I feel the need to correct myself: The little library is not “mine.” Libraries are meant to grow, and to be shared.
from The Lost Library
written by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass
Feiwel & Friends, 2023
(read on Libby)
When I was growing up, my library was about four miles from my house, too far away for six-year-old me to walk by myself, and I wasn’t big enough to ride my bike yet, so Mom took me. Sometimes my sister came, too. Sometimes my brother did. But library time was my time with Mom. She loved to read and so did I. (I still do.)
The library was in the converted mansion of William E. Telling. The Cuyahoga Library System bought the building and the property in the 1950s. It was my library until I grew up and moved away. I took my kids there, too, when they were babies.
The Cleveland Heights library was closer, and when I got a little older and better at bike riding, I rode there. The whole basement floor was a kid’s room.
We had a library in our elementary school where we learned about the Dewey Decimal System. It makes so much sense in a non-mathematical way.
In 1883 Melville Dewey became the librarian of Columbia College (now Columbia University) in New York City. He founded the world's first library school there in 1887.
But libraries have existed in the world since ancient times. Probably, the most famous is the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. Opened during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, between 286 and 285 BCE (Before the Common Era) it survived a prolonged period of decline, finally closing in the third century CE (Common Era).
Greece, Turkey, and Morocco served their people with libraries. So did China with its Cave of the Thousand Buddhas, where, according to HistoryHit.com, a “system of 500 temples stood at the crossroads of the Silk Road.” In the early 20th Century, over 50,000 documents were discovered there, written in a “large variety of languages.”
According to the American Library Association, “Public libraries—and indeed, all libraries--are changing and dynamic places where librarians help people find the best source of information whether it's a book, a website, or database entry.”
Besides public libraries, other libraries serve their clients’ needs every day. School libraries, academic libraries, and special libraries including medical libraries, law libraries, and research libraries are some examples.
In January 2025, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, IMLS, launched its first-ever National Museum Survey. From its website, “The [IMLS] is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums.” The survey was designed to find the greatest need, the most used resources, the most important programs, and other places where libraries and librarians as well as museums and curators serve the public and common good.
On April 1, 2025, NPR reported that the entire IMLS staff was put on paid administrative leave. They were notified by email. Employees turned in government property and their email accounts were disabled.
How can a society retain its culture without its libraries and museums?
Keith E. Sonderling, the deputy secretary of labor, is now the president’s pick for the new acting director of IMLS as well. He was confirmed on March 20, 2025. Sonderling is quoted in his acceptance speech on the IMLS website. “…We will revitalize IMLS and restore focus on patriotism, ensuring we preserve our country’s core values, promote American exceptionalism and cultivate love of country in future generations.”
I can only imagine what libraries will look like after this “revitalization” and “preservation” takes place.
How can a society retain its culture without its libraries and museums? Will Mr. Sonderling get to decide what is important to keep available for public use?
Some states and communities also support their libraries, but many libraries will be unfunded if the IMLS is gutted.
National Librarian Day is April 16, 2025. While the day was first sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) in 1958, it wasn’t until the ALA called attention to it in a 2004 campaign to “raise awareness and appreciation for library staff.” It’s been celebrated on April 16 ever since.
Some ways you can thank your library staff include attending a library program. Libraries offer everything from Baby Storytime to Chair Yoga. Craft programs, music programs, how to file your taxes, how to design a garden, how to use a computer (from beginning learners to experienced). All are offered for free.
Materials to support all these activities are available to borrow.
Spring is a great time to de-clutter. Take all those books you promised yourself you’d read again but never did to the library’s book sale. The Friends of the Library use the money they raise to support their library in countless ways.
Consider volunteering or donating to their group.
In Ohio, the House Of Representatives is working on its next two-year budget. Their current proposal will eliminate the Public Library Fund (PLF) and replace it with a line-item appropriation which will cut funding by $100 million compared to the governor’s proposal.
Libraries in Ohio are funded at the same level as 2000, with no adjustment for inflation. Through its line item, the House’s budget would eliminate the requirement that a portion of the state’s General Fund be dedicated to libraries. Their proposed new distribution formula would cut funding to 39 counties of our 88.
That’s besides what’s going on with the IMLF in Washington DC.
How can a society retain its culture without its libraries and museums?
What can you do?
Ohio Library Council (OLC) suggests that you contact your State Representative and Matt Huffman Speaker of the House, TODAY.
Scroll to the bottom of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County’s blog to find a script you can use or adapt. Or check your library’s website for alternate scripts, but please act today.
The survival of our culture depends on all of us working together.
