ALA finds highest book censorship in 20 years
Monday, 27 March 2023
In the US, the American Library Association (ALA) has found the highest ever number of attempted book bans were made during the year 2022. ALA has released data showing 1269 demands...
ALA delivers report on unfair behaviour in the digital market to House Judiciary Committee
Wednesday, 30 October 2019
In the US, the American Library Association (ALA) has delivered a report on ‘unfair behaviour by digital market actors’ to the House Judiciary Committee, reports Publishers Weekly. According to the...
Great School Libraries report prompts call for compulsory library funding
Wednesday, 23 October 2019
In the UK, a new report from the Great School Libraries campaign has found that schools with a higher proportion of children on free meals are more than twice as...
More than 100,000 sign petition condemning Macmillan’s new ebook lending terms
Wednesday, 16 October 2019
In the US, more than 100,000 readers, authors and library staff have signed a petition condemning Macmillan’s plan to restrict library access to its new release ebooks. According to the...
UK governments to give £250m funding boost to libraries
Wednesday, 16 October 2019
In the UK, the government has announced £250 million (A$464.7m) in funding for libraries, museums and other cultural projects, reports the Arts Newspaper. The funding injection comes after years of...
Tonga to open first public library using donations from Auckland libraries
Wednesday, 4 September 2019
Tonga will open its first public library next month in the village of Kolovai, with thousands of books donated by Auckland Council libraries, reports RNZ. The campaign to open the...
CILIP, EveryLibrary partner on data project to advocate for libraries
Wednesday, 4 September 2019
In the UK, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) and US firm the EveryLibrary Institute have launched a new project that uses data to mobilise public library...
Museum of Literature Ireland to open in Dublin in September
Wednesday, 7 August 2019
The Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), a new landmark cultural institution costing €11m (A$11.3m), will open in Dublin in September, reports the Irish Times. MoLI is a partnership between the...
SoA calls for PLR expansion amid boom in volunteer-run community libraries
Wednesday, 31 July 2019
In the UK, the Society of Authors (SoA) is campaigning for the Public Lending Rights (PLR) system to include loans from volunteer-run community libraries, reports the Bookseller. Since 1979, the...
Macmillan puts embargo on new release ebooks to libraries
Tuesday, 30 July 2019
In the US, Macmillan has announced a two month embargo on all its imprints’ library ebooks effective 1 November, reports Publishers Weekly. The move comes after a year-long trial where...
Vancouver Public Library banned from walking in Pride Parade
Wednesday, 24 July 2019
In Canada, the Vancouver Pride Society (VPS) has banned the Vancouver Public Library (VPL) from walking in its annual Pride Parade, due to the library’s ‘decision to provide a platform...
US libraries to boycott Blackstone audiobooks over new release embargo
Wednesday, 17 July 2019
In the US, a coalition of 44 public libraries in Washington state is organising a six-month boycott of Blackstone Publishing’s digital audiobooks to protest the company’s 90-day embargo on new...
Essex libraries saved after public protests
Wednesday, 17 July 2019
In the UK, Essex county council has dropped its plan to close 25 libraries, following months of protests from locals and support from authors including David Walliams and Jacqueline Wilson,...
UK library loans lag behind US, Australia
Wednesday, 10 July 2019
In the UK, library loans are lagging behind other countries, reports the Bookseller. According to new analysis by ex-Waterstones CEO Tim Coates, UK book loans have plummeted year-on-year since 2009–10,...
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library cut by UK council
Wednesday, 10 July 2019
In the UK, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library scheme has been cut by Doncaster Council after three years of funding came to end, reports the Bookseller. Under the scheme, children under...
S&S latest publisher to change digital book lending terms
Wednesday, 3 July 2019
In the US, Simon & Schuster (S&S) has become the fourth of the Big Five publishers to change its digital book licensing terms for libraries in the past year, reports...
Hachette to change library ebook licensing terms
Wednesday, 19 June 2019
In the US, Hachette will change its terms for library ebook licensing terms—the third Big Five publisher to do so in the past year, reports Publishers Weekly. From 1 July,...
UK authors rally to save Essex libraries
Wednesday, 5 June 2019
In the UK, authors including David Walliams, Jacqueline Wilson and David Baddiel are supporting a campaign to save libraries in Essex, reports the Bookseller. Of the 74 libraries in Essex...
Library patrons buy more books, Canadian report finds
Wednesday, 5 June 2019
In Canada, a new report by industry study group BookNet has found consumers who borrow books from libraries purchase more books per month than those who don’t use libraries, reports...
National Library of Scotland to house Rankin’s literary archive
Wednesday, 29 May 2019
UK crime writer Ian Rankin has donated his literary archive to the National Library of Scotland, reports the Bookseller. The collection comprises 50 boxes of documents, including manuscripts with handwritten...
Macmillan Learning commits to accessible ebooks for students
Wednesday, 8 May 2019
In the US, Macmillan Learning has committed to ‘born accessible’ ebook options for students with disabilities, as the first publisher to become Global Certified Accessible, reports Publishers Weekly. Born accessible...
National Library of China to archive social media posts
Wednesday, 1 May 2019
The National Library of China will archive over 200 billion public posts on popular microblogging site Weibo, as part of a project to preserve the country’s digital heritage, reports the...
US orgs partner on ‘library-controlled’ ebook lending platform
Wednesday, 1 May 2019
In the US, a new collaboration aims to provide all public libraries with a free and open, library-controlled platform to manage ebooks and audiobooks, reports Publishers Weekly. The Digital Public...
Puffin to partner with 80 new schools for World of Stories program
Wednesday, 17 April 2019
In the UK, children’s publisher Puffin is looking for 80 primary schools to join its World of Stories program, reports the Bookseller. The program, run in partnership with the National...
ALA publishes list of Top 11 Most Challenged Books in 2018
Wednesday, 10 April 2019
Alex Gino’s George (Scholastic) was the most challenged or banned title in US libraries, schools and universities in 2018 for its inclusion of a transgender character, according to the American...
British Library plans expansion into northern England
Wednesday, 27 March 2019
The British Library is planning to open a branch in the city of Leeds as part of an expansion of its activities in northern England, reports the Guardian. According to...
Trump budget proposes elimination of US federal library funding
Wednesday, 20 March 2019
US president Donald Trump’s 2020 budget proposes the permanent elimination of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) ‘and with it virtually all federal library funding’, reports Publishers...
‘Don Quixote’ tops library world’s 100 most widely held novels
Thursday, 14 March 2019
International library cooperative OCLC has compiled a list of the library world’s 100 most widely held novels based on its WorldCat database, reports Publishers Weekly. Topping the Library 100 list...
Espoo City Library, Finland wins LBF award
Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Espoo City Library in Finland has been awarded the library of the year award at the London Book Fair (LBF), as part of the fair's International Excellence Awards. Judges said...
Writers union joins protest against ‘controlled digital lending’
Wednesday, 20 February 2019
The National Writers Union (NWU) in the US has joined a number of authors’ associations in condemning the practice of ‘controlled digital lending’ (CDL), reports Publishers Weekly. The NWU has...