We're not saying save the date; we're just saying you might want to save the date--that's this Thursday, August 6... with some people you might know. www.civicsoftechnology.org/2026conference
Library Futures
@libraryfutures.bsky.social
Research and advocacy for the future of libraries. A project of @NYUEngelberg.
Congratulations to Jazmyn Gray, Library Futures intern and new @arl.org Kaleidoscope Scholar! www.arl.org/kp-current-s...
Kaleidoscope Program Current Scholars — Association of Research Libraries
Below are rosters of the 2026 cohort, 2025 cohort, and 2024 cohort of Kaleidoscope Program Scholars: 2026 Kaleidoscope Program Scholars Hazel Carias she, her, hers, herself San José State University.....
arl.org
"The committee was spurred to action after Library Futures... reached out regarding some vendor practices. 'When you have something that will block out large portions of a collection, it’s allowing the vendor to have a lot of control in what is being seen.'" www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
ALA Offers Guidance on Evaluating Digital Platforms
In addition to navigating various systems for evaluating their print purchases from vendors, school librarians face challenges when selecting vendors to provide their students’ digital materials.
publishersweekly.com
Every state that passes an ebook bill is another sign that the library ebook system is broken. Which, you know, is a thing we've been saying for awhile. /1 www.valleybreeze.com/news/north_p...
Rhode Island Library Association celebrates ebook bills becoming law
PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Library Association (RILA) announces that legislation regarding the fair licensing of library ebooks in the state of Rhode Island has become law. According to RILA,
valleybreeze.com
"Will Gottsegen describes the impending loss of consumer autonomy in a way that librarians will find sadly familiar." Also concerned about digital ownership: PlayStation gamers. And yes, we are sadly familiar. www.arl.org/blog/consume...
Consumers Are Worried About the Loss of Physical Media Ownership. Libraries Are Leading the Conversation. — Association of Research Libraries
Sally Sax is head, Collection Strategy and Partnerships, MacOdrum Library, Carleton University. In a recent Atlantic Monthly article about Sony’s plan to end physical sales of PlayStation console game...
arl.org
What do Library Futures interns do when not making the world safe for libraries in the digital age? Get to know our 2026 cohort! From city transit to cat-walking to carnivorous plants, they're a multi-talented group. We're thrilled to have them! www.libraryfutures.net/post/meet-th...
Meet the 2026 Interns!
Research and advocacy for the future of libraries.
libraryfutures.net
Do you miss the Public Domain Slider? So did we! So we brought it back, along with all the other great interactive tools from the Copyright Advisory Network. librarycopyright.net
Open Science Community Utrecht coming in with a reading recommendation for our latest Research Network publication, Jessica Farrell's "How to Publish Your Academic Paper without Publishers, Bosses, Gods, or Masters"! oscu.nl/en/oscu-week...
Open Science Community
oscu.nl
"There’s definitely a problem here, but libraries are not the enemy." @bookriot.bsky.social is on it, with ALL the links. bookriot.com/libraries-ta...
Libraries Tackle Ebook Pricing, and More Updates
Catch up on the latest in library news, including ebook legislation across the country, the growth of social reading, and more.
bookriot.com
Even if you missed our poster session (and swag) at #ALAAC26 you can still play Imagine IF: The Game and go on your own intellectual freedom adventure! imagineif.libraryfutures.net
Just a few shots of the Library Futures team at our #ALAAC26 booth (come on down to Booth 2345!) and at Radical Book Buzz last night!
This was such an energizing and joyous event! Shout out to these amazing publishers: @haymarketbooks.org @sevenstories.bsky.social @feministpress.bsky.social @onesignalbks.bsky.social @scribepub.bsky.social And to the beautiful book store @pilsencommbooks.bsky.social in Pilsen!
Library Futures@libraryfutures.bsky.social · last mo.Next up: See you at Radical Book Buzz at 6:30? www.eventbrite.com/e/radical-bo...
Thanks to @wordsandmoney.bsky.social for a preliminary rundown on Ebook Friday at #ALAAC26! www.wordsandmoney.com/the-queue-li...
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending June 26, 2026
Among the week's headlines: the ALA Annual Conference kicks off in Chicago; A former ALA leader comes out against library ebook legislation; E-rate is facing an uncertain future after the FCC votes to...
wordsandmoney.com
"Librarians are the original public interest technologists, we might say, and I urge us to put them at the forefront of our conversations here." lil.law.harvard.edu/blog/2026/06...
Local News as Public Data, Then and Now | Library Innovation Lab
The Library Innovation Lab is growing knowledge and community by bringing library principles to technological frontiers.
lil.law.harvard.edu
"[A]ll citizens should have broad, unfettered access to the law that binds them." Read more from our partners @recreatecoalition.bsky.social.
