Sunshine & Stories Talks Trends in School and Public Libraries

What is Sunshine & Stories?

Sunshine & Stories is a Colorado State Library podcast dedicated to all things public and school libraries. Our podcast aims to offer fresh insights, as well as spark creative and practical ideas for diverse public & school library settings. Whether you’re a veteran in the library world, a newbie looking for a little professional support, or someone who’s considering shaking things up in your library (a little or a lot), we hope this podcast will be a valuable resource for you. 

Ep. 203 Trends in Colorado Public and School Libraries:

Episode Summary:

Sit down with Polly Gallagher, Kieran Hixon, Suzi Tonini, Kate Brunner, and Kate Compton, members of CSL’s Library Development Team, as they share trends they are noting around our libraries in Colorado and consider the impact on services, resources, and governance. (Full transcript available here.)

00:00 – Introduction  
01:06– Why we look at trends 
02:26 – Staff 
08:30 – Digital world  
10:50 – How we read 
15:09 – Removing barriers 
19:40 – Legalities and censorship 
23:37 – Public value 
26:41 – Closing 

If you give us a listen, please let us know what you think by completing a short feedback survey. Your feedback helps us grow and provides us with important reporting data for our funder. 

Resources:

Library Research Services 
Colorado Education Initiative AI Roadmap 
Healthy Kids Colorado 
Valuable Initiatives in Early Learning that Work Successfully (VIEWS2) 
SB24-216  Standards for Decisions Regarding Library Resources 
SB25-063 Library Resource Decision Standards for Public Schools 

To chat more about any of these trends, contact the CSL Library Development team at [email protected] or Polly Gallagher, Public Library Leadership Senior Consultant, at [email protected].

Colorado State Library projects like this one are funded in part by the Grants to States program administered by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the Colorado State Library, Institute of Museum and Library Services, or the U.S. Government.