US joins Marrakesh Treaty on book accessibility for the print disabled
Wednesday, 13 February 2019
The US has become the 50th member to join the Marrakesh Treaty in a move that will see an estimated 550,000 additional books available to the blind and print disabled....
Researchers hitting Elsevier paywall up to 10,000 times a day
Wednesday, 6 February 2019
Researchers at German universities are hitting Dutch journal publisher Elsevier's paywall up too 10,000 times a day, reports Nature. Over a year after a number of German universities announced they would...
British Library reduces gender pay gap by a third
Thursday, 31 January 2019
The British Library (BL) has reduced its gender pay gap by a third, with women earning a mean hourly rate of 3.9% less than men in 2018, down from 6.2% the...
Empty shelves at new Helsinki library; 66,000 items borrowed since December opening
Wednesday, 23 January 2019
In Finland, Helsinki's new library Oodi has been so popular since opening late last year that shelves are sitting empty, particularly in the children's section, reports Finnish news outlet Yle....
Report shows 127 UK libraries closed last year
Wednesday, 12 December 2018
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has found that 127 libraries closed in the UK last year and a continued decline in overall spending and staff levels,...
UK library wins ‘transformation’ award
Wednesday, 5 December 2018
In the UK, Cheshire West and Chester council has been awarded the top prize at the 2018 Guardian Public Service Awards (PSA) for the transformation of its Storyhouse cultural centre,...
Libraries Ready to Code announces Computer Science Education week funding
Wednesday, 5 December 2018
In the US, the Libraries Ready to Code program has announced funding of US$500 (A$648) for 250 schools and public libraries to implement coding activities during Computer Science Education (CS Ed) week...
ALA responds to racial profiling in libraries following two incidents
Wednesday, 28 November 2018
The American Library Association (ALA) has released a statement affirming its commitment to ‘providing library professionals with resources that support equity, diversity, and inclusion’, following two incidents involving library staff...
€98m Helsinki library to open in December
Wednesday, 21 November 2018
In Finland, Helsinki's new public library Oodi is set to open in early December, coinciding with the country's Independence Day celebrations. Oodi, which translates to ‘ode’ in English, was commissioned as...
Book Aid International to donate £500k worth of books to Ghana libraries
Wednesday, 14 November 2018
UK charity Book Aid International has signed a partnership with the Ghana Library Authority (GhLA) to supply the country's public, school and special libraries with books, reports Ghanaian news outlet...
Singapore National Library Board to archive digital publications, websites
Thursday, 8 November 2018
In Singapore, the National Library Board (NLB) has announced it will archive digital publications and websites ending with the .sg domain, reports the Straits Times. Around 180,000 websites will be added...
US libraries to be supplied with opioid overdose-reversing drug
Wednesday, 31 October 2018
In an effort to reduce drug-related deaths in the United States opioid epidemic, biopharmaceutical company Emergent BioSolutions has announced that it will supply the opioid overdose-reversing drug naxolone, known by...
Canadian partnership to enhance First Nations library services
Wednesday, 24 October 2018
In the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, a new partnership is aiming to increase library resources on First Nations reserves, reports the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Currently, out of 306 public...
UK School Librarian of the Year announced
Wednesday, 17 October 2018
In the UK, librarian Emma Suffield from Saint Wilfrid’s Church of England Academy in Lancashire has won the 2018 School Librarian of the Year Award, reports The Bookseller. The award...
Libraries gain in 2019 US federal budget
Wednesday, 10 October 2018
In the US, federal legislation will ensure level or increased funding for library programs into the new financial year, reports American Libraries Magazine. The 'Federal Funding for Library Programs and...
Dutch library wins 2018 Public Library of the Year
Wednesday, 3 October 2018
The School 7 library in the Netherlands (KopGroep Libraries) has won the Public Library of the Year award for 2018, reports Dutch News. Announced at the World Library and Information...
Best Small Library in America 2018 announced
Wednesday, 26 September 2018
In the US, Madison County Public Libraries (MCPL) has won Library Journal’s 2018 award for Best Small Library in America, reports USA Today’s Citizen Times. The competition, sponsored by book...
Patterson donates £50k to UK school libraries
Wednesday, 19 September 2018
US author James Patterson is donating £50,000 (A$91,400) to school libraries in the UK, in partnership with Scholastic UK Book Clubs, reports the Bookseller. £25,000 (A$45,700) will be made available...
Scotland launches national strategy for school libraries
Wednesday, 12 September 2018
A new national strategy has been launched for school libraries in Scotland, after consultation with over 30 schools, reports BBC News. The recently published strategy is the first of its...
PRH US changes library ebook lending terms
Wednesday, 5 September 2018
In North America, Penguin Random House (PRH) has announced a change in its library ebook lending model, beginning 1 October 2018, reports Publishers Weekly. The change of model, from a...
UK government says CIPFA library statistics ‘flawed’
Wednesday, 29 August 2018
The UK government’s Libraries Taskforce has raised concerns about library statistics published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), reports the Bookseller. In a report entitled ‘CIPFA...
New York Public Library initiates ‘Insta Novels’ on Instagram
Monday, 27 August 2018
The New York Public Library (NYPL) has established a program of public-domain literary classics produced as Instagram stories in order to test Instagram users’ interest in long-form reading, reports Publishing...
Louisiana mayor wants library’s Drag Queen Story Hour event cancelled
Wednesday, 22 August 2018
In the US state of Louisiana, mayor-president of Lafayette Joel Robideaux has said he wants a Drag Queen Story Hour event planned at the Lafayette Public Library cancelled, reports Louisiana...
UK family halts library closures in high court challenge
Wednesday, 22 August 2018
In the UK, a family has halted plans to close 21 libraries, after winning a high court challenge against Northamptonshire county council, reports the Guardian. The council is technically insolvent...
US libraries suspend 3D printer use amid gun concerns; ALA updates policy
Wednesday, 15 August 2018
In the US state of Florida, 38 library branches in Broward County have suspended the use of 3D printers this week over concerns that they could be used to make...
‘The Girl on the Train’ named UK libraries’ most-borrowed book; titles borrowed drops 6.3%
Wednesday, 8 August 2018
In the UK, Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train (Doubleday) has topped the list of the most-borrowed library books for 2016/17, according to the latest Public Lending Right (PLR) data. Hawkins’...
Ancient public library uncovered in Germany
Wednesday, 1 August 2018
Archaeologists in Cologne, Germany, have uncovered the remains of the oldest public library in the country, built almost 2000 years ago, which may have housed up to 20,000 scrolls, reports...
‘Forbes’ pulls opinion piece arguing Amazon should replace libraries after public backlash
Wednesday, 25 July 2018
US business magazine Forbes has removed an opinion piece headlined ‘Amazon Should Replace Local Libraries to Save Taxpayers Money’ after backlash from American libraries and their communities, reports Quartz. The...
Liverpool library wins UK Library of the Year award
Wednesday, 18 July 2018
In the UK, Liverpool Central Library has won the Library of the Year award, reports the Bookseller. The Liverpool library was chosen from a shortlist of 10 for the award,...
35% of US business libraries report cuts to staff in past two years
Wednesday, 11 July 2018
In the US, a survey of corporate and business libraries by Business Wire has found that 35% of the libraries sampled have lost one to three full-time employee positions over...
