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PL FEATURE ARTICLE AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED The winner of the 2020 Feature Article contest is "The Mission-Informed Library" written by Amy An, Boca Raton (FL) Public Library. The winning article appeared in the JanFeb 2019 issue of Public Libraries. The winner was chosen by the Public Libraries Advisory Committee from among all feature articles written by persons working in public libraries during the 2019 volume year. The committee further selected three runners-up articles ...for the Readers Choice/Honorable Mention contest. Those articles included: *Welcome to the United States, by Linda Osuna and Carol Reich (July/August 2019 issue) *Serving Patrons in Your Makerspace Who are Experiencing Homelessness by Amanda Feist (March/April 2019 issue) *Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach by Rhiannon B. Eades (September/October 2019 issue). Readers voting from April 17-24, 2020 chose Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach by Rhiannon B. Eades, Athens (Ga.) Regional Library System for the Honorable Mention award. Congratulations to all!

Facing a host of unknowns, library administrators are developing reopening plans as diverse as the communities they serve. Reopening will look different across the country, contingent on geography, funding structure and staffing, community needs, and the severity of the virus’ local impact.

Readers Choice Feature Article Contest Each year, the Public Libraries Advisory Committee selects the first place winner (award-$500) in PLA's annual feature article award contest. The year, choosing from articles published in 2019 volume year, the the committee selected Amy An, for her article "The Mission-Informed Library" which appeared in the Jan/Feb 2019 issue of PL. Congratulations Amy! Help us choose the Readers Choice winner! The committee also selected three feature ...articles for the Readers Choice vote. Please review the articles at the link below and choose the one you like best. The article that gets the most votes will receive the Readers Choice ($300) prize in the 2020 Public Libraries Feature Article Contest. Voting will close on Friday, April 24. The three articles in contention for the 2020 Readers Choice Award are: *Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach by Rhiannon A. Eades *Welcome to the United States - Naturalization Ceremonies at Your Library by Linda Osuna and Carol Reich *Amanda Feist, "Serving Patrons Who Are Experiencing Homelessness in Your Makerspace" Read the articles and cast your vote here: https://forms.gle/XdZK42CVwNRWQi5p8.

Because libraries play such a vital role in keeping their patrons educated, connected, and entertained, librarians nationwide have been working around the clock to find ways to keep services going despite being closed to the public.

Is vocational awe harming us? Is it harming the profession? Is it harming the public?

No matter our position or job title, we all have opportunities to lead, and can utilize this crisis to build more empathetic cultures within our organizations.

As information professionals, we’re skilled at seeking out the most useful data in any given situation, so listen to your librarian instincts.

"From voting booths for kids to speed-dating candidates, libraries are encouraging all community members to participate in democracy."

Ebook lending has a long history of being difficult for libraries, thanks to high prices and metered access. Recently, Macmillan announced a new policy that will make it even harder for libraries to purchase enough e-content to suit their patrons’ needs. Read more at the link:

New PLA Webinar! Understanding Trauma-Informed Approaches in Public Libraries--September 24, 2019 Join members of the PLA Social Work Task Force for this introduction to the use of trauma-informed approaches in public libraries. Adopting trauma-informed approaches reduces barriers to library access, makes the library a more welcoming place, and positions the library as part of the solution for many of the issues faced by patrons experiencing trauma. Click the link for more information and to register.

"I had many parents and caregivers call in and ask what the recommended age for the program was. I find this question difficult to answer because children develop at their own rate. Instead, I explained to parents/caregivers the nature of the tasks, the need to be methodical, and the ability to think both abstractly and concretely. The day of the program, I was shocked to see toddlers signed up to participate."

Counting every person once and only once and in the right place every ten years is an enormous undertaking that has vast implications for political representation and more than $800 billion in federal funding for states and localities. Achieving this complete count in the 2020 Census requires the hiring of more than 500,000 temporary workers. Public libraries can play a central role in helping community members learn about and apply for these jobs, and a new tip sheet from the ALA can help.

"When I first set out to write on this topic, I had planned to interview many libraries on how they were using their 3-D printers, but in my research I discovered a very meaningful project at the Novi (MI) Public Library where they have teamed up with the local high school robotics team and a company called e-NABLE to create free 3-D printed hands and arms for those in need of an upper limb assistive device."