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From Driver’s Permit to License: How Libraries Help You Hit the Road

September 16, 2025

There’s a mix of excitement and nerves when preparing for a driver’s test. Passing the written exam and then tackling the road portion marks a major step toward independence.

Public Libraries Are Critical Cornerstones of Democracy

September 12, 2025

Democracy has come under attack in recent years. The rise of misinformation and AI-generated content online has sown distrust in subject experts, public institutions, and even basic facts. Increasing censorship and the erosion of civil liberties have led many to feel that the freedoms promised by democracy are being dismantled, one by one. In these uncertain times, libraries are doing their part to protect it.

This Case Could Determine the Future of US Book Bans

September 10, 2025

Only one library book ban case has ever been decided by the US Supreme Court: Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico (1982). In that case, the Island Trees school board in Nassau County, New York, removed nearly a dozen books from the high school and junior high libraries. A group of students led by senior Steven Pico sued the school, losing at trial but winning on appeal.

Take Advantage of Your Library’s Election Resources

September 05, 2025

National Voter Registration Day, observed annually on a designated Tuesday in September, serves as a timely reminder to check your election readiness—whether or not it’s a presidential election year. In 2025, the day falls on September 16, offering an opportunity to stay engaged in the democratic process and prepare for upcoming local and state elections.

Better Living Through Audio: 7 Ways Free Audiobooks Can Improve Your Life

September 02, 2025

Audiobooks are an unstoppable force these days, with net sales revenue rising to $2.22 billion in 2024, an increase of 13 percent since 2023, according to the Audio Publishers Association (APA). Of those sales, 99 percent were digital, many purchased by libraries to be made available to the public.

Andrew Weiss: “Lean Into the Difficulty of Thinking for Yourself”

August 29, 2025

Andrew Weiss, digital service librarian at California State University Northridge and author of the books Counterfact: Fake News and Misinformation in the Digital Age and Big Data Shocks: An Introduction to Big Data for Librarians and Information Professionals, wasn’t always a lover of libraries. As a child growing up in the late ’70s and early ’80s, he found them intimidating and tough to navigate.

Just Another Day at Work: How Librarians Are Changing Lives, One Job Seeker at a Time

August 26, 2025

Living through unemployment is already challenging enough—it doesn’t help when searching for a job feels like an impossible process. Unfortunately, the current US job market has been reaching historical levels of difficulty, with fewer employers hiring overall. Thankfully, libraries provide free opportunities for job seekers to get support in their search.

The Role of Civic Institutes on Campus: A Look Inside TCNJ’s Center for Community Engagement

August 22, 2025

The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) is a vital civic institution at The College of New Jersey. Civic institutes like the CCE promote civic engagement, community involvement, and social responsibility among students, faculty, and staff. In 2015, the CCE received the Carnegie Foundation's Community Engagement Classification, a distinction shared by only 360 other colleges and universities nationwide.

How Librarians Ensure Access to Evidence-Based Health Care

August 20, 2025

Many academic librarians teach students how information is produced and organized. This can include how a journal article is written and peer-reviewed, as well as how search engines and databases work. The goal is to help learners find, evaluate, and use the information they need. This is especially important for students entering jobs in health care, where knowing how to find the latest or best evidence can be a matter of life and death.

Erasing History in Our Parks: Why Book Bans in National Park Service Gift Shops Threaten Democracy

August 18, 2025

In a country that prides itself on freedom of speech and the preservation of history, the recent attempts to remove certain books from National Park Service gift shops is a deeply troubling development. These actions are not about improving visitor experiences or making room for new titles. Like censorship anywhere, it is about controlling narratives and silencing inconvenient truths.
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