Digital Public Library of America

Today we celebrate National Disability Independence Day to commemorate the 1990 signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Pictured here: Activist Connie Panzarino. Born with spinal muscular atrophy, she was forced to choose between holding a job or receiving governmental aid. In 1977, Panzarino petitioned Congress to allow people with disabilities to both work and collect Medicaid benefits. She subsequently fought for the rights of veterans with disabilities, and successfully protested to add “Section 504” to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prevented hiring discrimination. Our thanks to the Smithsonian Institution and the National Portrait Gallery for this moving contribution.

Our Program Manager attended the Library of Congress AI Literacy and Learning Summit! Read more about her experience here.

We're thrilled to welcome Ben Lee to our Board of Directors. Ben is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington Information School where he founded the Lab for Computing Cultural Heritage. Ben has served as an Innovator-in-Residence and Kluge Fellow in Digital Studies at the Library of Congress, was the inaugural Digital Humanities Fellow at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and a was a Visiting Fellow in Harvard University’s History Department. Ben’s expertise at the intersection of digital technology, libraries, archives and museums will contribute to our future work. We are thrilled to welcome him and look forward to the insight and leadership he will bring. Read our full announcement here: https://lnkd.in/g3GJdu7A

We co-hosted a convening with the Chicago Public Library at the Obama Presidential Center, bringing national library leaders together with civic leaders from Chicago to discuss the role of civic institutions in the age of artificial intelligence. A recap of the event is available here: https://lnkd.in/dUcK7RJD Photo by Tone Stockenstrom Photography Inc.

Huge congratulations to our partner the Plains to Peaks Collective, a service of the Colorado State Library and Wyoming State Library, on launching their new discovery portal. The platform provides free public access to a wealth of photographs, manuscripts, books, audio recordings, artifacts, and videos from numerous cultural heritage institutions throughout Wyoming and Colorado. Go exploring: https://lnkd.in/gq-e7k7c

We're wishing you a safe, joyous Fourth of July. Here's some trivia for you: Ever wondered where the name "America" came from? From Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer who first believed that the lands Christopher Columbus sailed to in 1492 were part of a separate continent. Later, in 1705, a cartographer depicted the name “America” on a map, a Latinized version of “Amerigo.” Long before the term was coined, these continents were known by an array of Indigenous titles. Learn more in this 2016 post from Library of Congress: https://lnkd.in/gH8ZTK4V

Thank you to the Chicago Public Library and all who joined us at the Obama Presidential Center last week to discuss the intersection of AI and public life. We left the meeting with a deeper sense of optimism about the role of libraries and civic institutions in Chicago. With gratitude to Chicago's Youth Poet Laureate Lucy De Maio, we're excited to share with you all the poem she wrote for our event. In the comments, we'll leave the group photo from Tone Stockenstrom Photography Inc.

As we celebrate Pride Month, we’d like to highlight this historic date. On this day in 1969, as part of a crackdown on gay bars, New York City police conducted a routine raid on Stonewall Inn. The violent response of Stonewall Inn’s patrons, as well as the subsequent riots and protests, marked a shift that rippled through the decades following and impacted the gay rights and gay liberation movements in the United States. We invite you to read more about the Stonewall Riot in this primary source set gathered from our partners: https://lnkd.in/gBz_kUR4 Photo courtesy of The New York Public Library.

We’re excited to attend the American Library Association (ALA) Conference week. Say hello! And come see our program manager Tania María Ríos Marrero, who is speaking on a panel on ensuring diverse stories remain accessible for generations to come. Details below. Archives at Risk, Communities at Stake: Preserving Immigrant and Underrepresented Community Stories in a Polarized Era •Sunday, June 28 •2:30 PM - 3:30 p.m. •McCormick Place, W180 Archives are not only about safeguarding the past—they are essential tools for protecting the voices of today’s communities and ensuring they remain visible in the future. In a polarized political era marked by censorship pressures, shrinking cultural funding, and contested narratives of history, the preservation of immigrant and community histories that have too often been underrepresented is both urgent and necessary. Other panelists include: •Chris Brown, Chicago Public Library •Lisa Peet, Library Journal •Jennie G., Association for Rural & Small Libraries •Mariella Colón, Chicago Public Library •Chianta Dorsey, Chicago Public Library