Library Futures

Resistance, Rebellion, Refusal: 7 Tips from Librarians for Navigating “AI” — Civics of Technology This is a special conference-themed blog contribution from Michelle Reed , Hayley Park , Justin White , and Mike Nason Communal resistance to artificial systems Join the Resistance Today a...

Artificial systems have "catapulted... into our inboxes, file storage, discovery systems, and nearly every element of our daily lives without our consent." How to resist? Library Futures and friends have tips!

www.civicsoftechnology.org/blog/tips-fr...

Library Startup ‘Briet’ Wants to Revolutionize E-Book Sales, Not Licensing Created by a team affiliated with Brick House publishing cooperative, a platform known as Briet is inviting publishers to sell rather than license their e-books to libraries, and several independent p...

"[O]nce a library buys a book, they can do with it as they damn well please." More about the ebook world we want to see from the fine folks at BRIET.

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

FAQ from @archive.org on becoming an FDLP. TL;DR it's a feature, not a bug. Onward (next time with fewer acronyms).

help.archive.org/help/federal...

For those with questions on libraries and government information, here’s a chance to learn more.

Internet Archive is now an official US government document library The US Senate has granted the Internet Archive federal depository status, making it officially part of an 1,100-library government network.

As more and more government information disappears, we're glad to see @archive.org (which has done so much already to preserve our online history) become an official Federal Depository Library!

www.engadget.com/general/inte...

Libraries are feeling the cost burden of e-book popularity Certain states are working to change laws around e-book purchasing for libraries

AAP: Libraries are taking money "out of the pockets of authors."
Us: As the man said, show us the money.

theweek.com/culture-life...

Maybe you’d like to check it out too!

Nice shoutout to our friends @nyuengelberg.org !

Library Futures Research Network Information Sessions Research and advocacy for the future of libraries.

We're looking for members of our next research network cohort. Learn what we're looking for, how to pitch us, and more! We've got info sessions next week on July 29-30--sign up for one today!

www.libraryfutures.net/post/researc...

Very, very little, in the manner of other streaming services, where the vast majority of profits go to the publisher and the platform.

this is called capitalism eating itself
Sci-hub developed because of the absurdities of research articles behind academic pay walls

readers want to be read
by our students
#libraries

E-Books for Us Demand for e-books is at an all-time high, but library collections are being hijacked by corporations.

Learn more about the real costs of library ebooks--and what you can do--at E-Books for Us. /end

ebooksforus.com

Bad Landlords And The Movement To Take Back Our Rights | Engelberg Center Live! Three key moments when publishers and platforms tried to use the digital nature of ebooks to take away traditional library rights–and how libraries fought back.

As one CT librarian put it, "Between the pricing and the models... developing and maintaining a robust collection suitable for our diverse community becomes time-consuming and more difficult, and at some point it's going to become impossible." /3

engelberg-center-live.simplecast.com/episodes/bad...

The Surprisingly Big Business of Library E-books Increasingly, books are something that libraries do not own but borrow from the corporations that do.

The story of library ebook pricing is a twisted tale of corporate consolidation, private equity, and a system that ultimately harms both authors and readers--the very people publishing is supposed to help. /2

www.newyorker.com/news/annals-...

Libraries Pay More for E-Books. Some States Want to Change That.

The NYT covers some of the problems with library ebook pricing. What they fail to mention is that authors are not seeing profit from library ebook licensing--as LF ED @littlewow.online notes, those go to the publisher and the platform. /1

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/16/b...

Hello! #librarians, would you be interested in buying (for real buying, not licensing) digital books and other high quality texts and artworks via BRIET, an innovative project of the @flaminghydra.com cooperative??

It'll be fun!

Get in touch with us at hello **at** flaminghydra **dot** com.

Exciting job
Doing impactful work
With a fantastic team

What more could you want?

"The data forces us to conclude, reluctantly, that not only does print still offer libraries a far better bang-per-book than digital, but that .. digital collections are becoming increasingly difficult to sustain."

All the deets and numbers:

www.infotoday.com/cilmag/jul25...

