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A Public Library Brings Opportunity to the Blind

Deborah Fallows

June 29, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library is a branch of the New York Public Library system that offers a wide array of services for vision-impaired adults and children. They hold the largest physical collection of braille books in the country, as well as thousands of downloadable digital braille books, audio books, and newspaper subscriptions. Included amongst these offerings are also the Talking Books program which records and distributes their collection of 200,000 recorded books, hardware and software tech to help illustrate things like tactile maps or diagrams, and simple community classes.

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For Remote Communities In Scotland's Outer Hebrides, Mobile Libraries Are A Lifeline

Celeste Noche

June 08, 2019 |

NPR |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Scotland, Stornoway

Mobile libraries provide a crucial point of engagement for remote communities. In Scotland, the country’s mobile library service has provided residents of its Western Isles with access to books, Gaelic culture, and a chance to socialize within a very rural setting since the 1950s. The service becomes even more crucial as the population on the islands dwindles, and funding for libraries and other community centers grows scarcer.

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The Cultural Revolution at the National Library of Israel

Ruth Ebenstein

June 04, 2019 |

Fathom |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Israel, Jerusalem

Libraries can serve as spaces for practicing cultural inclusion. The National Library of Israel is working to broaden its target audience and increase the visibility of Muslim culture in Israel. In addition to curating its Islam and Middle East Collection, the Library has expanded educational programs and public outreach related to Islam and Muslim culture. This proactive cultural dialogue also includes a residency program for Arab and Jewish writers.

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'Adulting' classes around St. Louis offer life skills not taught in school

Blythe Bernhard

June 03, 2019 |

St. Louis Post-Dispatch |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Ferguson, Missouri

As American schools have become increasingly focused on preparing students for higher education and careers, life skills classes like home economics, financial literacy, and wood shop classes have fallen to the wayside. Libraries and other institutions are stepping up to fill this gap by offering free "adulting" classes.

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When a laundromat becomes a library

Lisa Stark

April 02, 2019 |

PBS NewsHour |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Librarians in New York City are attempting to "promote literacy in ordinary locations." By adding books and staff to laundromats in low-income communities, they are providing opportunities for children living in "book deserts."

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Stock photos trade in stereotypes–but they just got more diverse

Ben Paynter

March 27, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

The stock photo community is taking steps to offer more diverse options with a partnership by Getty Images, Dove, and GirlGaze to produce 5,000 newly available photographs of 179 women from 39 countries. The photos are their own collection on Getty's website and has customizable tags written by the subjects in the photo (recent ones include “blackgirlmagic,” “confident,” and “bosslady.” Already searches for terms like “strong women” and “women leaders” are up 187% and 202% respectively, and Getty plans to donate 10% of each licensing fee to promote further work in this area.

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This Library Takes an Indigenous Approach to Categorizing Books

Sydney Worth

March 22, 2019 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver

Reconsidering the ways in which subject headings sort and present knowledge can help address systemic racism. The X̱wi7x̱wa Library at the University of British Columbia is rethinking the way libraries organize and place value on different forms of knowledge. By eschewing the Dewey Decimal Classification, which obscures and relegates indigenous literature to folklore, the library catalogs work geographically and by the name of the indigenous community. Librarians assist visitors, creating a welcoming atmosphere and forming relationships with communities and individuals.

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Rebuilding Cities, With Culture at the Core

Tanvi Misra

March 12, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Medellín

City planners and governments often overlook culture when trying to rebuild cities blighted by war, disasters, or other types of urban distress. But not Medellín, Colombia. After the drug trade made Medellín a violent place, the local government turned to the concept of "citizen culture" to restore the city. By building libraries and parks, enabling art, and creating transportation access in the comunas in the hills above the city, the government invested in people-centric policies that also made economic sense.

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Collaborating on co-locating: Chicago's innovative approach to mixed-use facilities

Katie Pyzyk

February 14, 2019 |

Smart Cities Dive |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Some of Chicago's public housing buildings now house a public library on the base floor. The co-location design is a result of a collaboration between the Chicago Public Library and Chicago Housing Authority intended to reduce inefficiencies, cut costs, and better integrate public housing into the city's fabric.

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Libraries Want to Change Your Relationship With Public Data

Linda Poon

February 11, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Libraries serve as trusted stewards of information in the public domain. Looking beyond the traditional management of printed records and archives, libraries across the United States and Canada aim to make data sets released by city governments accessible to the public. Multiple initiatives serve as models for the collection and maintenance of public domain data, including the creation of user-friendly digital portals and digital literacy programs.

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