Library Futures
@libraryfutures.bsky.social
Research and advocacy for the future of libraries. A project of @NYUEngelberg.
Local news, libraries, lawyers, zines, games, and more! Join Library Futures interns Thomas Alexander, Théodora Dillman, Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen, and Siena Oristaglio as they talk about their work Wednesday 2/25!
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
February 11, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Local news, libraries, lawyers, zines, games, and more! Join Library Futures interns Thomas Alexander, Théodora Dillman, Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen, and Siena Oristaglio as they talk about their work Wednesday 2/25!
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Steve Potash made... a number of misstatements in his 58 pages of testimony on D.C.'s ebook bill, including some about Library Futures. Our ED @littlewow.online corrects them, and @wordsandmoney.bsky.social has a write up.
www.wordsandmoney.com/the-queue-li...
www.wordsandmoney.com/the-queue-li...
February 9, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Steve Potash made... a number of misstatements in his 58 pages of testimony on D.C.'s ebook bill, including some about Library Futures. Our ED @littlewow.online corrects them, and @wordsandmoney.bsky.social has a write up.
www.wordsandmoney.com/the-queue-li...
www.wordsandmoney.com/the-queue-li...
Reposted by Library Futures
🎉 Today, @lujan.senate.gov, @morelle.house.gov, & @gluesenkampperez.house.gov introduced the “Fair Repair Act” to protect consumers’ right to repair their own electronic products. Read our statement from Senior Policy Advocate Patrick Gallaher:
Public Knowledge Applauds Bill Protecting the Public’s Right to Repair
Public Knowledge promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. We work to shape policy.
publicknowledge.org
February 5, 2026 at 6:56 PM
🎉 Today, @lujan.senate.gov, @morelle.house.gov, & @gluesenkampperez.house.gov introduced the “Fair Repair Act” to protect consumers’ right to repair their own electronic products. Read our statement from Senior Policy Advocate Patrick Gallaher:
Congrats to the fine folks at the Data Rescue Project on this well-deserved award--and huge thanks to their 900 volunteers who saved over 2500 datasets from over 90 government agencies in 2025.
rdapassociation.org/news/13593532
rdapassociation.org/news/13593532
Research Data Access and Preservation Association - 2025 RDAP Work of the Year Award
rdapassociation.org
February 6, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Congrats to the fine folks at the Data Rescue Project on this well-deserved award--and huge thanks to their 900 volunteers who saved over 2500 datasets from over 90 government agencies in 2025.
rdapassociation.org/news/13593532
rdapassociation.org/news/13593532
"What [Section 230] does is create breathing room for platforms to moderate content without facing endless litigation over every removal decision, while simultaneously protecting their ability to leave up controversial-but-legal speech without being treated as the publisher of that content."
In her latest blog post, Policy Analyst @mwils.bsky.social breaks down various Section 230 reform and repeal proposals — and why these ideas won't work as intended.
Assessing Section 230 Reform Proposals in the 119th Congress
Lawmakers cite various reasons for supporting proposals to reform or repeal Section 230. But what effect would these have in practice?
publicknowledge.org
February 5, 2026 at 5:23 PM
"What [Section 230] does is create breathing room for platforms to moderate content without facing endless litigation over every removal decision, while simultaneously protecting their ability to leave up controversial-but-legal speech without being treated as the publisher of that content."
"[W]e live in a world where our data is valuable and our power to protect it is negligible.... [Our data] is important enough that a federal cowboy kept one hand on his phone even as his other hand reached for his gun."
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/o...
Opinion | ICE Is Watching You
www.nytimes.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:26 PM
"[W]e live in a world where our data is valuable and our power to protect it is negligible.... [Our data] is important enough that a federal cowboy kept one hand on his phone even as his other hand reached for his gun."
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/o...
