SLJ wants to share the stories of how the loss of funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services—including Laura Bush Foundation grants —will impact your library and community.
How New Hampshire libraries are bracing for potential funding cuts
“The state of New Hampshire gets funding from the federal government, which is administered through the State Library. The most impact that we will see with a lack of funding is the elimination of the Talking Books Program, which is the way that sight impaired people are able to take in materials. It would also eliminate the interlibrary loan service and also the platform of Libby, by which our patrons throughout the state of New Hampshire are able to download electronic and digital information.”
Office of Community Planning and Development, within the Department of Housing and Urban Development to lose 84% of its Staff
The Community Planning and Development office at HUD disburses more than $3.6 billion in federal funding for rental assistance, mental health and substance use treatment, and outreach to try and get those living outside into shelter or housing.
New Photography Exhibit at Central Library Highlights Mementos of Those Living on the Streets
“It is not the homeless person that needs to be humanized,” Lommasson said. “It is us. One thing I’ve learned from this project is that any of us, if one or two circumstances changed in our lives, we could be unhoused. There’s a whole list of factors why people are homeless.”
I Love My Librarian Award
“Librarians nationwide make positive impacts on their communities every day, and the inspiring stories from this year’s I Love My Librarian Award recipients prove how transformative their efforts can be to the lives of their patrons,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “From Alabama to Alaska, from the Bronx to Maui, the vital services these librarians provide reinforces what we all know: that libraries everywhere are an essential public good, and the people who power them serve to inform, connect, educate, and empower their communities.”
Dolly Parton Gifts Record $4.5 Million to Nashville Public Library
“We are humbled by Ms. Parton’s incredible act of generosity,” Nashville Public Library Foundation President Shawn Bakker said. “Not only has The Dollywood Foundation given all the books necessary to fulfill a key pillar of the program, but the historic financial contribution will enable the Library to accelerate [the] launch of this program within the fiscal year.”
Housing Obligations
For the first time in decades, every municipality in New Jersey now has a specific housing obligation. The last housing obligations set by the state, done by what was the Council on Affordable Housing at the time, ended in 1999.
Housing
Everyone is talking about the need for affordable housing.
Indianapolis’ First Library for Black Residents Reopens Through School Librarian’s Leadership
Maurice Broaddus was a writer by trade and became a middle school librarian by accident.
The award-winning Afrofuturist and sci-fi author once filled in at The Oaks Academy middle school, where he was also a teacher, for the librarian going on maternity leave. The librarian never came back.
The Supreme Court Rules on Homelessness: What it All Means
Last week, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which makes it easier for communities nationwide to fine, ticket or arrest people living unsheltered, even when there is no adequate shelter available.