Articles

Catch up on the latest in library programming news.

Beyond Recycling: How Libraries Are Rethinking Sustainability

As climate change becomes more visible in daily life, libraries can build sustainability into everyday decisions, from disaster preparedness to partnerships.

Apply Now: A Year of STEM

Apply by October 28 for a chance to receive 12 months of curated STEM programming to foster curiosity and STEM-mindedness in early childhood learners.

Curious Kids Club: Full STEAM Ahead!

This library transformed a traditional summer reading program into the Curious Kids Club, a six-week, hands-on summer program with a science-camp feel that combined literacy with STEAM.

Stitched Stories: Where Quilting, Literacy, and Elders Meet

In the African American tradition, quilting is both practice and philosophy. Stitched Stories was built to put that inheritance directly into young people’s hands, pairing books with needle and thread.

May 2, 2018

Lights, Camera, and an Idea Worth Spreading

With TED Talks' TED-Ed Clubs, librarians can encourage young people to share their big ideas.

Apr 26, 2018

Partnering with Your Health Department

There are nearly 3,000 local health departments across the country. Have you partnered with yours?

Apr 17, 2018

Top Three Things I Learned from PLA 2018

Jennifer Massa shares the top three lessons she learned from PLA 2018

Apr 17, 2018

Creating Engagement Through Questions

A simple question can be a passive program and community engagement all at once. So what should we ask?

Apr 16, 2018

Blogs for Programming Librarians

Is your well of programming ideas running dry? Find inspiration in some of our favorite blogs.

Apr 12, 2018

NILPPA Update: How Do We Learn to Run Library Programs?

Informal vs. formal, on the job vs. in the classroom — 1,200 programming librarians tell us how they learned to do their jobs.

Apr 12, 2018

Human Battleship

Inspired by a school gym class, this life-size version of the classic tabletop game is fun for all ages.

Apr 5, 2018

Fact vs. Opinion for Middle-Schoolers

Help young people distinguish fact from fiction with these information literacy resources.

Apr 3, 2018

What Skills Make for Good Programming?

We asked 1,200 library workers which skills they used to plan library programs. Here's what they told us.

Mar 30, 2018

Bullet Journaling for Everyday Organization

Bullet journaling may not be for everyone, but we can all learn from some of its basic methods.

Mar 30, 2018

Bookmark Design Contests

A bookmark design contest highlights students' artistic talents — and provides a nice creation to give away in the library.

Mar 28, 2018

NILPPA Update: The Wide and Wild World of Programming

Through the National Impact of Library Public Programs Assessment (NILPPA), ALA is quantifying the impact of library programming.