Clarivate Pulse of the Library 2025 survey now open - Research Information Librarians encouraged to share their voice on the state of the profession across public, academic and national institutions

"Participating in the Pulse of the Library survey is more than just answering a few questions – it’s a chance to shape the future of the profession." Or so says Clarivate...

www.researchinformation.info/news/clariva...

Former Librarian of Congress, fired by Trump, vows to improve public information in new Mellon role Carla Hayden, the former Librarian of Congress fired by President Donald Trump, has joined the the country's foremost philanthropic supporter of the arts.

Congratulations Dr. Hayden! Touché.

apnews.com/article/carl...

Apply to Be the Library Futures Staff Attorney Research and advocacy for the future of libraries.

We will be your lawyer. But first we need a lawyer? Are you that lawyer? Do you know that lawyer? Apply today!

www.libraryfutures.net/apply-to-be-...

So What Is An Ebook, Anyway? | Engelberg Center Live! Ebooks and ereaders have a long and often surprising history–and some unexpected parallels to overall history of books and reading. Mary and Laura take you through it with special guest Dorothea Salo.

Digital books and libraries are more important than ever. We need to be up on what is happening with them in terms of access, surveillance, and more. So we highly recommend this new series from our friends at @libraryfutures.bsky.social

engelberg-center-live.simplecast.com/episodes/so-...

Authors Alliance Visit the post for more.

Check out the work of @authorsalliance.bsky.social for just that kind of guide!

www.authorsalliance.org

Library Futures Receives $2.5 Million Arcadia Foundation Grant Research and advocacy for the future of libraries.

Read more on our new contract negotiation plans, made possible by a generous grant from the Arcadia Foundation!

www.libraryfutures.net/post/library...

ALA 2025: From AI to DIY Participants at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Philadelphia, June 26–30, sampled the profession’s digital technologies as well as more traditional hands-on innovations.

"We will be your lawyers, and we will negotiate the contracts on your behalf." --ED @littlewow.online announcing the latest from Library Futures at #alaac25

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Three white women posing in a group. Two look at the camera, the third has one hand on her hip and leans her chin on the other.

An outtake for any of you who've made it this far! Stay tuned to all the latest from us here and sign up for our newsletter on our brand-spanking new website! /end

www.libraryfutures.net

NIH Public Access Policy: Implementation and Feedback The NIH Public Access Policy is in effect as of July 1, 2025.

And our friends at @authorsalliance.bsky.social and @sparcopen.bsky.social are looking for your real-life experiences on the NIH Public Access Policy! /5


authorsalliance.substack.com/p/nih-public...

The Author-Library Alliance: Supporting Fair eBook Legislation Together Authors Alliance is at the American Library Association Annual Meeting this weekend (come check us out at booth 1366). This is a guest post by Kyle K.

The eBook Study Group reminds us that “Authors write to be read. Libraries help books reach readers. It’s that simple.”

The author and and the library should be friends--and unite against costly, restrictive publisher licensing agreements. /4


authorsalliance.substack.com/p/the-author...

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA / ANDREA BARTZ, CHARLES GRAEBER, and KIRK WALLACE JOHNSON, Plaintiffs, V. ANTHROPIC PBC, Defendant. No. C 24-05417 WHA ORDER ON FAIR USE

5. OVERALL ANALYSIS After the four factors and any others deemed relevant are “explored, [ | the results [are] weighed together, in light of the purposes of copyright.” Campbell, 510 U.S. at 578. The copies used to train specific LLMs were justified as a fair use. Every factor but the nature of the copyrighted work favors this result. The technology at issue was among the most transformative many of us will see in our lifetimes. The copies used to convert purchased print library copies into digital library copies were justified, too, though for a different fair use. The first factor strongly favors this result, and the third favors it, too. The fourth is neutral. Only the second slightly disfavors it. On balance, as

A ruling on Bartz v. Anthropic PBC “reaffirms that fair use continues to adapt alongside new technologies.” /3


blog.archive.org/2025/06/29/a...

Against the Grain, V37#3, June, 2025 Full Issue

ED @littlewow.online reminds us to “resist censorship and digital peonage” in a new piece in Against the Grain. /2

issuu.com/against-the-...