Editor’s Note: This article previously appeared in a different format as part of The Atlantic’s Notes section, retired in 2021. The public library system in Brownsville, Texas, has a long history of ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. The story of Alexandria is a myth—in fact a collection of myths and legends, sometimes competing with each other—to which the ...

Every public library is an exception. The world outside is costly and cordoned off, but here no one is charged, and no one is turned away. People browse for books and go online. They learn English, ...

This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. Since its dedication 100 years ago, Los Angeles Central Library has survived demolition threats, major arson fires ...

An ornate pencil drawing of a dragon; a floral postcard congratulating a 40th birthday, never mailed; a silver crochet hook. All of these items share a connection: They were left behind in books ...

On a rainy spring morning in Muncie, Indiana, a White, middle-aged, conservative woman met a transgender woman for a date. It did not start well. The transgender woman was waiting at a table when the ...

The decibel level is climbing as some 20 preschoolers sprawl out on an alphabet-pattern carpet for story hour. One toddler, who's new to the group, is having a bit of a meltdown, so Otter Bowman, a ...