The Words & Money Weekly Newsletter: May 8, 2026
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.
Andrew Richard Albanese
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending May 8, 2026
Among the week's headlines: Library Journal's 2026 class of Movers & Shakers; a librarian claps back at the publisher response to Illinois's library ebook law; Marshall Breeding releases his annual library tech overview; and controversy erupts over an essay by children's book author Mac Barnett.
New PEN America Report Finds Nonfiction a Growing Target for Book Banners
“The content of these books that are disappearing speaks volumes about both the stories, identities, and facts that are being suppressed, and about the political and cultural attack on public education across the U.S.,” the report states.
Publishers and Authors Sue Meta, Alleging ‘Massive’ Copyright Infringement Behind Its Llama AI Service
The class action lawsuit, filed in New York, accuses Meta—and its founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally—of building its Llama AI service with unauthorized copies knowingly sourced from illegal pirate sites.
The Words & Money Weekly Newsletter: May 1, 2026
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.
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending May 1, 2026
Among the week's headlines: an appeals court weighs whether to rehear an appeal of Iowa's S.F. 496; a new poll in Texas shows broad support for librarians; a Tennessee library advocacy group is honored by PEN America; More on the state of library ebooks; and ALA staff vote on their union.
BISG, BookNet Canada, Release Final Survey Report on AI Use in Publishing, Libraries
“Nearly half the industry is using AI, yet qualitative sentiment is overwhelmingly negative,” the report notes, concluding that the book industry is “adopting AI faster than it is becoming comfortable with it.”
The Words & Money Weekly Newsletter: April 24, 2026
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.
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending April 24, 2026
Among the week's headlines: by a 99-0 margin, Illinois sends its library ebook bill to the senate; the Authors Guild honors Carla Hayden; the 11th Circuit hears a key Florida book banning case; Utah bans more books; and the Brooklyn Public Library releases a superb America250 reading list.
American Library Association Shares Book Ban Data, List of ‘Most Challenged’ Titles of 2025
U.S. librarians tracked 4,235 unique book challenges in 2025, nearly matching the record of 4,240 recorded in 2023, and almost double last year’s count.
The Words & Money Weekly Newsletter: April 17, 2026
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.
The Queue: Library News and Views for the Week Ending April 17, 2026
Among the headlines this week: National Library Week kicks off on Sunday; a new bill in Rhode Island aims to boost school librarians; an Alabama bill that would have politicized library boards is dead; and according to Pew, print still rules, but digital reading is on the rise.
Penguin Random House Urges Congress to Reject Republican Book Banning Bill
“The bill creates strong incentives for schools to remove or avoid a wide range of books and materials,” wrote PRH SVP Skip Dye in a letter to lawmakers, adding that the law would also lead to self-censorship, resulting in “further marginalization of vulnerable communities.”
The Words & Money Weekly Newsletter: April 10, 2026
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.
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending April 10, 2026
Among the week's headlines: a 'freedom to read' bill lands in Congress; Alaska's freedom to read bill advances; PEN America launches a program to protect authors; Minnesota's library ebook bill stalls; Tamika Barnes wins the ALA presidency; and check out the 2026 I Love My Librarian Award winners.
Trump Administration Abruptly Ends Its Legal Bid to Shutter the IMLS
While ALA reps this week heralded the end of the litigation, the future of the agency remains uncertain.