News

  • Cardholder Signup: Collecting and Analyzing How Patrons Get Library Cards

    In May 2023, with funding from the Mellon Foundation, Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) launched an 18-month research project to collect and study cardholder signup policies from public libraries across the nation. The project aims to identify the range ...

  • Resources for Supporting Veterans and Military-Affiliated Patrons

    Libraries play a vital role in serving the diverse needs of their communities, and one group that often benefits greatly is our nation's Veterans, current military members, and their families. Chances are you’re already doing great work in welcoming ...

  • New Courses for Library, Archive, and Museum Staff

    Library, archive, and museum staff face similar challenges when it comes to responding to a crisis, de-escalating conflict, and addressing burnout. Four new on-demand courses provide staff in cultural heritage institutions with information and tools ...

  • A Delicious Library Collaboration

    Running a restaurant is no easy task. And while libraries do a lot of things amazingly well, being a restaurant operator on top of all that is a tricky proposition. But when has a challenge ever stopped a library? This is certainly the case for Toled...

  • Resources for Social Work and Library Collaboration

    Library staff are known for their resourcefulness and commitment to adapting to help community members in need. But as the scope of library services has expanded to address complex social needs that aren’t being met elsewhere, it can feel overwhelmin...

  • Resources for Helping Unhoused Patrons

    Libraries are central to our communities, as places where anyone is welcome to gather, connect, and learn, but for some members of our community, they represent much more than that. For many people experiencing homelessness, the library might be the ...

  • Libraries & Veterans National Forum Toolkit

    Veterans, military service members, and their families are among users of virtually every library across the country. Indeed, libraries play a significant role in supporting veterans and military-affiliated patrons by welcoming them to the community,...

  • Connecting Libraries and People through the New WorldCat.org

    Libraries have always been trusted spaces in our communities, and the events of the past several years have brought more attention to the important work they’re doing. News stories highlighted the creative ways libraries mobilized to offer vital reso...

  • Interesting Patron Questions

    The reference desk of a library is truly one of the most interesting of places. Through an initial poll in 2015, we asked WebJunction members to share the most interesting patron questions they had received, and the response was amazing. We recently ...

  • Listen. Partner. Follow Through: Community Engagement Principles

    The best part of my job at OCLC is getting to hear about the impactful programs and activities that libraries create to solve community problems and help transform lives. I recently got the chance to talk to Nancy Pacheco and Elizabeth Gray from the ...