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Library Futures

@libraryfutures.bsky.social
4.4K followers 151 following 548 posts

Research and advocacy for the future of libraries. A project of @NYUEngelberg.

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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 23h
"[T]here seems to be a clear consensus that public libraries want more guidance and resources for navigating the AI landscape." Read the initial findings from our AI Policy Working Group and stay tuned for more! www.libraryfutures.net/post/ai-poli...
AI Policy for Public Libraries: 2026 Library Futures Survey Results / hands holding library cards, phones, and books
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Now we are six, and we still have big plans for an equitable digital future. Happy 6th birthday to Library Futures and here's to many more! www.libraryfutures.net
Now We Are Six A.A Milne / sketches of Christopher Robin and friends on adventures
A project of NYU Law Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy
Defending the right to information

Library Futures is a leading organization at the intersection of technology, policy, and public access to information.
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Like the bear who celebrates his 100th birthday this month, we've had some adventures along the way.... www.libraryfutures.net/blog (As have these books that belong to our comms person, printings of 1928 and 1979 respectively.)
Winnie-the-Pooh | A.A. Milne / boy with a fishing rod and stuffed bear on gold embossed coverWinnie-the-Pooh inscribed To Laura, who is also a clever and charming bear aet. 4. Daddy 1979
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
When we were very young, we had a big goal to take control of the digital future for libraries...
When We Were Very Young A.A. Milne / gold embossing and drawing of young boy on coverLibrary Futures Our Principles / Our Programs / Let's take control of our digital future. Help us empower libraries to fulfill their mission and provide non-discriminatory, open access to culture for the public good.
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
However you recognize Banned Books Week, we hope you'll take a moment today and every day to reflect on what information means to people--and what happens when we let it flourish as well as when we keep it hidden. www.libraryfutures.net/publications...
Controlled Chaos: Where the Wild Things Read / Exploding card catalog labeled with letters, names, and acronyms including Google, BIPOC, and LexisNexis / by the workers of the San Quentin Prison Library
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Of course, the easiest way to ban a book is to send it to prison. Dr. Jeanie Austin tells a bit about how. www.libraryfutures.net/post/four-qu...
Jeanie Austin | forward by Kathleen de la Peña McCook / Library Services and Incarceration: Recognizing Barriers, Strengthening Access / paintings of faces young and old
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
We have a whole little catalog of the ways ban access to physical and digital information. www.libraryfutures.net/post/eight-w...
Two people looking at books in a cage high above their heads
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
But there are a lot of ways censorship happens, and they're not all books. Ban a few keywords and you can ban a whole lot of information. www.libraryfutures.net/post/new-res...
Neo-Censorship in U.S. Libraries An Investigation into Digital Content Suppression / empty search bar / Library Futures logo
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Next month you can learn more about How to Talk to a Reporter when a book challenge comes to your library. nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
How to Talk to a Reporter Thursday, November 5, i pm ET/10 am PT / skeptical looking cartoon dog reporter with hat, notepad, trench coat, and press badge / Library Futures logo
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
It's Banned Books Week. (Maybe you heard. If not, IT'S BANNED BOOKS WEEK.) This week and every week you can plan Imagine IF, our intellectual freedom training game! imagineif.libraryfutures.net
Imagine IF: The Game / Library Futures / An Intellectual Freedom Adventure / librarian cat being chased by horde of angry animal patrons
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
And now that you've got the who, what, where, when, and why, learn HOW to launch a library/local newsroom collaboration in your library! /end nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Stronger Together How to Launch a Collaborative Local Information Initiative at Your Library / Thursday, November 19, 2026 1 pm ET/10 am PT / hands holding a smart phone with news and a library card / Library Futures
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Take a little detour and learn all about how to talk to a reporter in these challenging times from a library director, a journalist, and a library communications expert! (Oh, and play our game!) /3 nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
How to Talk to a Reporter Thursday, November 5, i pm ET/10 am PT / skeptical looking cartoon dog reporter with hat, notepad, trench coat, and press badge / Library Futures logo
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Kick things with an intro to how libraries and local newsrooms can--and have--worked together to build stronger communities. /2 nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Stronger Together: Library-Local News Collaborations: Strengthening Community Connection and Civic Participation / Thursday, October 1, 1 pm ET/10 am PT / hands holding smartphone with news and a library card / Library Futures
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Be the media! Or at the least let your library and local newsroom work together to create it in our fall series! /1 www.libraryfutures.net/post/stronge...
Stronger Together: A Webinar Series for Librarians and Journalists Fall 2026 / hands holding smartphone with news and a library card / Library Futures
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Hey. We're talking video games tomorrow. Hope you can come. nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Video Games in Libraries / Wednesday, September 23 | 1 PM ET/10 AM PT with Rose Behar, Chris Baker, Colin Post, and Marisa Marzilli / Black woman with headphones. Above her head float graphics of a mortarboard on a globe, a pair of headphones, a book, and cloud storage / Digital Games in Libraries, National Games and Libraries Project, and Library Futures logos
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Libraries! News! Register today! /end www.libraryfutures.net/post/stronge...
Stronger Together: A Webinar Series for Librarians and Journalists Fall 2026 / hands holding a smartphone with a news site and a library card / Library Futures
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Convoluted, rambling, misleading, questionable: LF advisory board member @loudpoet.com offers some analysis of recent attacks on library ebooks in @wordsandmoney.bsky.social and offers a way forward. www.wordsandmoney.com/in-the-libra...
The Cards Are on the Table

