Boise Public Library Foundation

The New York Times asked ~50 librarians around the country what their jobs — and their libraries — actually look like in 2026. Their answers include helping people find jobs, navigate technology, learn new skills, find reliable information, connect with community resources and, yes, discover a really good book.

One librarian summed up something we particularly love about public libraries: they’re a place you can go without having to spend money to be there.

This is a long read, but a really interesting one. Pour yourself another cup of coffee and settle in. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/10/01/books/state-of-libraries-librarians.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GFE.Idy8.107IuwTySozb&smid=url-share

Want to read more but somehow… don’t? You don’t need an ambitious reading goal or a towering TBR pile. Sometimes getting back into reading is about making it easier... and giving yourself a little permission.

A few ideas:

📖 Make reading fit into the time you already have. Keep a book with you for waiting rooms, lunch breaks or the few minutes you’d otherwise spend scrolling.

❤️ Reread something you love. There’s no rule that every book has to be new to you.

🎧 Audiobooks count. Reading with your ears is still reading.

👋 Give yourself permission to quit. Not every book is your book. Put it down and try another.

🔎 Let someone else help you find your next read. Browse a library display, wander the shelves or ask a librarian. Sometimes the best book is one you weren’t looking for!

If reading has fallen out of your routine, dust off your Boise Public Library card, head to a branch, and try again. You got this.

Saturday plans, according to Virginia Woolf: ignore the to-do list and read! 💛 More than 100 years later, this still feels remarkably relatable. 💯 Because the laundry will still be there tomorrow. So... what are you reading instead? 👀

Here's one story that makes that old receipt you’ve been using as a bookmark seem a little less exciting... a researcher in the Netherlands discovered a ~1,700-year-old fragment of Homer’s Odyssey hiding between the pages of another book in a university library! The fragment dates to around 300 A.D. and is one of only about 30 like it known to exist.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever found tucked inside a book?

1,700-year-old fragment of "Odyssey" discovered between pages of a library book The paper was found inside a collection of early Christian manuscripts purchased by Utrecht University in the mid-20th century.

Happy first day of fall! 🍂📚 New season, new things to look forward to! One thing high on our list is seeing the newly renovated first floor of the Downtown Library when it’s ready to welcome everyone back.

The project will bring a more modern, flexible and accessible space, with improvements designed to better serve everyone who uses the library, especially youth and families.

There’s no reopening date just yet, with more information expected after the Library Board of Trustees’ October meeting. Until then, we’ll keep looking forward to the big reveal.

Who else is excited to see what’s been happening behind those construction walls?

What a weekend! 💥 We were proud to help sponsor BCAF, and even happier to see so many people come together to celebrate comics, creativity and community. We may not have taken enough photos ourselves, but thankfully others did. 😄 Take a look at some of the fun below!

Libraries contribute to a community in ways that don’t always show up on a bookshelf. In FY25, Boise Public Library contributed $1.09 million in economic value to entrepreneurs and businesses in Boise.

That’s one piece of a much bigger picture... as these figures show, libraries provide access to technology and digital resources, places to meet and work, tools to build skills and grow a small business, and information that people might otherwise have to pay to access.

Books will always be central to what libraries do. But their value to a city extends well beyond the books they circulate. Please always remember that a strong public library is an investment in a stronger community.

Getting a library card is one of the simplest ways to show your support for all that the Boise Public Library does for our Treasure Valley community. And there's no time like the present, as September is Library Card Sign-Up Month!

A library card opens the door to far more than books: ebooks and audiobooks, research databases, technology, classes and programs, streaming resources, and plenty of things you may not even know the library offers.

And every checkout, visit, and use of a library resource helps demonstrate something important: Boise values and uses its public libraries. Strong community participation helps make the case for continued investment in the services and resources you and your neighbors rely on.

Already have a card? Put it to work this month! Haven’t gotten one yet? There’s no better time.📍 Find your nearest Boise Public Library location and learn how to get started: https://www.boisepubliclibrary.org/locations-and-events/

American Library Association