-—stay curious! (and find answers, entertainment, and information at your library)
from The Lost Library
written by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass
Feiwel & Friends, 2023
(read on Libby)
When I was growing up, my library was about four miles from my house, too far away for six-year-old me to walk by myself, and I wasn’t big enough to ride my bike yet, so Mom took me. Sometimes my sister came, too. Sometimes my brother did. But library time was my time with Mom. She loved to read and so did I. (I still do.)
The library was in the converted mansion of William E. Telling. The Cuyahoga Library System bought the building and the property in the 1950s. It was my library until I grew up and moved away. I took my kids there, too, when they were babies.
The Cleveland Heights library was closer, and when I got a little older and better at bike riding, I rode there. The whole basement floor was a kid’s room.
We had a library in our elementary school where we learned about the Dewey Decimal System. It makes so much sense in a non-mathematical way.
In 1883 Melville Dewey became the librarian of Columbia College (now Columbia University) in New York City. He founded the world's first library school there in 1887.
But libraries have existed in the world since ancient times. Probably, the most famous is the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. Opened during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, between 286 and 285 BCE (Before the Common Era) it survived a prolonged period of decline, finally closing in the third century CE (Common Era).
Greece, Turkey, and Morocco served their people with libraries. So did China with its Cave of the Thousand Buddhas, where, according to HistoryHit.com, a “system of 500 temples stood at the crossroads of the Silk Road.” In the early 20th Century, over 50,000 documents were discovered there, written in a “large variety of languages.”
According to the American Library Association, “Public libraries—and indeed, all libraries--are changing and dynamic places where librarians help people find the best source of information whether it's a book, a website, or database entry.”
Besides public libraries, other libraries serve their clients’ needs every day. School libraries, academic libraries, and special libraries including medical libraries, law libraries, and research libraries are some examples.
In January 2025, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, IMLS, launched its first-ever National Museum Survey. From its website, “The [IMLS] is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums.” The survey was designed to find the greatest need, the most used resources, the most important programs, and other places where libraries and librarians as well as museums and curators serve the public and common good.
On April 1, 2025, NPR reported that the entire IMLS staff was put on paid administrative leave. They were notified by email. Employees turned in government property and their email accounts were disabled.
How can a society retain its culture without its libraries and museums?
Keith E. Sonderling, the deputy secretary of labor, is now the president’s pick for the new acting director of IMLS as well. He was confirmed on March 20, 2025. Sonderling is quoted in his acceptance speech on the IMLS website. “…We will revitalize IMLS and restore focus on patriotism, ensuring we preserve our country’s core values, promote American exceptionalism and cultivate love of country in future generations.”
I can only imagine what libraries will look like after this “revitalization” and “preservation” takes place.
How can a society retain its culture without its libraries and museums? Will Mr. Sonderling get to decide what is important to keep available for public use?
Some states and communities also support their libraries, but many libraries will be unfunded if the IMLS is gutted.
National Librarian Day is April 16, 2025. While the day was first sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) in 1958, it wasn’t until the ALA called attention to it in a 2004 campaign to “raise awareness and appreciation for library staff.” It’s been celebrated on April 16 ever since.
Some ways you can thank your library staff include attending a library program. Libraries offer everything from Baby Storytime to Chair Yoga. Craft programs, music programs, how to file your taxes, how to design a garden, how to use a computer (from beginning learners to experienced). All are offered for free.
Materials to support all these activities are available to borrow.
Spring is a great time to de-clutter. Take all those books you promised yourself you’d read again but never did to the library’s book sale. The Friends of the Library use the money they raise to support their library in countless ways.
Consider volunteering or donating to their group.
In Ohio, the House Of Representatives is working on its next two-year budget. Their current proposal will eliminate the Public Library Fund (PLF) and replace it with a line-item appropriation which will cut funding by $100 million compared to the governor’s proposal.
Libraries in Ohio are funded at the same level as 2000, with no adjustment for inflation. Through its line item, the House’s budget would eliminate the requirement that a portion of the state’s General Fund be dedicated to libraries. Their proposed new distribution formula would cut funding to 39 counties of our 88.
That’s besides what’s going on with the IMLF in Washington DC.
How can a society retain its culture without its libraries and museums?
What can you do?
Ohio Library Council (OLC) suggests that you contact your State Representative and Matt Huffman Speaker of the House, TODAY.
Scroll to the bottom of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County’s blog to find a script you can use or adapt. Or check your library’s website for alternate scripts, but please act today.
The survival of our culture depends on all of us working together.
-—stay curious! (and find answers, entertainment, and information at your library)
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