Libraries in the Exponential Age
What happens if you shift the library to be the center of the community platform for innovation? Thirty dynamic leaders and innovators from the public and private sectors – all involved in...
View ArticleOn Open Doors, Community and Public Libraries
In mid-August 2014, Scott Bonner performed an ordinary yet remarkable act: Bonner opened the doors of the public library and invited members of the community to come inside. This was an ordinary act...
View ArticleTransformative Organizations: The Case of Philadelphia
Philadelphia is a fascinating city. There is the promise of affordable housing and a location that cannot be beat; halfway between New York City and Washington, D.C. The population is growing thanks to...
View ArticleAligning Library Services in Support of Community Goals
I believe that the future relevance and success of the public library is dependent upon the library’s deep knowledge and commitment to community growth and success. Although many libraries have had...
View ArticleThe Library as the Central Institution of the Knowledge Economy
Americans live in an economy in which an increasing number of us make a living based on the knowledge we have and we offer to others. One estimate, almost ten years ago, noted that only 40 percent of...
View ArticleLibraries are Bridging the Digital Divide in Cities
Digital literacy is no longer a choice; access to high-speed Internet is essential for Americans to do everything from finding a job to applying for college to gaining health care coverage. Yet...
View ArticleKansas City Library/Community Partnerships Support Equality
Communities thrive when people have opportunity. Sadly, opportunity is not equally available, but partnerships between libraries and other community partners are helping to level the playing field.The...
View ArticleWhere the Edge and the Center Meet — Driving Innovation in New York City’s...
Over a century ago, Andrew Carnegie endowed the City of New York with an extraordinary and everlasting gift—the construction of 100 neighborhood public libraries across all five of the City’s boroughs....
View ArticleAll Hail Our Library Robot Overlords
In October 2014 The Westport Library introduced robots Nancy and Vincent to our MakerSpace, generating a great deal of interest not only in library circles but in the international media as well. The...
View ArticleNeed to Get Wallet-Wise? A Librarian Knows How to Help
Book lovers have always flocked to their local library to pick up a favorite classic or the latest bestseller. But today’s patrons also want and need a whole lot more.Libraries are a community’s most...
View ArticleSmart Libraries: Community Development Through Innovation and Partnerships
Technologies that have been maturing over the last decades are no longer on the horizon but on our doorsteps. They are being deployed by the thousands and portend substantial changes in just about...
View ArticleWinter Park Rising to the Challenge: First Report in New Community Dialogue...
The Aspen Institute Dialogue on Public Libraries is pleased to announce publication of Winter Park Rising to the Challenge: A Report of the Winter Park Library Dialogue. This report is the result of a...
View ArticleFuture of Libraries: 2016 in Review and 2017 Preview
The Aspen Institute Dialogue on Public Libraries launched a series of initiatives in 2016 that are creating new opportunities and resources for transforming public libraries. As the year comes to a...
View ArticleReaching the Rest of Us: Public Libraries Using TV WhiteSpace to Connect Next...
In the context of the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), the World Bank/IMF, in partnership with the United States State Department, launched the Global Connect Initiative...
View ArticleThe Role of Libraries in Advancing Community Goals
Today, The Aspen Institute, in partnership with International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and the Public Library Association (PLA), released Local Libraries Advancing Community Goals,...
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Libraries: The Fabric of a Thriving Community
Libraries have the power to educate, convene, preserve, inspire, and connect. Libraries can be more powerful now more than ever. In Seattle, we opened the public library auditorium as a free,...
View ArticleYour Local Library: The Ultimate Community Engagement Center
*Editor’s note: This blog is written in response to the recent Aspen Institute, International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and the Public Library Association (PLA) survey analysis, “Role...
View ArticleInformed and Engaged Communities: The Critical Impact of Libraries on Civic Life
At the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, we work to promote informed and engaged communities in a variety of sectors, including journalism, technology, and the arts. I work directly in 18 of the...
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The Connections Café: Serving Recipes for Learning and Growth at the Tempe...
The Tempe Public Library is a dynamically growing enterprise - one of the few public libraries in Arizona with consistent year-to-year increase in utilization over the past decade. Serving a city of...
View ArticleBuilding the Digital Inclusion Ecosystem in the District of Columbia
Digital technology has changed the way people around the world learn, work, and communicate. People use it to start new businesses and support social and political causes. The ability to use and access...
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