Leadership

Two days after the 2024 election, public library leaders from across the nation gathered at Richland Library in Columbia, SC, for Library Journal’s annual Directors’ Summit. This year’s program explored the ways public libraries are called upon to respond to complex community challenges and opportunities. From housing insecurity to low literacy rates to political polarization, public libraries are often part of solutions to address the very issues that impact the livability and resiliency of their communities. Together, library leaders sought answers to questions about the role libraries are uniquely positioned to play, where efforts can be best directed to support diverse community needs, and defining a library leadership agenda.

As chair of the Meridian Library District (MLD) Board of Trustees, Megan Larsen passionately defends the right to read. Like many libraries around the country, MLD faces attacks from a vocal minority seeking to restrict access to titles featuring diverse content, and recently, a group filed a petition attempting to dissolve the district. “Sometimes, the fight comes to you, like it or not,” Larsen says.

When the Democratic nominee for state representative in Ohio’s 99th district was forced to withdraw from an upcoming election after her home was redistricted by 20 feet, Kathy Zappitello stepped into the race, largely to oppose pending censorship legislation introduced by her opponent that would “prohibit teaching, advocating, or promoting divisive concepts.”

Ashley Allen guides YA patrons along multimedia-related job paths by organizing industry networking opportunities and educational presentations, facilitating their access to scholarships, and overseeing the “Voices of Queens” podcast program. More than 165 students have created 100 episodes of this strictly for-teens, by-teens published program. Combined, they’ve completed at least 900 after-school hours of career training.

David Greisen is founder, CEO, and the driving force behind Open Law Library, a nonprofit open-access publisher helping governments collaborate, draft, and publish consistent laws with legislative history built to withstand nation state–level cyberattacks and comply with the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act, all without going through for-profit publishers.

Can libraries afford open access? LJ’s latest Periodicals Price Survey examines the state of the market.

This is the 15th year in which Library Journal has scored U.S. public libraries on the LJ Index of Public Library Service and awarded Star Library ratings. The 2022 scores and ratings are based on FY20 data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Public Library Survey.

2022 Star Library Index scores by spending category.

The 258 Star Libraries for 2022 are located in 36 states and—for the first time since 2018—the District of Columbia.