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LibrariesThe Week in Libraries: March 17, 2023
Among the week's headlines: Federal library funding hangs in the balance as the 2024 budget process ramps up; Arkansas passes a controversial bill aimed at restricting libraries; a Michigan prosecutor threatens to charge a local library director for refusing to pull Maia Kobabe's 'Gender Queer' from the collection; and the Copyright Office weighs in again on AI authored works.
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Libraries
With Budget Deadline Looming, Library Supporters Urge Congress to #FundLibraries
ALA officials are urging library advocate to ask their congressional representatives to cosign letters in support of library programs. The House deadline for signatures is March 20.
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Publisher News
NCAC Executive Director Christopher Finan to Retire
A longtime defender of the freedom to read, Finan confirmed that he will retire this summer after a celebrated career in the service of free expression and First Amendment rights.
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Copyright
Coalition Forms to Battle Library E-book Bills
The American Booksellers Association, Authors Guild, Association of American Publishers, and more have launched the Protect the Creative Economy Coalition following the introduction of a host of new library e-book bills in several states this year.
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Libraries
The Week in Libraries: March 10, 2023
Among the week's headlines: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis claims book banning is a media hoax; Illinois goes on the offense to protect the freedom to read; and a new poll suggests that the Right's 'war on woke' might not be an effective political strategy.
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Libraries
Should Public Libraries Double Down on Print Book Collections?
Data from the IMLS show gate counts and circulation have been falling for more than a decade. U.K.-based library advocate Tim Coates says print books hold the key to reversing the trend.
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Libraries
The Week in Libraries: March 3, 2023
Among the headlines this week: a look at libraries some three years after the Covid-19 pandemic began; how the right wing culture war playing out in many communities has led to some librarians living in fear; the St. Paul Public Library's 'Read Brave' program enters its 10th year; and Connecticut revises its proposed library e-book bill.
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Libraries
The Week in Libraries: February 24, 2023
Amid criticism, Puffin revises its plan to soften some of the language in Roald Dahl's classic works; North Dakota passes a new law that wou ban sexually explicit materials in public libraries; and Library Futures releases a policy paper on digital ownership.
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Libraries
With New Model Language, Library E-book Bills Are Back
A year after a federal judge struck down Maryland's groundbreaking library e-book law, library advocates are backing revised legislation they say can help ensure "fair and equitable licensing terms" for library e-books while avoiding the thorny copyright issue that doomed Maryland’s effort.
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Publisher News
Oral Argument Set in Internet Archive Copyright Case
A federal judge is ready to hear oral arguments for summary judgment in a closely watched copyright case over the scanning and lending of library books, some four months after final briefs were submitted by the parties and more than two years since the case was first filed.
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Publisher News
As Book Bans and Legislative Attacks Escalate, the New Press Pushes Back
“As a leading publisher of progressive education books, our response to Ron DeSantis and the College Board will be to bring attention to this chilling, racist, and cynical moment,” New Press publisher Ellen Adler told PW.
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Libraries
The Week in Libraries: February 17, 2023
Among the week's headlines: PEN America reports that 'educational censorship' bills are continuing to spread nationwide; the Utah Library Association delivers a powerful statement on censorship; and registration is now open for the 2023 ALA Annual Conference, set for June 22-27 in Chicago.
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Libraries
Comics Plus Exceeds One Million Checkouts in 2022
Now in its third year, Comics Plus counts more than 2,500 customers, who enjoy access to a large and growing catalog.
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Book News
PEN America List Highlights Banned Picture Books for Young Readers
In a release this week PEN America noted 317 of the 1,648 banned titles the organization tracked during the 2021-2022 school year were picture books for young readers, with 19 picture books targeted more than once.
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Libraries
The Week in Libraries: February 10, 2023
Among the week's headlines: The Colorado Civil Rights Division rules that a librarian who objected to censorship efforts in her library was illegally terminated; more on the College Board's questionable interactions with Florida officials; Library Journal releases its annual budget survey report; and Hawaii introduces a new library e-book bill.
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Libraries
Palace Project, Draft2Digital Strike Deal to Offer Indie E-books to Libraries
Beginning next week, the first of an anticipated 500,000 indie and self-published e-book titles from Draft2Digital and Smashwords (which merged last year) will be made available for library lending via the Palace Marketplace, the upstart Palace Project’s digital content platform.
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Interviews
Choosing Words Carefully: PW Talks with Bryan A. Garner, Author of 'Garner's Modern English Usage'
PW caught up with the famous lexicographer to talk about the recently published fifth edition of his essential guide and his lifelong fascination with the English language.
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Libraries
The Week in Libraries: February 3, 2023
The ALA's first in-person LibLearnX is in the books; book bans (and Florida) stay in the news; and the Urban Library Council releases a white paper addressing food insecurity in our communities.
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Libraries
Modest Attendance, Big Energy at the ALA LibLearnX Conference
Despite modest attendance, the first in-person LibLearnX in many ways delivered exactly what ALA membership asked for when the association began rethinking the now defunct ALA Midwinter Meeting—fewer meetings, more educational offerings and learning opportunities, and more time to connect with peers.
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Libraries
Julie Otsuka, Ed Yong Win ALA’s 2023 Carnegie Medals
In announcing the awards, the awards committee called Otsuka "a master of narrative voice" and praised Yong for "standing out even during a recent golden age of nature writing."
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