Articles

Catch up on the latest in library programming news.

Death Café at the Library: Where Strangers Meet to Discuss the End

A Death Café is a place where “people, often strangers, gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death." And they are quite commonplace in libraries.

Our Top Picks for ALA Annual 2025 in Philly

Check out our recommended ALA Annual 2025 sessions that will spark fresh ideas and elevate your library programming game.

I Love Libraries: Real-Life Stories of Library Impact

Take action at ILoveLibraries.org and read through the following articles to inspire advocacy for our communities and libraries.

Unmasking the Joy of Reading: A School Library Twist on 'The Masked Singer’

A school librarian engaged students with a “Masked Reader” event, during which students guessed the identities of masked teachers, fostering an excitement for reading.

Small Library, Big Community: Soup and Sound

Slater Public Library is small, but they have all the space they need for this community-building dinner program.

Get a Jump on Spring: Gardening Programs

With spring on the horizon, February is prime time for gardening programs in libraries.

The Leaders We Have Been Waiting For

The Free Library of Philadelphia is fostering relationships with the community through staff training and community organizers.

Feb 8, 2019

Talk to Us about Fundraising

Take a brief survey to help ALA Emerging Leaders learn about library fundraising efforts.

Feb 8, 2019

Spring into Break at Your Library

Chances are, you'll have a crowd of kids at your library for spring break. Are you ready for them?

Learning from Program Flops

Massive program failure? We've all been there. Don't dwell on your mistakes — learn from them.

Feb 4, 2019

APPLY NOW: 2019 Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award

School libraries are invited to apply for a $5,000 award recognizing outstanding programming in kindergarten through eighth grade.

100 Days/100 Books

To celebrate the 100th day of school, students make a fun activity out of reading 100 books in one hour.

Libraries and Nonprofits: Making the Case

Develop high-impact health and wellness programming in your library by finding and working with nonprofits.

Jan 16, 2019

2019 National Day of Racial Healing

On Jan. 22, celebrate our common humanity and take action toward a more just and equitable world.

Open Educational Resources in the Library

School librarians Jennifer Sturge and Donna Mignardi explore how to use, promote and create programming around open educational resources.

From Community Conferences to Current Events Café: How an NYPL Branch Implemented Dialogue-Based Programming

The Jefferson Market Library shares how thoughtful programming made their branch a place for conversation in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.