A semester-long group project implementing service-learning was designed and executed in the first semester of a two-semester-long biochemistry lecture sequence. The project required students to partner with the local public library to design and implement an interactive demonstration, either in person or in virtual format, for young children who…

Public libraries play an increasingly vital role as a public hub and safe haven open to all, with innovative programming and services that increase literacy, access to resources, and capacity-building. This field note describes the implementation of a federally funded academic--community partnership integrating a trauma-informed care framework and…

Despite the proliferation of online homework websites and tutoring services, public libraries still have an important role to play when it comes to supporting young people's educational needs. Public libraries that take a proactive approach--by setting up organized homework centers--have the potential to become catalysts for better performance in…

Public library storytimes have been well-established as informal learning environments that can support the learning and development of young children through interactive, intentional programming produced by storytime providers (McKechnie, 2006; Becker, 2012; Campana et al., 2014; Campana et al., 2016; Mills et al., 2018; Campana, 2018; Campana,…

Veterans are a unique population that can be found in libraries across the United States. Libraries of all types are developing new approaches to the veterans in their patron populations in the wake of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This study identifies several common strategies that libraries, especially public and academic libraries, are…

In today's society, individuals and households without reliable Internet connections are increasingly at risk of facing significant disadvantages. This article describes an Extension-led pilot project in Oklahoma centered on addressing this issue through the establishment of a hotspot lending program in four rural libraries. Through the program,…

In 2019, Policy Studies Associates conducted an evaluation of the Free Library of Philadelphia's Literacy Enrichment Afterschool Program (LEAP), focused on identifying program strategies to support early literacy development. The recommendations that emerged from this evaluation for the Free Library can also inform the efforts of other public…