Colorful stacked books with worn covers and spines, arranged vertically.

The American Library Project

The Project

Colorful library event flyer with the words 'READ!' and 'BOOK' and a painted rock with 'Hi!' written on it placed on top.

The American Library Project is a storytelling initiative that investigates the changing role of public libraries across America by asking:

Why do libraries matter today?
How do libraries connect people with the world around them?
How are libraries responding to today’s most urgent social issues?

To answer these questions, writers Carmen Vintro & Oliver Jakes are driving across the US, library by library, to meet the communities that create and are formed by America’s public libraries.

Learn more

Featured Stories

A man and woman standing next to a black Volkswagen car, waving. The man is on the left, wearing glasses, a cap, and a plaid shirt. The woman is on the right, with dark hair in a bun, wearing a black tank top. Both are smiling and waving.

Preface: The American Library Project

Right now, communities across America are deciding if they can keep their libraries open. We travelled across the country, library by library, to understand why libraries matter today.

Storytime: Where Books Meet Bubbles

Beneath the sequoias of Sellwood Park, Multnomah County Library makes reading magical.

Our People

Young man with glasses smiling outdoors, wearing a denim jacket, near a wooden railing and yellow structures, with trees and a partly cloudy sky in the background.

Oliver Jakes

Writer
National Geographic, The Camera

A woman with curly brown hair and a black shirt smiling in front of beige curtains.

Carmen Vintro

Writer
The Camera

Contact Us

Have a story you want to see included in The American Library Project? We want to hear from you.