Libraries have been around for nearly 5,000 years, and sometimes it seems like they haven’t changed much since, at least in the public imagination. You know: hushed, slightly musty spaces smelling of old paper, presided over by the stereotypical ancient librarian. But public libraries today are actually doing an enormous amount to meet 21st-century needs. A recent contest sponsored by the Knight Foundation awarded shares of a $1.6 million prize to 14 winners who came up with the best, most innovative ideas for helping libraries better serve their changing communities. Here’s a roundup of some of our favorite ideas from the contest, along with several other cool ways libraries are changing with the times.
- Using the library to make Wikipedia better
- Training students as community journalists
- Helping kids talk to parents in prison
- Checking out gardens at the library
- Creating a kids-only space
- Lending books…by vending machine
- A petting zoo, for electronics
- Making 3D printing available to everyone
14 projects win 2016 Knight News Challenge on Libraries
Source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/future-libraries-180959925/
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