Love data? It's not quite time for the official Week, but For the People has some nice data viz pulled from last year's IMLS stats.
public.flourish.studio/story/3457688/
public.flourish.studio/story/3457688/
IMLS FY 22 - Library Year in Review
A Flourish story by Azani Creeks
public.flourish.studio
February 2, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Love data? It's not quite time for the official Week, but For the People has some nice data viz pulled from last year's IMLS stats.
public.flourish.studio/story/3457688/
public.flourish.studio/story/3457688/
Reposted by Library Futures
#FairUseFriday Fair use plays an essential role in preserving art forms from one generation to the next.
January 30, 2026 at 3:42 PM
#FairUseFriday Fair use plays an essential role in preserving art forms from one generation to the next.
Props to the Library of Congress for their ongoing preservation work. If you wanted to stream three of the films chosen for this year, you'd be out of luck (and you'd be shelling out a lot of streaming service dough for the rest). /1
newsroom.loc.gov/news/library...
newsroom.loc.gov/news/library...
January 30, 2026 at 3:43 PM
Props to the Library of Congress for their ongoing preservation work. If you wanted to stream three of the films chosen for this year, you'd be out of luck (and you'd be shelling out a lot of streaming service dough for the rest). /1
newsroom.loc.gov/news/library...
newsroom.loc.gov/news/library...
"'Prison libraries open doors of opportunity and provide essential literacy support to address the urgent information needs of millions of incarcerated people in the United States,' said Sam Helmick, American Library Association President."
www.ala.org/news/2026/01...
www.ala.org/news/2026/01...
ALA welcomes Prison Libraries Act
The American Library Association praised the Prison Libraries Act, introduced today by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO-5), along with co-leads Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH-11), and Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-N...
www.ala.org
January 29, 2026 at 3:09 PM
"'Prison libraries open doors of opportunity and provide essential literacy support to address the urgent information needs of millions of incarcerated people in the United States,' said Sam Helmick, American Library Association President."
www.ala.org/news/2026/01...
www.ala.org/news/2026/01...
AI + IP + licensing + Disney. What could go wrong?
(The four horsemen of the copyright apocalypse? Too much?)
andresizquierdo.com/2026/01/21/i...
(The four horsemen of the copyright apocalypse? Too much?)
andresizquierdo.com/2026/01/21/i...
IP Meets AI: Disney’s Deal with OpenAI
Generative AI has triggered a wave of legal uncertainty in copyright law, with over 70 lawsuits worldwide challenging the unlicensed use of creative works in AI training. The recent deal between Di…
andresizquierdo.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:51 PM
AI + IP + licensing + Disney. What could go wrong?
(The four horsemen of the copyright apocalypse? Too much?)
andresizquierdo.com/2026/01/21/i...
(The four horsemen of the copyright apocalypse? Too much?)
andresizquierdo.com/2026/01/21/i...
Did you miss Copyright Week this year? It's okay. There's a lot going on--and our friends @eff.org have the roundup. (Click through for the adorable animation!)
www.eff.org/copyrightwee...
www.eff.org/copyrightwee...
Copyright Week 2026
Day 1: Copyright Enforcement as a Tool of CensorshipCopyright shouldn't be a weapon for elites to silence speech and criticism they find inconvenient. We deserve a copyright system which preserves our...
www.eff.org
January 26, 2026 at 3:59 PM
Did you miss Copyright Week this year? It's okay. There's a lot going on--and our friends @eff.org have the roundup. (Click through for the adorable animation!)
www.eff.org/copyrightwee...
www.eff.org/copyrightwee...
Are you a student? Do you love our work? Do you want to work with us? Library Futures intern applications are OPEN.
nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
January 21, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Are you a student? Do you love our work? Do you want to work with us? Library Futures intern applications are OPEN.
nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Hoopla says libraries need to get "comfortable with different solutions."
Cool! We'd love to see some different solutions that honor library values, preserve library rights, and don't bankrupt taxpayers!
www.wordsandmoney.com/the-digital-...