In the months following Paul’s appearance on the Hoopla podcast, the “wake-up call” for librarians has only grown more urgent.

With support for library ebook legislation continuing to gain support in several states, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the Authors Guild (AG) have spent the summer rolling out a convoluted campaign in opposition. From a rambling 9,000-word policy paper and a misleading local op-ed attributed to James Patterson to, most recently, a questionable economic study—commissioned by the AAP and AG, prepared by a Washington D.C.-based litigation consultant called Secretariat Advisors, industry lobbyists have deployed considerable resources to portray digital library lending as a threat to the publishing industry.
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
And, of course, play Imagine IF! imagineif.libraryfutures.net
Imagine IF The Game: An Intellectual Freedom Adventure / Library Futures / librarian cat being chased by angry animals
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
AI slop in your library? Please tell us about it! nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
have you found AI slop in your library? Let us know. Library Futures.
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Calling all gaming enthusiasts--level up on video game access and preservation with the fine folks from Digital Games in Libraries and the National Games and Libraries Project! The webinar is coming up September 23, so register today: nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Video Games in Libraries / Wednesday, September 23 | 1 PM ET/10 AM PT with Rose Behar, Chris Baker, Colin Post, and Marisa Marzilli / Black woman with headphones. Above her head float graphics of a mortarboard on a globe, a pair of headphones, a book, and cloud storage / Digital Games in Libraries, National Games and Libraries Project, and Library Futures logos
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
What's the big bold idea in digital library rights that you'd like to research? This year's Research Network Call for Proposals is out, and we'd love to hear from you! www.libraryfutures.net/apply
2026 Research Network Call for Proposals / Library Futures / woman with a bullhorn with flowers coming from it
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
And then we get into the numbers--lots of details of how lowered book sales harm revenue and jobs... /6
Key Economic Impacts
(From a 2.5% Reduction In Trade Book Sales)
• $2.81 billion in lost output.
• $1.65 billion in lost value added
(GDP equivalent).
• 11,992 jobs eliminated.
• $911.09 million in lost labor income.
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Like, say... readers? You know, the people we all purport to serve? /5 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_la...
S.R. Ranganathan / 1. Books Are For Use
2. Every Reader His or Her Book
3. Every Book Its Reader
4. Save The Time Of The Reader
5. The Library Is A Growing Organism
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
We're just going to do a little light live-blogging of this 71-page study "Prepared for the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and Authors Guild" by Secretariat Advisors ("a global expert witness, litigation consulting, and economic advisory firm"). /1 secretariat-intl.com/wp-content/u...
An Empirical Study of the
Impact of Library E-Lending
on the Book Economy
As Public Libraries Prioritize eBook Formats,
Harm to Commercial Markets Across All Formats
is Quantifiable and Significant
by Jéssica Dutra, Ph.D. and Robert Stoner, Ph.D.
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
And of course, don't forget to play Imagine IF! /end imagineif.libraryfutures.net
Librarian cats present The Dilemma of the Disapproving Dino Doctor, The Farce of the First Amendment Audit Influencer, and the Pickle of the Persistent Press Hound
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Plus slides! /2 drive.google.com/file/d/12P_f...
Sam Helmick, Community & Access Coordinator, Iowa City Public Library; Michelle Reed, Director of Programs, Library Futures; Jennie Rose Halperin, Executive Director, Library Futures / librarian cat
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Did you miss last week's Tools for Intellectual Freedom Training? Never fear, we've got the recording right here! /1 ala-events.zoom.us/rec/play/hUB...
Tools for Intellectual Freedom Training: An Intellectual Freedom Adventure / Library Futures logo / librarian cat
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
There's still time to register for Tools for Intellectual Freedom Training (Monday 8/17). Learn some stuff AND play a bit of the Pickle of the Persistent Press Hound with our own @librariansreed.bsky.social, @littlewow.online, and @samhelmick.bsky.social! elearning.ala.org/local/catalo...
suspicious dog reporter writing in a notebook
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
We're not saying save the date; we're just saying you might want to save the date--that's this Thursday, August 6... with some people you might know. www.civicsoftechnology.org/2026conference


3:05-3:30pm EST

    Civics of Technology Awards and Announcements

    Join us to hear about exciting new things from our organization (e.g., new curriculum, events) and recognize our first recipients of the Civics of Technology Award for Public Scholarship
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Do you miss the Public Domain Slider? So did we! So we brought it back, along with all the other great interactive tools from the Copyright Advisory Network. librarycopyright.net
Public Domain Slider
Is it Protected by Copyright?

