MAIN Home Life Holidays & Observances National Library Week 2023

Q: Are local public libraries still relevant in the wired world?
A:: The answer is a resounding YES, even in the information age.

As social media becomes a haven for bipartisan information, libraries have reclaimed their reputation as a valuable resource for separating fact from fiction.

And, at the library -- it's still all free!

National Library Week 2024

In the Internet Age, National Library Week not only pays tribute to libraries as centers of learning. It also gives thanks to local librarians for their knowledge and expertise during National Library Workers Day observed this year on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and by local libraries across the country every year during the month of April.

A sign of the times, from your American Library Assocation,

Below, find related resources about National Library Week, along with fun facts and trivia about libraries and librarians, plus check out an online guide to the world's great online library collections just up ahead ...

DID YOU KNOW? Fun facts for National Library Week

Library of Congress, the world's largest.

Most Americans – especially Millennials – say libraries can help them find reliable, trustworthy information.

• There are more public libraries than Starbucks in the U.S. — a total of 17,566 including branches.

• Nearly 100% of public libraries in the U.S. provide Wi-Fi and provide access to computers at no cost.

• The Library of Congress, founded in 1800, is the largest library in the world, with more than 155 million items on approximately 838 miles of bookshelves.

• America’s first lending library was established in 1731 in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin, paving the way for the library systems in use today.

• Famous librarians throughout history have included Mao Zedong, Golda Meir, Laura Bush, Marcel Proust, Lewis Carroll, Casanova, and Jorge Luis Borges.


More about National Library Week around the Web:

ALA | National Library Week - This page from the American Library Association includes tips, tools and downloadable graphics to help libraries plan and promote their National Library Week celebrations.

LibrarySpot.com - Libraries Online - Find one up the street or across the country with this nifty page leading to local libraries along with links to practical reference tools.

Online Library Collections - Virtual Visits