Friends of the Aitkin Public Library

12/17/2025

It's great to see new services at Charleston County (SC) Public Libraries. The Dart library is downtown near the sadly infamous Mother Emmanuel Church.

Charleston County Public Library is expanding its reach across the community after receiving more than $125,000 in new grant funding aimed at improving food acc

10/11/2025

I hope Riverwood Healthcare has this 👇

Microsoft Launches Free AI Tool to Tackle Claims Denials for Rural Hospitals / AI and healthcare, cancer, Headlines, Microsoft, OncoDaily, Oncology, rural

07/10/2025

Effects of wildfire smoke on rural communities:

This story was originally published by the Rural Monitor. As a librarian in Peck, Idaho — a self-described “one-woman show” in a community of just under

05/30/2025

Onee library fights threats to first amendment rights.

The Free Black Women’s Library, a community and grassroots-funded library in Brooklyn, New York, has found a way to keep moving forward amid widespread cutbacks.

04/23/2025

https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-rural-libraries-and-museums-are-whats-exceptionally-american/2025/04/09/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=8a54fb7fa9-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_04_09_02_32&utm_source=Center+for+Rural+Strategies+-+The+Daily+Yonder+and+Rural+Assembly&utm_term=0_-8a54fb7fa9-246519242

The defunding of our rural libraries takes away a lifeline.

In the mid-1990s, a group of about a dozen kindergarteners left the white schoolhouse and crossed the quiet side street in rural Ocean Park, Washington. I

04/15/2025

Federal funds for libraries have been cut by Executive Order 👇

If you love your library, listen up…

04/11/2025

"Libraries are welcoming, safe spaces for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to gather, learn, and grow. Through IMLS grants, libraries have expanded their essential educational programs, including summer reading initiatives for children, career development training, family story hours, and community health workshops. These offerings foster well-being, combat isolation, and empower citizens to take control of their health."
https://www.scrippsnews.com/politics/president-trumps-first-100-days/librarians-arent-being-quiet-when-it-comes-to-the-trump-administrations-cuts

04/05/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AmHB2eZpL/

During the Great Depression, Kentucky women rode 120 miles a week through treacherous mountain passes, crossing swollen creeks and navigating steep terrain - all to deliver books to isolated Appalachian communities. These "Pack Horse Librarians" worked under the WPA from 1935-1943, earning just $28 a month (about $495 today).

Nearly 1,000 librarians participated, using their own horses or mules to carry books in makeshift saddlebags. They established small libraries in churches and post offices, repaired damaged books with Christmas cards as bookmarks, and persevered through harsh weather and dangerous conditions.

When their animals died, some librarians would hike 18-mile routes on foot rather than leave communities without access to books. They gained trust in remote areas by reading Bible passages and brought hope through stories to places where roads didn't exist.

The program ended in 1943, but the Pack Horse Librarians left an incredible legacy of dedication, bringing knowledge and connection to isolated mountain communities during one of America's darkest times.

Sources: Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky, Smithsonian Magazine, Pine Mountain Settlement School documents

09/25/2024

Place a hold on ecrlib.org to be one of the first to read:

Minnesota-born Anishinaabe author Ashley Fairbanks had her first book published on Aug. 27. The book is for children and is titled “This Land.” It invites kids to trace the history of their home and honor the Native people who lived on the land.