As a librarian working in a newsroom, this is super cool!

Love the Library Newsroom Project by my old partner in journalism crime @terryparrisjr.bsky.social www.librarynewsroom.com This is the way.

Libraries are the best, and I love projects that get them and more community members involved in reporting and sharing the news that people need most. Proud my students in the engagement journalism program at CUNY helped plant the sees for the Sunset Park Sun!

Exciting to see our work in the lead image!

The anger and despair can feel all-consuming, but I'm hoping that this can be a source of encouragement — a reminder that we can support and defend these local institutions and their broader networks of solidarity

"But we also lend ourselves to the library — committing our attention, our time, our presence at board meetings, our tax dollars and donations — enlarging the commons and participating in the political project of making an informed society." 💕

Honored that the Library Newsroom, and the work we're doing in Sunset Park and beyond, was featured in such an important piece of work. Thank you @shannonmattern.bsky.social!

Here’s a nicely reported piece from Ellie Brown about how public libraries are under growing political and financial threat—especially under the 2nd Trump admin—but remain essential, deeply trusted community institutions. She also highlights the Library Newsroom Project! medium.com/advanced-rep...

"Blanche has no experience working in libraries or archives, according to his public profile. Now he will be running the largest one in the world." Experience: No record on file www.npr.org/2025/05/12/n...

Gun violence is preventable. Journalists can make a difference. The Survivor Connection is a new service intended to help those reporting on gun violence take a more informed approach by centering the survivor community.

Just finished my MLIS at Pratt (on May 20). I’m officially a librarian now (!). Didn’t expect the Open Newsroom I launched in 2019 would lead here: LIS theory, oral history, youth civic work, neighborhood bulletins—even some urban planning. Grateful for the ideas, approaches & people I met.

Streetsblog's social media team, led by Engagement Editor Emily Lipstein, received the Deadline Club's award for digital video reporting on Thursday night! buff.ly/IG9d2qD

Three things: 1. Excited to spend time thinking about how journalism and libraries can come together in deeper ways (beyond just tabling). 2. IMO this is especially timely, given the threats facing both journalism and libraries. 3. I really need a new headshot. So grateful for this opportunity!

lol. she thinks it's a town lending library?

We had another fun — and productive — evening in Sunset Park! We talked assignments, field guides, design, reporting. We laughed, ate dinner, and planned June’s issue. More to come. Thanks for swinging by, @shannonmattern.bsky.social!

What do these 16 journalists working on some of the biggest issues in media have in common? They’re all part of the 2026 JSK Journalism Fellowship. 👏👏 Please help us welcome them to Stanford! buff.ly/8efUD6V

I'm so grateful and so excited and can't wait to meet everyone! More to come, and more to say about what I’ll be thinking about over the next year. But yes, it will involve libraries, something I’ve been thinking about for the last *five* years. jsk.stanford.edu/news/jsk-nam...

I have this dream of creating a puppet show based on our community district needs assessment reports here in NYC. Maybe this summer in Sunset Park? We need more puppet-forward journalism. shelterforce.org/2025/04/29/a...

Public space matters. In East Harlem, safe and welcoming places like community centers played a role in reducing violence. "Experts say the community centers and resident cooperation are just as crucial in driving down shootings as law enforcement is." gothamist.com/news/how-com...

NEW from PP: This 25-year-old DOGEr fire most of the CFPB -- including its ethics team. And he owns stocks likely to benefit from the agency's demise. www.propublica.org/article/doge... By Jake Pearson

A bit while ago, I found a '70s press release in the La Guardia & Wagner Archives—the official NYCHA archive—announcing winners of a tenant-led newsletter contest. I’ve been researching physical, community-led newsletters ever since. So this was awesome to read: www.bklynlibrary.org/blog/2025/04...

I started reading @jonathanhaidt.bsky.social a few years ago in my teen engagement class at @pratt.edu. Has been required reading since. www.afterbabel.com/p/school-pol...

Noticed a bunch of these ornate gold medallions slapped all over the Oval Office. We found em on Alibaba. “High-density Home Decoration Polyurethane Appliques Ornament PU Foam Veneer Accessories” from seller Guangzhou Homemax Decorative Material Limited. sherwood.news/power/shop-t...

If you want to talk about the journalism pipeline, it starts here. If you want to talk about how journalism can rebuild relationships with community, it starts here too. I’ve been lucky to work with Press Pass NYC on a few things, and I deeply respect the work they do. www.cjr.org/feature-2/st...

Further dismantling of our public institutions.

People are running around looking for compost bags...Some scientists have bought their own soap and cleaning supplies. A snapshot of the chaos at one NOAA lab as contracts for basic services expire. My latest: www.propublica.org/article/noaa...

2025 Deadline Club scholarship apps are open for undergrad & grad J students in the NYC area. Due April 28. Award is $2,500! I'm VP (Student Affairs) for the Deadline Club, NYC’s SPJ chapter, & helping run the program. Help spread the word. DM w/ Qs. Details: www.deadlineclub.org/2025-scholar...

Philadelphia journalists are invited to access this directory of local community experts who feel willing and prepared to share their stories. survivorconnection.org

Lesson 5: Community. The best defense against authoritarianism is solidarity. People who stick together cannot as easily be oppressed. “They want us to be so afraid. The only way to counter fear is with joy,” @keyachatterjee.bsky.social told us.

Interesting. www.newyorker.com/news/the-wee...

All roads lead to building community.

Headed to the Next Library Festival in Aarhus? Come say hi! I’m leading a session on how libraries can build social capital through storytelling, conversation & play. It’s part of the Library Newsroom Project—an experiment in co-creating news w/ community members, rooted in places ppl trust.

One sign that we are living under an authoritarian regime is that a lot of people are acting like they are living under an authoritarian regime.

“Librarians are speaking out about what communities could lose, including internet access and workforce development in Kentucky, the Talking Book and Braille Center in New Jersey, digital hotspots in North Carolina, and much more” @rainesford.bsky.social

This is the literal destruction of knowledge. Mississippi libraries are being ordered to remove academic research on race and gender from library databases. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/08/m...

Calling all freelancers! I’m testing a new pitch form at Headway, a NYT initiative I work on, to bring more transparency to how we review story ideas—and to help shape stronger pitches. We’re sharing the questions we ask ourselves. Got one? Start here & share widely: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/h...

If you're a library worker, a local journalist or just a curious resident, which I am all three, hit me up about this project we're building. We're piloting the Library Newsroom in Sunset Park but you can do it, too!

It's fitting that this is my first post. The Library Newsroom is one thing I've been working on lately. Co-creating a storytelling and info sharing space (+ monthly bulletin) w/ residents. Much more to come. Thanks @shannonmattern.bsky.social for joining us. It was ANOTHER super fun evening.