For works published in the U.S.A. Set the scenario that matches your work’s first publication to see whether permission is needed and the copyright status or term.
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Even if you missed our poster session (and swag) at #ALAAC26 you can still play Imagine IF: The Game and go on your own intellectual freedom adventure! imagineif.libraryfutures.net
woman in Library Futures tshirt standing next to a conference poster depicting scenes from Imagine IF: An Intellectual Freedom Adventure as well as buttons and keychainstwo women posing next to a conference poster depicting scenes from Imagine IF: An Intellectual Freedom Adventure as well as buttons and keychains
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Just a few shots of the Library Futures team at our #ALAAC26 booth (come on down to Booth 2345!) and at Radical Book Buzz last night!
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
This Friday only! Join us for all the ebook updates and discussions at the annual Ebook Friday at #ALAAC26! 9 am--3:30 pm. FREE SNACKS. Details at www.readersfirst.org/news/2026/5/...
Ebook Friday ALA 2026 Friday, June 26 McCormick Place W190 / Library Futures with Readers First, Urban Libraries Council, ALA Office for Public Policy & Advocacy, ALA eBook Interest Group, and practitioners from from around the country
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Attention ALA attendees: Library Futures merch at the Common Ground for Intellectual Freedom Booth #2345. Get there early and join Big Library--plus zines, buttons, our RELX shirt, and more!
RELX don't do it and I'm with Big Library tshirts, Know Your Rights, Track 10, and Controlled Chaos zines, cat with Library Futures tattoo flexing a muscle / Library Futures buttons, zines, shirts, and surprise swag / ALA 2026 Exhibits Booth 2345
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
They buy bestsellers (we're looking at you, James Patterson). And they buy and promote books by independent presses and authors! /3
Library catalog record for Wild That We're Alive by Lauren Haldeman
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
As a reminder, libraries buy a LOT of books--often in multiple formats and copies! /2
library holdings for Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, showing editions and holds for book (9 copies, 112 people waiting), eaudiobook (12 copies, 259 people waiting), ebook (14 copies, 249 people waiting), and kindle (14 copies, 249 people waiting)
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
For more, @authorsalliance.bsky.social and the eBook Study Group offer some point-by-point fact-checking. /3 storage.ghost.io/c/ca/49/ca49...
Myth: H 7606 / S 2525 threatens authors and independent bookstores.
Fact: Libraries pay for books and digital licenses, and they help readers discover authors.
H 7606 / S 2525 would let libraries stretch limited public dollars across more titles, which
can especially benefit midlist, debut, local, scholarly, and backlist authors who lose out
when libraries are forced to spend disproportionate sums re-licensing a small number of
high-demand titles. The bill does not regulate bookstores or consumer sales.
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Oh James Patterson. A library loan does not "[undermine]" how authors are compensated for their creative contributions." And ebook legislation means libraries can buy MORE books. (Including yours.) /1 www.wordsandmoney.com/the-queue-li...
Are state laws killing the future of American authors? | Opinion
James Patterson
Guest columnist
Updated June 5, 2026, 5:47 p.m. ET

State legislators are waging an attack on the rights of American authors and we urgently need your help.

In states like Rhode Island, New Jersey, Illinois, and New York, lawmakers are pushing legislation to regulate digital library lending that will strip writers of the very rights that protect their creative works and livelihoods.
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
And, of course, play Imagine IF while you're waiting for more of Siena's work! imagineif.libraryfutures.net
Imagine IF the Game: An intellectual Freedom adventure / cat librarian being chased by angry horde of animals / Library Futures
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Join us for a book talk on The House Archives Built, the book that sold out its first two printings! @dorothyjberry.bsky.social and @zzcollier.bsky.social will talk Black archival possibilities June 3, 1 pm ET/10 am PT, and you're all invited. nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Library Futures Presents The House Archives Built and Other Thoughts on Black Archival Possiblities / book cover with black and white photos / Dorothy Berry in conversation with Zakiya Collier / headshots of two Black women / Wednesday, June 3 1 pm ET 10 AM PT
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
We're still taking mentor applications for our flagship internship program! Apply today! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
We're looking for a few good mentors! Woman holding megaphone with flower shapes emerging from it / Library Futures
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Minot Public Library director comes out swinging on library ebook costs with the best metaphor we've seen yet. www.minotdailynews.com/opinion/loca...
Imagine what would happen at the Minot Public Library if a book publisher pulled up to the building in a big van and ran inside while grabbing every book they had published. It might attract the eye of the police station right across the street. The stunning truth is that in a way this does happen very often, only with ebooks instead of books made of paper and ink.
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Amazon is now in a race to see which can expire faster--your library ebook or the device you read it on. More from Wired via our friends @wordsandmoney.bsky.social. www.wired.com/story/amazon...
Amazon Announces Plan to Brick Your Old Kindle