Re:Create Coalition@recreatecoalition.bsky.social · last mo.The bill is unconstitutional, would restrict public access to legally mandated safety codes and gives private publishers copyright control over the law itself. Read the full letter here:
This Friday only! Join us for all the ebook updates and discussions at the annual Ebook Friday at #ALAAC26! 9 am--3:30 pm. FREE SNACKS. Details at www.readersfirst.org/news/2026/5/...
Attention ALA attendees: Library Futures merch at the Common Ground for Intellectual Freedom Booth #2345. Get there early and join Big Library--plus zines, buttons, our RELX shirt, and more!
I published an OA monograph & a source guide on @kcommons.bsky.social using Open Peer Review, & they have had more downloads than my trad paper books. Highly recommend if you can do it.
Library Futures@libraryfutures.bsky.social · 2mo agoAcademic publishing got you down? DIY it and be your own publisher! Jessica Farrell show you how in How to Publish Your Academic Paper without Publishers, Bosses, Gods, or Masters, the latest from our Research Network! www.libraryfutures.net/post/introdu...
Forever impressed by the work of the great and good Jessica Farrell!
Library Futures@libraryfutures.bsky.social · 2mo agoAcademic publishing got you down? DIY it and be your own publisher! Jessica Farrell show you how in How to Publish Your Academic Paper without Publishers, Bosses, Gods, or Masters, the latest from our Research Network! www.libraryfutures.net/post/introdu...
"Librarians have long indicated their desire to talk through the issues in the digital marketplace.... [A]fter 15 years of being rebuffed, it’s reasonable to conclude that change will only come if something forces it." www.wordsandmoney.com/librarians-w...
Librarians Want the Big Five Publishers to Negotiate ‘Fair’ Digital License Terms with Libraries. Here’s What That Might Look Like
What do libraries want from the major publishers in the digital library market? Hint: it isn't to destroy copyright. Librarians and ReadersFirst organizer Michael Blackwell weighs in on the group's ju...
wordsandmoney.com
Academic publishing got you down? DIY it and be your own publisher! Jessica Farrell show you how in How to Publish Your Academic Paper without Publishers, Bosses, Gods, or Masters, the latest from our Research Network! www.libraryfutures.net/post/introdu...
Introducing How to Publish Your Academic Paper without Publishers, Bosses, Gods, or Masters
Research and advocacy for the future of libraries.
libraryfutures.net
It's almost like the Authors Guild... doesn't want people to read books? /1 authorsguild.org/news/new-aut...
New Authors Guild Study: Only 25 Percent of Readers Paid for a New Copy of a Print Book or Ebook Read in the Previous Month - The Authors Guild
This article was updated on June 10, 2026. Books are available in more formats and channels than ever today—a boon to reading everywhere. Readers can read books in print, large print, ebook, audiobook...
authorsguild.org
🧵 We tend to think the internet is permanent, but VANISHING CULTURE—the new 📚 from Internet Archive—starts with a simple reality: our digital record is far more fragile than we think 🕳️ 📖 Read for free: archive.org/details/vani... 🛒 Purchase in print: www.betterworldbooks.com/product/deta... ⬇️
Why does this matter? Well, legislatures make laws, and case law is how you understand them. Until this finishes, there's no way to understand the laws we live by. So we are scanning millions of pages and putting them all online.
Free Law Project ⚖@free.law · 2mo agoUpdate on our case law scanning project: 606 volumes and 655,631 pages are scanned. From here they go through our redaction system and get digitized for inclusion in CourtListener. Earlier blog post: free.law/2026/04/16/s...
Ebook Friday is a PW pick for ALA! Be there or, you know, crush under the weight of 2 year book rental licenses. June 26, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m., W190 B www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
ALA 2026: Program Picks
Celebrity sightings, division presidents’ programs, and educational sessions are among the hundreds of events scheduled during the American Library Association’s Chicago conference.
publishersweekly.com
Oh James Patterson. A library loan does not "[undermine]" how authors are compensated for their creative contributions." And ebook legislation means libraries can buy MORE books. (Including yours.) /1 www.wordsandmoney.com/the-queue-li...
Still time to register for The House Archives Built book talk TODAY, Wednesday, June 3 at noon Central Time (aka Real Time, per the LF comms person). Don't miss it! nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Library Futures@libraryfutures.bsky.social · 3mo agoJoin us for a book talk on The House Archives Built, the book that sold out its first two printings! @dorothyjberry.bsky.social and @zzcollier.bsky.social will talk Black archival possibilities June 3, 1 pm ET/10 am PT, and you're all invited. nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Going to ALA? Get out the convention center and get some buzz with us, the fine people of Library Freedom, and all your favorite radical book publishers! Friday, June 6, 6:30-9 pm at 1531 W. 18th Street in Chicago! Tickets available now. www.eventbrite.com/e/radical-bo...
Radical Book Buzz at Pilsen
An evening for library workers and independent publishers to hang out together!
eventbrite.com