The Words & Money Weekly Newsletter: July 25, 2025
Among the headlines this week, the Trump administration released its long anticipated AI Action Plan, which notably fails to even mention the word copyright. A week after releasing a strategic
Andrew Richard Albanese
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending July 25, 2025
Among the headlines this week: lawmakers consider ebook and freedom to read bills in Massachusetts; Trump dismisses AI copyright concerns; fired register of copyrights Shira Perlmutter gets her day in court; and big changes at 'Library Journal' and 'School Library Journal.'
ALA Clarifies That It Is Not Closing Access to Its Executive Board Meetings
It's only been a week since the American Library Association released its most recent strategic plan, but association leaders this week found themselves having to tamp down a
Trump Administration's 'AI Action Plan' Snubs Creators
In the July 23 report, the Trump administration suggests that American tech companies "must be unencumbered by bureaucratic red tape," to win an AI arms race with China. But the report is also notable for what's not in it—any discussion of copyright or the impact of AI on the creative economy.
The Words & Money Weekly Newsletter: July 18, 2025
As the summer rolls on, we are working away on some new reporting and analysis that we'll be rolling out in the coming days and weeks. In the
Supreme Court Decision Could Spell Trouble for the IMLS
After two significant legal victories in early May the fate of the agency is once again looking uncertain.
Margaret Atwood, Becky Calzada to Be Honored for 'Bravery' in Literature
The Eleanor Roosevelt Center this week announced 10 honorees for the 2025 Eleanor Roosevelt Awards for Bravery in Literature, including bestselling author Margaret Atwood, who will receive the Eleanor Roosevelt
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending July 18, 2025
Among the week's headlines: EveryLibrary takes stock of the legislative landscape; New Hampshire's Ayotte vetoes book ban bill; the book ban battles rage on in Alabama; and the 'New York Times' reports on the state of library ebooks.
The Words & Money Weekly Newsletter for the Week Ending July 11, 2025
In this week's newsletter we dive in with some thoughtful takes on where AI is taking the library and publishing worlds. First up, we're delighted to
In Conversation: Journalist and Author Vauhini Vara
In her latest book, 'Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age,' Vara delivers a potent, highly engaging exploration of AI, technology, and humanness.
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending July 11, 2025
Among the week's headlines: Rhode Island enacts the strongest 'freedom to read' law yet; a Georgia librarian fired for including an LGBTQ+ book in a library display is getting community support for her reinstatement; and North Carolina Governor Josh Stein vetoes several anti-DEI bills.
New Report Looks at the State of the Library Ebook Market
"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 for the most popular titles, digital collections are becoming increasingly difficult to sustain," the report concludes.
Carla Hayden Joins Mellon Foundation as Senior Fellow
Hayden will “pursue scholarship, writing, and research projects” while also advising Mellon on “opportunities to support and advance libraries, archives, and other organizations in the public knowledge ecosystem.”
The Words & Money Weekly Newsletter for the Week Ending July 4, 2025
It's official. We're official. At the 2025 American Library Association Annual Conference, Words & Money officially launched. We are humbled and grateful for the support you&
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending July 4, 2025
Among the week's headlines: the ALA Annual Conference draws more than 14,000 to Philadelphia; Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoes a controversial anti-LGBTQ+ library provision; authors ask publishers to eschew AI; and why Idaho schools just got less welcoming, and more political.
Libraries, Front and Center
Help us build and strengthen Words & Money with a premium subscription. For just $45 annually you can support a new media venture that aims to properly center libraries in the 21st Century reading and writing enterprise.