If You Think Libraries Are Redundant, Read This

More Than Strict Rules And Dusty Stacks, Libraries Build Community

Twenty-first century librarians do not wear their hair in buns. They don’t relish levying fines on forgetful patrons. They won’t scold you for bringing a cup of coffee into the building. And they’re just as comfortable (if not more so) talking about 3D printers and “maker spaces” as the state of their stacks.

At the Zócalo/WeHo Reads event “Do Libraries Have a Future?” on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the opening of the West Hollywood Library, three librarians were challenged by Zócalo Public Square publisher Gregory Rodriguez to shake …

By Sarah Rothbard | October 1, 2016

Even Godless Hipsters Love the Stigmata

From Medieval Manuscripts to Burning Man, We Use Art to Get Closer to the Sacred

By Andrés Martinez | September 16, 2016

The yearning for intimacy with the sacred remains as potent today as it was in medieval days, when art was preoccupied almost entirely with depicting the divine. Last night’s spirited …

The Enduring Barbershop Keeps It Real—and Real Funny

One of the First Comedy Classics of the 21st Century Found Plenty of Fans for a Friday Night Screening

By Callie Enlow | August 22, 2016

Everyone in the audience, it seemed, had seen the movie before. But that didn’t mean the crowd arrayed on the lawn at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in downtown …

The Secret to South L.A.’s Success Is That It Loves Itself

Local Leaders Discuss Protecting the Community’s Rich Past and Promoting Its Bright Future

By Sara Catania | July 14, 2016

It’s one thing to put in the hard work to improve a community, but when do you declare success?

In long-maligned South Los Angeles, that time is now, said a panel …

People Are Still Arguing About Robert Mapplethorpe, and It’s Not About Porn

His Photos No Longer Have Shock Value but They Still Challenge Us

By Sara Catania | June 9, 2016

Nearly three decades after the photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe escalated the culture wars and made him an embattled hero in the art world, his work continues to provoke and inspire, …

Is It Easier for a Woman to Become President Than CEO?

‘Time’ Washington Correspondent Jay Newton-Small on the Private Sector’s Gender Parity Problem

By Callie Enlow | June 7, 2016

Just an hour before the start of Time magazine Washington Correspondent Jay Newton-Small’s lecture “Are Women Changing the Way Institutions Are Run?” the news broke that Hillary Clinton had secured …

The Takeaway

If You Think Libraries Are Redundant, Read This

More Than Strict Rules And Dusty Stacks, Libraries Build Community

Even Godless Hipsters Love the Stigmata

From Medieval Manuscripts to Burning Man, We Use Art to Get Closer to the Sacred

The Enduring Barbershop Keeps It Real—and Real Funny

One of the First Comedy Classics of the 21st Century Found Plenty of Fans for a Friday Night Screening

The Secret to South L.A.’s Success Is That It Loves Itself

Local Leaders Discuss Protecting the Community’s Rich Past and Promoting Its Bright Future

People Are Still Arguing About Robert Mapplethorpe, and It’s Not About Porn

His Photos No Longer Have Shock Value but They Still Challenge Us

Is It Easier for a Woman to Become President Than CEO?

‘Time’ Washington Correspondent Jay Newton-Small on the Private Sector’s Gender Parity Problem

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How Will Public Libraries Serve an Increasingly Unequal Society?

Let’s Focus on the People Affected by Libraries Rather Than the Collections Contained Within Them

The Future of Libraries Has Three Different Paths

From a Single, Globally Accessible Collection to Nonexistent, Imagining the Institutions in 2100

How Librarians Are Quietly Shaping Our Future

Information Professionals Are Making Their Mark All Over Silicon Valley

Your Library Wants You to Make Some Noise!

From Hushed Sanctuary to Lively Community Space, the Library Is Changing (and Going Online)

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