Public Libraries

Topics that drew reader attention in an eventful first week of February 2025. 

A national network of organizations revitalizing communities through public spaces, Reimagining the Civic Commons offers helpful information for libraries to connect their efforts to larger goals, as well as to the work of their neighbors.

SLJ remains committed to the work. There is much to be done.

Has a book resonated with you, gotten so inside your head, that you had to talk to someone? Kids make such striking connections, notably after reading “intense and disturbing” books, finds recent research.

On August 21, 1939, five Black men quietly sat down to read in the Alexandria (VA) Public Library after being refused a library card. Occurring years before more widely known efforts to desegregate lunch counters beginning in the 1950s, the Alexandria Library sit-in is the focus of a project to digitize and distribute related materials and teaching resources.

A reader tries to make sense of book banning legislation and more.

Can exposure in popular media make a difference? Given the sheer reach of these shows, it’s hard to imagine they haven’t raised awareness of libraries and the larger stakes currently at play. 

 On “The Cover-Up: Under Pressure, Some School Librarians Alter Illustrations to Avoid Book Challenges,” readers had a lot to say.

Communities around the country are feeling the love. Here’s a sampling of contributions to the “Reasons To Love Libraries” campaign, presented by SLJ and Library Journal and sponsored by OverDrive.