public libraries

A young child with brown hair holds open a book in a way that obscures most of their face.

Adults-only room in the works for a small library in northern Idaho

(Runtime 1:04) The library in Post Falls, Idaho, will soon have an adults-only room in light of a recent Idaho law passed last year. That law requires…

A red brick building with black stair railings. A small brown pergola is in front of the library. A few green plants are underneath the pergola. An evergreen tree is at the side of the red brick building. A black lamppost is in front of the building.

Local News

Lawsuit aims to block ballot measure to dissolve Dayton library

(Runtime 1:11)A lawsuit is calling a ballot measure to dissolve a southeastern Washington library unconstitutional. The complaint aims to keep the measure…

Children in the Bronx visit a New York Public Library bookmobile in the 1950s. CREDIT: The New York Public Library

Arts & Culture

The Most Checked-Out Books Of All Time At The New York Public Library

"The books on this list have transcended generations and, much like the Library itself, are as relevant today as they were when they first arrived," said the library's president.

A growing number of public libraries across the country are revising their policies to eliminate overdue fines. CREDIT: Connie Hanzhang Jin/NPR

National News

'We Wanted Our Patrons Back' — Public Libraries Scrap Late Fines To Alleviate Inequity

"There were families that couldn't afford to pay the fines and therefore couldn't return the materials," Chicago Public Library Commissioner Andrea Telli said. "So then we just lost them as patrons."