This research report, produced for National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa (National Library), focused on a Putoi Rito Communities of Readers project carried out in Dargaville in 2023-24. Putoi Rito is a National Library initiative that works with communities to design, develop, and deliver support for reading engagement…

Literature in the field investigates and debates the importance of the MLIS degree in librarianship. This information is of limited use in Maine where over 30% of public library directors have only a high school diploma. The research questions guiding this Constructivist Grounded Theory study are: How do high school educated library directors in…

Local public institutions, such as public libraries, offer access to low-cost educational resources, potentially mitigating human capital investment disparities. However, from 2008 to 2019, 766 public library outlets closed across the US, reducing access to these critical resources. This study examines the effect of public library outlet closures…

Libraries are learning hubs that connect families to free resources, activities, and services to cultivate children's learning about topics that excite them. Despite recent technological developments which have revolutionized how we read and access information, libraries continue to evolve in order to serve their communities, especially families…

The Netflix docudrama, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, illustrates how college admissions, particularly at elite colleges, favors the privileged. Higher educational attainment overall favors the informed. Prospective students have many options when it comes to earning a college degree, with some of the more visible options…

Digital disparities have been a concern among different communities across the U.S. The lack of an integrated approach to evaluate digital connectivity limits our understanding of where and what the differences are to address digital equity. This research utilized broadband internet open data and other government datasets to evaluate the status of…

Purpose: It has been a decade, as the collaboration between the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) and the Ghana Library Authority (GhLA) to extend information and communication technology (ICT) and library services to rural deprived, unserved and underserved communities in Ghana dubbed the library connectivity project.…

The joint-use library is a place where people of all ages, interests, and income levels can find items of interest at no personal cost. The mission of A. H. Meadows Public and High School Library in Midlothian, Texas, is to offer what other public libraries provide: educational and entertainment resources to a community. Yet, the staff also wants…

With more than 25 years of experience providing library-based out-of-school time (OST) programming to Philadelphia children and youth in grades preK-12, LEAP (Literacy Enrichment Afterschool Program) offers insights into the distinct operations and contributions of drop-in programs. A 2019 evaluation of LEAP, conducted by Policy Studies…

Grounded in the Free Library's mission to "advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity" and commitment to being an open and accessible community resource, LEAP (Literacy Enrichment Afterschool Program) offers afterschool drop-in academic support and enrichment at libraries throughout Philadelphia. These promising strategies…

The Free Library of Philadelphia's Literacy Enrichment Afterschool Program (LEAP) is a key part of Philadelphia's comprehensive citywide Out-of-School Time (OST) system. For more than 25 years, the Free Library has offered children academic support and enrichment through LEAP, a free, voluntary, and drop-in program. At the request of the Free…

Purpose: While designing personally meaningful activities with data technologies can support the development of data literacies, this paper aims to focuses on the overlooked aspect of how learners navigate tensions between personal experiences and data trends. Design/methodology/approach: The authors report on an analysis of three student cases…

This article discusses the role of play and imagination in three urban settings: an ELA classroom, a community organization grounded in civic participation, and a digital learning lab in a library setting. We draw on sociocultural theories of imagination to show that all of the affordances and constraints of the settings contribute to what could…

The link between access to better libraries and students' achievement has long been proven. But to residents in the Asante Akyem North Municipality, the benefits libraries offer remain illusory because of limited access. Using cross-sectional research design, the article examines staffing, collections, funding, library facilities, user…

When secondary school librarians teach students digital life literacies, they help students perceive that librarians can provide support for real-life problems. The more librarians work with students, create inviting library environments, and have positive engagements with students, the more they change student perceptions of librarians in…