If the settlement is approved, an undisclosed number of authors of some 500,000 pirated works will receive roughly $3,000 per work, making the settlement potentially the largest copyright award in history.
With a budget deadline looming, Congress appears poised to fund the IMLS in fiscal year 2026, even as the Trump administration seeks to shutter the agency by executive order.
Among the week's headlines: Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch resists the Trump administration's bid to control the institution's programs and exhibits; librarians take on AI books; the IMLS releases stats from its 2023 Public Library Survey; and a great talk with Oxford librarian Richard Ovenden.
Happy Labor Day weekend! Alas, the end of summer is upon us, and we're looking forward to fall with several new features and reports in the coming weeks.
Among the week's headlines: Penguin Random House voices its commitment to defending the freedom to read; voters in Alabama rebuke would-be book banners; the American Library Project visits Oregon; and Geraldine Brooks wins the Library of Congress's Prize for American Fiction.
The deal looms as a potential milestone in the development of AI. But with tensions running hot between authors and the tech industry, lawyers say that getting a final deal approved may prove challenging.
In an August 22 motion, a coalition of states are seeking to make Judge John J. McConnell’s May 6 preliminary injunction permanent. “There is no genuine issue as to any of the material facts," the filing states, adding that the Constitution "does not allow the President to shutter agencies himself.”
It's a long travel day for us today, but the Wifi gods have been kind and we're able to send a newsletter. As we noted last
Florida governor Ron DeSantis vows to appeal a legal decision over book bans in Florida schools; a new study charts a worrying decline in pleasure reading; Trump escalates his attacks on the Smithsonian; and IFLA holds its global conference in Kazakhstan.
The decision is a major blow to Shira Perlmutter's bid for a swift reinstatement and leaves the leadership of the Copyright Office in limbo.
As we ease into the homestretch of summer, Words & Money will be on vacation next week. We'll still send a newsletter, though perhaps slightly abbreviated. And we
Among the headlines this week: Rhode Island celebrates its new Freedom to Read Act; EveryLibrary has launched a new advocacy training program; Wyoming librarians express concern over a new 'harmful to minors' bill; and Amanda Jones continues to stand tall for libraries.
In a massive win for the freedom to read, judge Carlos E. Mendoza on August 13 found Florida state law HB 1069’s blanket ban on any materials that describe sexual content in school libraries to be unconstitutional.
In an August 12 letter, Trump officials announced a plan to review the venerable institution’s “museums and exhibitions” to ensure “alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism."
As we enter the homestretch of summer, we're taking a bit of a break for the next two weeks. We'll be sending slightly abbreviated newsletters, but
Among the week's headlines: Florida schools are prepping for the new school year by banning books; the Library of Congress explains how several sections of the Constitution were removed online; Arkansas fires its state library board; and Illinois enacts a new law to protect librarians.