Working with our partners, we publish peer-reviewed articles, research-to-practice briefs, blog posts, toolkits, and a variety of other outputs. Recent examples include:
Libraries often assume that older adults’ interests and needs are self-evident, creating programs and services that are under-utilized because they do not reflect the wants and needs of these patrons. Can community conversations help libraries better connect their work to older adults’ preferences? Data from the American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC) project suggests that these conversations are an effective vehicle for aligning programs and services with older adults’ wishes. Based on an evaluation of LTC reports, this article (published in Public Library Quarterly) presents a series of case studies outlining different ways community conversations can contribute to the creation of more age- friendly libraries.
Published in the May/June 2025 issue of Museum magazine (a member benefit of the American Alliance of Museums), this article outlines a number of strategies leaders can utilize to build cultures of trust within their organizations. Based on research conducted as part of our “Culture of Trust” project, the article highlights the key role claims about integrity, benevolence, and sincerity play in organizational conflicts, and looks at how the fostering of open, collaborative workplace discussions between staff and leaders can help prevent and/or resolve these conflicts.
This paper explores how libraries operationalize diversity when engaging their communities. Based on an analysis of responses to a survey issued during Phase 2 of the National Impact of Library Public Programs Assessment (NILPPA) project, it argues that programming partnerships can help libraries identify and respond to the most pressing needs of diverse groups within their communities. Most notably, working with partners empowers libraries to develop programs oriented toward the principles of DEAI and social justice. To illustrate this process, we describe six different ways partnerships help libraries reach and meet the needs of different groups in their communities.
This ACM Trends report presents key research findings from the literature on bereaved children. As the first in a new series focusing on childhood bereavement, this report offers a foundation for bereavement interventions by explaining key concepts, highlighting bereaved children’s needs, and sharing general information on the kinds of experiences and supports that can help children overcome the grief associated with the death of a loved one.
The second in a series of reports on bereavement, this issue of ACM Trends highlights three actions children’s museums can take to benefit the many bereaved children who walk through their doors every day. By leveraging the therapeutic power of play, building their own capacities for recognizing and responding to loss, and mobilizing existing community resources, children’s museums can contribute to the growth of new, community-driven modes of caring for the bereaved.