National Library Week is April 7–13. Originally created in 1958 by the American Library Association (ALA) in partnership with libraries across the country, National Library Week is “an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.”
National Library Week is celebrated April, and is scheduled to coincide with School Library Month. Other related observations are National Library Workers Day (on the Tuesday of the week), National Library Outreach Day (on the Wednesday of the week), and Support Teen Literature Day (April 18), an observance that feels especially important at a time of sweeping book bans across America.
The Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL) was founded in 1902 and is the largest public library system in Kentucky. LFPL now has 16 branches, spanning the Louisville area from Shawnee to Newburg to the Southwest Regional Library in Valley Station.
In addition to providing a wealth of accessible information for free at every branch, LFPL has been recognized by national and international media for the beauty of its architecture. The travel magazine “Southern Living” named the Main Branch of LFPL one of the “Most Beautiful Southern Libraries Worth Visiting” for the Beaux-Arts Classicism architecture of its original design. “Home & Decor Singapore” magazine named the South Central Regional branch of LFPL one of the “Four Most Beautiful Libraries in the World,” alongside libraries in New York, Alberta, Canada, Helsinki, Finland.
This article appears in Literary LEO.
