention is now turned towards growing these programs, providing free wifi hotspots, and reaching out to demographics that are not well represented in the tech industry.

Need Food Stamps? Ask A Librarian

https://brightthemag.com/need-food-stamps-ask-a-librarian-1ece1512a932?gi=a23a517c2c96

Kristi Eaton

Bright Magazine

6 July 2017

Text / Under 800 Words

Libraries have expanded their roles to be community centers where people can connect with social services and other local agencies for needs from homelessness to food insecurity to mental illness. Libraries are one of the few places where people receive access to resources at no charge and are meeting this need by hiring social workers and other specialized staff.

A community fix for Rio Arriba's libraries

https://medium.com/small-towns-big-change/a-community-fix-for-rio-arribas-libraries-c2c6a6d20cc6

Ellen Berkovitch

Small Towns Big Change

7 October 2016

Podcast / 5-15 Minutes

In New Mexico, independent libraries that operate as non-profits provide services—in addition to traditional library services—that are not readily available throughout the state and especially in rural areas. Libraries provide early childhood education and pre-school classes as well as spearheading community projects such as a radio station and mural creation.