Cool! We'd love to see some different solutions that honor library values, preserve library rights, and don't bankrupt taxpayers!
www.wordsandmoney.com/the-digital-...
The Digital Library Market Has Issues. Hoopla Wants to Talk About Them.
With its podcast, The Straight Download, Hoopla is leaning into some of the uncomfortable marketplace conversations in the digital library world.
www.wordsandmoney.com
January 20, 2026 at 9:02 PM
Hoopla says libraries need to get "comfortable with different solutions."
Cool! We'd love to see some different solutions that honor library values, preserve library rights, and don't bankrupt taxpayers!
www.wordsandmoney.com/the-digital-...
Cool! We'd love to see some different solutions that honor library values, preserve library rights, and don't bankrupt taxpayers!
www.wordsandmoney.com/the-digital-...
![We believe in empowering readers and respecting choice. We will disclose what AI can and cannot do, its limitations, and how human oversight is maintained. [highlighted]We believe in providing access, not restricting it.[end highlight] OverDrive makes a wide range of titles available through partnerships with publishers, but librarians curate their own collections based on the needs of their communities. Libraries make purchasing decisions, and we respect their expertise and autonomy. [highlighted]OverDrive does not exclude titles created with AI tools from the catalog. We ask that publishers self-identify content that was created with AI assistance.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ueg5hblmeq2eveuulpneisv7/bafkreicyvlgw6lkedk6mlilov56nzh2ksprlv7umgcmrddoipzy4le7nta@jpeg)
January 14, 2026 at 5:31 PM
As libraries wrap up their year and celebrate new records in digital checkouts, it's time for a few reminders for the new year. /1
January 13, 2026 at 7:12 PM
As libraries wrap up their year and celebrate new records in digital checkouts, it's time for a few reminders for the new year. /1
Still catching up onb2025? No worries! Read the write-up from our final AI session.
Huge thanks to @wolvendamien.bsky.social, Dr. Andrea Baer, and @copystar.bsky.social for sharing your time and expertise with us all!
Huge thanks to @wolvendamien.bsky.social, Dr. Andrea Baer, and @copystar.bsky.social for sharing your time and expertise with us all!
Here's the write-up from the December 11th 2025 @libraryfutures.bsky.social panel "Information Literacy in the Age of GenAI" with Dr. Andrea Baer, Dr. @copystar.bsky.social, and myself:
www.libraryfutures.net/post/machine...
www.libraryfutures.net/post/machine...
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for Information Professionals
Research and advocacy for the future of libraries.
www.libraryfutures.net
January 12, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Still catching up onb2025? No worries! Read the write-up from our final AI session.
Huge thanks to @wolvendamien.bsky.social, Dr. Andrea Baer, and @copystar.bsky.social for sharing your time and expertise with us all!
Huge thanks to @wolvendamien.bsky.social, Dr. Andrea Baer, and @copystar.bsky.social for sharing your time and expertise with us all!
Reposted by Library Futures
Today's early Spring semester reminder that if your academic library doesn't have an eBook you want and/or tells you they can't provide it, it is most likely not the library staff's fault.
We can't buy what vendors refuse to sell.
We can't buy what vendors refuse to sell.
January 12, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Today's early Spring semester reminder that if your academic library doesn't have an eBook you want and/or tells you they can't provide it, it is most likely not the library staff's fault.
We can't buy what vendors refuse to sell.
We can't buy what vendors refuse to sell.
Feeling discontent with civilization? Fear not, it's just about time to celebrate more work ascending into the public domain! We'll see you on the sunny side of the street in January!
web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicd...
web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicd...
Public Domain Day 2026 | Duke University School of Law
January 1, 2026 is Public Domain Day: Works from 1930 are open to all, as are sound recordings from 1925! By Jennifer Jenkins and James Boyle[1] CC BY 4.0 Please note that this site is only about US l...
web.law.duke.edu
December 17, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Feeling discontent with civilization? Fear not, it's just about time to celebrate more work ascending into the public domain! We'll see you on the sunny side of the street in January!
web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicd...
web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicd...
