Public Programs Office (PPO)

35 libraries selected for ALA's Great Stories Club series on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation

CHICAGO — Thirty-five U.S. libraries have been selected to participate in the American Library Association’s Great Stories Club series on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT), a thematic reading and discussion program series that engages underserved teens through literature-based library outreach programs and racial healing work.

ALA releases recommendations for improved public library services to new Americans

CHICAGO — As immigration rises to the forefront of public discourse, public libraries continue to be a trusted resource for new Americans seeking to gain familiarity and skills in a new land. To help libraries better serve these populations, the American Library Association (ALA) has released a white paper exploring how U.S. public libraries can provide the services new Americans need to thrive.

ALA releases findings from NILPPA, a national study of library public programming

CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA) has released a report outlining the findings of an intensive research study that explored the characteristics, audiences, outcomes and value of U.S. library programming, as well as the competencies required to succeed in the field.

Wyoming (Ohio) Middle School wins ALA’s 2019 Jaffarian Award for poverty and philanthropy program

The American Library Association (ALA) has awarded its 2019 Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award to Wyoming (Ohio) Middle School for their Poverty and Philanthropy class. 

The $5,000 Jaffarian Award, supported by the Cultural Communities Fund, recognizes excellence in humanities programming in libraries that serve grades K-8.

Public and academic libraries invited to join ‘Americans and the Holocaust’ traveling exhibition tour

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) and the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office invite libraries to apply to host Americans and the Holocaust, a traveling exhibition that examines the motives, pressures and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. 

Explore PBS documentary 'American Creed' with the filmmaker and get a free DVD at 2019 ALA Annual Conference

What does it mean to be American? What holds us together in turbulent times?

In the PBS documentary American Creed, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David M. Kennedy come together from different points of view to explore the idea of a unifying American creed. Their spirited inquiry frames the stories of citizen-activists striving to realize their own visions of America’s promise across deep divides.

Libraries invited to apply for Great Stories Club grants on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation

CHICAGO — Library workers are invited to apply for the American Library Association’s Great Stories Club series on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT), a thematic reading and discussion program that engages underserved teens through literature-based library outreach programs and racial healing work.

ALA reaches fundraising goal to support community engagement work in libraries

The American Library Association (ALA) has reached a significant fundraising goal for its Cultural Communities Fund that will support the work of community engagement in libraries.

ALA, Harwood Institute announce 2019 Public Innovators Lab for Libraries training in Atlanta

CHICAGO – The American Library Association (ALA) and The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation announce a 2.5-day training opportunity to help libraries lead positive change in their communities.

Learn how your library can fight fake news at the 2019 ALA Annual Conference

Think you can spot fake news? Think again.

In a 2018 report, the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office found that news consumers think they have stronger media literacy skills than they actually do. Libraries can help bring their skills in line with their confidence.