Amazon Pulls Support for Perfectly Fine Older Kindles
In an email to customers, Amazon announced that it would be ending service for Kindle devices older than the 2012 edi…
WIRED / Boone Ashworth
Wired is among the many outlets reporting that "Amazon will stop supporting any of its Kindle devices released in 2012 or earlier" as of May 20. "That means these devices—even if they’re perfectly functional—won’t be able to connect to the Kindle Store to download new ebooks," the report notes, although you'll still be able to read the books you have already downloaded. "It's unclear whether services like Libby will work, which uses the Kindle Store to deliver downloads," the report added, noting that Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
And we love to see it! patch.com/illinois/hun...
State Rep. Jeff Keicher speaks on the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives. (IL House Staff)

Last week, the Illinois House of Representatives passed the Digital Library Protection Act to prevent local libraries from facing extra restrictions when licensing eBooks, digital audiobooks, and other electronic literary materials that drive up costs. As the former Board President of Sycamore Public Library, State Representative Jeff Keicher saw firsthand the limitations of these arbitrary restrictions.

“Simply put, most physical books are checked out 50 times before they are too worn and need to be replaced by the library,” said Keicher. “To help libraries save money and keep property taxes in check, House Bill 5236 ensures that our local libraries can achieve similar usage levels with electronic content.

“This is a win for our local libraries and taxpayers!”
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Vendors and libraries survey! Dr. Barbara Alvarez (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) and Dr. Eleanor "Nora" Mattern (University of Pittsburgh) invite you to participate as part of their work with the Library Futures Research Network. pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Library Futures Vendors and Libraries Survey / people approaching a library from the mountains and a city
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Public librarians are invited to take this anonymous survey to inform the work of our AI Policies Working Group. nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Library Futures AI Policies Working Group Survey. For public librarians. Open through April 13! / bust with fragments of text coming from its ear
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Stay tuned for more from Library Futures on Ink Knows No Borders--and in the meantime, if you're in or near the fine town of North Liberty, Iowa, check out this event with Kaveh Akbar! northlibertylibrary.org/programs/eve...
Ink Knows No Borders with Kaveh Akbar

April 22, 2026, 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Library

Teen, Adult

Celebrate Poetry Month with local and renowned author Kaveh Akbar. Akbar is a poet and author of Martyr!, one New York Times' top 10 books of 2024. He will discuss his process of writing poetry and the inspiration for his poem in the collection, Ink Knows No Borders, have a Q&A session, and book signing. His books can be pre-ordered through Sidekick Coffee & Books and picked up at the event. They will have limited quantities of the books for sale at the event and preordering ahead of time is ideal. Register.
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Libraries pay more. Continued. More from @readersfirst.bsky.social! www.readersfirst.org/publisher-pr...
eAudio for libraries (OverDrive)

In contrast to the eAudio prices at retail, the prices on library eAudio licenses increased with all five publishers, ranging from a YOY jump of 2.9% from Penguin Random House to a 36% increase from Hachette. The annualized average increase over the last four years is 6.8%, a marked difference from the annualized rate for retail eAudio of -3.6%.
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
We'll be disclosing non-disclosure at How to Read a Contract Part 2 (The Confidentiality Edition) tomorrow 4/7! Register now to hear from LF Staff Attorney Layla Maurer and get a sneak preview of our confidentiality and NDA guides! nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
How to Read a Contract (Part 2) with Library Futures Staff Attorney Layla Maurer April 7, 1 pm ET/10 am PT / mobsters holding a contract in front of a suspicious librarian
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Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
And hey, are YOU in Minneapolis for PLA? Don't forget to get up early on Friday so you can catch our own Michelle Reed and ALA President Sam Helmick! www.placonference.org/confschedule
Imagine IF: The Game / Library Futures / an intellectual freedom adventure / horde of angry animals chasing librarian catImagine IF: A Game-Based Introduction to
Intellectual Freedom
Friday, Apr 3, 2026 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Intellectual Freedom
200 D-G
Building on ALA President
Sam Helmick's "Choose Your
Own Adventure Intellectual
Freedom Edition"
presentation, this session roduces an engaging and interactive digital resource to
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