Thank you for supporting Words & Money and helping to establish an independent media venture that aims to properly center libraries in the 21st century reading, writing, and publishing enterprises.
Among the headlines this week: The IMLS 'Freedom Trucks' hit the road; ALA realigns its Office for Intellectual Freedom; PEN America calls out two new book banning bills in Florida; and 'Book Riot' looks at how librarians are coping with the growing pressures of the job.
While the abandoned appeal stands as a win for freedom to read advocates, the question remains: why?
Thank you for supporting Words & Money and helping to establish an independent media venture that aims to properly center libraries in the 21st century reading, writing, and publishing enterprises.
With its podcast, The Straight Download, Hoopla is leaning into some of the uncomfortable marketplace conversations in the digital library world.
The case, 'In Re Google Generative AI Copyright Litigation,' was first filed in 2023 by a group of illustrators and writers, and is currently before Judge Eumi K. Lee in the Northern District of California.
Among the week's headlines: an appeals court hears a challenge to Iowa's S.F. 496 for a second time; Alabama denies funding to a library over its refusal to censor; more on D.C.'s library ebook bill; and a former ALA exec offers a forward-looking view for library policymakers after a rough 2025.
Thank you for supporting Words & Money and helping us establish an independent media venture that aims to properly center libraries in the 21st century reading, writing, and publishing enterprises.
Among the headlines this week: A library ebook bill in D.C. elicits a sharp response from OverDrive; 'Library Journal' announces its 2026 Librarian of the Year; Michigan mourns its state librarian; New Hampshire lawmakers try again to ban books; New Mexico introduces a freedom to read law, and more…
A coalition of plaintiffs, including two unnamed high school students, argue that portions of HB29, Utah's Sensitive Material Review Law, are unconstitutionally overbroad in violation of the First Amendment.
Happy New Year! We open our first newsletter of 2026 with a heartfelt thank you for your readership and support in 2025. Since sending our first newsletter on April 25,
Among the headlines this week: a librarian's take on the race to make digital books available to AI, but not readers; 'American Libraries' shares its year in review; a pre-filed bill in Alabama has library advocates concerned; and a look back at Dolly Parton's Imagination Library over the years.
Words & Money looks back at some of the stories that captivated the library and publishing worlds in 2025—and what they portend for 2026.
Happy New Year! We begin our last newsletter of 2025 with a heartfelt thank you for your readership and support. Since sending our first newsletter on April 25, we'
Among the headlines this week: Governor Kathy Hochul has vetoed New York's 'freedom to read' bill; in Tennessee, legal questions hang over a state-ordered audit of library collections; Ohio libraries are facing an uncertain 2026; and check out the works entering the public domain on January 1.
In a statement, the bill's architect, State Senator Rachel May, said Hochul's veto was "misguided and deeply frustrating."