"Ensuring equitable access to digital information remains one of the main challenges for libraries."
From our friends @knowledgerights21.org
www.knowledgerights21.org/news-story/f...
From our friends @knowledgerights21.org
www.knowledgerights21.org/news-story/f...
A Boost for Digital Access in Libraries: The Importance of Training on e-Books
Learn more about a KR21-supported hybrid course organised earlier this year by Spanish partner FESABID
www.knowledgerights21.org
December 16, 2025 at 3:19 PM
"Ensuring equitable access to digital information remains one of the main challenges for libraries."
From our friends @knowledgerights21.org
www.knowledgerights21.org/news-story/f...
From our friends @knowledgerights21.org
www.knowledgerights21.org/news-story/f...
Reposted by Library Futures
This was a really important session. Immensely heartening to hear people in the LIS spaces articulate the case against LLM AI in education, search and reference, writing, etc. etc., especially when certain other foresight organizations seem to be embracing it.
We will NOT be recording Information Literacy in the Age of GenAI, the last session of our 2025 AI series. Be there on 12/11--or atl least register so you can get a writeup and all the links from the chat!
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
December 12, 2025 at 11:21 AM
This was a really important session. Immensely heartening to hear people in the LIS spaces articulate the case against LLM AI in education, search and reference, writing, etc. etc., especially when certain other foresight organizations seem to be embracing it.
We agree! And we hope you'll join us!
What a fantastic line-up of people to learn from & think with!
We will NOT be recording Information Literacy in the Age of GenAI, the last session of our 2025 AI series. Be there on 12/11--or atl least register so you can get a writeup and all the links from the chat!
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
December 10, 2025 at 5:22 PM
We agree! And we hope you'll join us!
We will NOT be recording Information Literacy in the Age of GenAI, the last session of our 2025 AI series. Be there on 12/11--or atl least register so you can get a writeup and all the links from the chat!
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
December 8, 2025 at 5:48 PM
We will NOT be recording Information Literacy in the Age of GenAI, the last session of our 2025 AI series. Be there on 12/11--or atl least register so you can get a writeup and all the links from the chat!
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
"As we grapple with the change afoot, creative partnerships between local newsmakers and civic institutions have the opportunity to be truly transformative, but only if we build together."
LF ED @littlewow.online in The Objective
objectivejournalism.org/2025/12/libr...
LF ED @littlewow.online in The Objective
objectivejournalism.org/2025/12/libr...
Libraries are a locus for civic change
Jennie Rose Halperin on the need to invest in underexplored partnerships between civic media makers and libraries as a clear place of change.
objectivejournalism.org
December 8, 2025 at 4:22 PM
"As we grapple with the change afoot, creative partnerships between local newsmakers and civic institutions have the opportunity to be truly transformative, but only if we build together."
LF ED @littlewow.online in The Objective
objectivejournalism.org/2025/12/libr...
LF ED @littlewow.online in The Objective
objectivejournalism.org/2025/12/libr...
What if humans still picked music? What if algorithms weren't inevitable? What if libraries could help?
Check TRACK 10: a librarian's journey beyond the algorithm, out now from Library Futures intern Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen!
www.libraryfutures.net/post/sick-of...
Check TRACK 10: a librarian's journey beyond the algorithm, out now from Library Futures intern Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen!
www.libraryfutures.net/post/sick-of...
December 4, 2025 at 3:49 PM
What if humans still picked music? What if algorithms weren't inevitable? What if libraries could help?
Check TRACK 10: a librarian's journey beyond the algorithm, out now from Library Futures intern Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen!
www.libraryfutures.net/post/sick-of...
Check TRACK 10: a librarian's journey beyond the algorithm, out now from Library Futures intern Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen!
www.libraryfutures.net/post/sick-of...