New York Times: A Hospital Visit Reveals Medieval Secrets Hidden in Books. “Even in medieval times, recycling was in vogue: Bits of parchment salvaged from older handwritten manuscripts were often used to reinforce other books. Using CT scanning, a team of researchers has now shown that those medieval leftovers hidden beneath some books’ covers can be seen.”
WBUR: Boston bus stops double as digital libraries under new pilot program. “Bus stops in Boston are beginning to double as digital libraries under a new pilot program being rolled out across the city. Riders at 20 bus stops can now dip into free digital content by using a QR code to browse and borrow audiobooks, eBooks, e-newspapers and e-magazines for all ages, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said Thursday.”
Brooklyn Public Library: BPL’s Viral Books Unbanned Initiative Celebrates New Milestone during National Library Week; Teens In All 50 States Checked Out 100,000 Books from Brooklyn Public Library’s Digital Collection Over Last Year. “Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) announced a new milestone today in the fight against censorship and book banning: more than 6000 young people, ages 13 to 21, have applied for a free BPL library card over the last year, providing them access to the Library’s entire digital collection of half a million items. In total, they have checked out 100,000 books via BPL’s Books Unbanned initiative.”
KUOW: Seattle joins effort to give young readers access to banned books. “The initiative, called Books Unbanned, was started by the Brooklyn Public Library last year in response to an increase in books being removed from schools and libraries around the U.S. A majority of those books are written by, or about LGBTQIA+ and communities of color. The Seattle Public Library will provide free access to its entire collection of e-books and audio-books, to youths ages 13-26 regardless of where they are in the U.S.”
The New Republic: They Did It for the Clicks. “The digital era has staged a corporate contest not for truth but for attention—a malleable asset that can be put to countless uses, whether it be to convince readers the 2020 election was stolen or to show them how their preference for Netflix over Hulu means they’re totally a Gorgonzola. All content now is designed to be shareable, to get us to click—but shareable for what? Once you have caught the public’s attention, what do you do with it? What social, political, or cultural purpose does a page impression, a retweet, a video view serve?”
Internet Archive Blog: Law Professor Makes Digital Copyright Book Open for All. “Geared for a general audience, the book chronicles how copyright laws were drafted, written, lobbied and enacted in Congress over time. Litman researched the legislative history of copyright law, including development of the 1976 Copyright Act, and spent two years in Washington, D.C., observing Congress leading up to the passage of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in 1998.”
University of Alabama: Little Free Libraries to Pop Up Around Campus Soon. “The University of Alabama could soon see miniature libraries popping up around campus. The first one was recently established in front of the SGA office in the Student Center. The tiny stands are known as Little Free Libraries and they will house everything from fiction to textbooks.”
VT Digger: Vermont State University president Parwinder Grewal resigns as system pauses library changes. “Vermont State University president Parwinder Grewal has resigned after less than a year in the position and less than three months before the university is set to officially launch. Controversial changes to libraries and sports programs will also be paused at the direction of the Vermont State Colleges board of trustees, officials said in a press release Friday.”
Internet Archive: Supporters Rally For Library Digital Rights on the Steps of the Internet Archive. “More than one hundred supporters gathered on the steps of the Internet Archive last Saturday to rally support for our library in the face of a judgment that threatens the digital future of all libraries.”
Taiwan News: National Taiwan Library repairs 500-year-old Quran. “The ancient text was given to Tzu Chi Buddhist Humanitarian Foundation Master Cheng Yen (證嚴) by a Tzu Chi Turkish volunteer, Faisal Hu (胡光中), over two years ago, per CNA. Hsu Mei-wen (徐美文), a book restorer at Taiwan Book Hospital of National Taiwan Library, was entrusted with the job. With 15 years of experience, Hsu quickly devoted herself to absorbing the book’s lessons and teachings.”
New York Times: On TikTok, ‘The Hunger Games’ is a metaphor for our modern dystopia. “A lot has changed since The Hunger Games peaked in popularity, making it ripe for re-examination. Many of those partaking in the resurgence are revisiting the series for the first time as adults grappling with the climate crisis, social upheaval, and a global pandemic. How do our 2023 adult sensibilities transform our understanding of a beloved childhood franchise?”
Library of Congress: Save the Date! 2023 National Book Festival. “Mark your calendars! Join us at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday, Aug. 12 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the 2023 Library of Congress National Book Festival.” Several of t he events will be livestreamed.
Internet Archive Blog: The Fight Continues. “We will continue our work as a library. This case does not challenge many of the services we provide with digitized books including interlibrary loan, citation linking, access for the print-disabled, text and data mining, purchasing ebooks, and ongoing donation and preservation of books.”
Reuters: Internet Archive’s digital book lending violates copyrights, US judge rules. “A U.S. judge has ruled that an online library operated by the nonprofit organization Internet Archive infringed the copyrights of four major U.S. publishers by lending out digitally scanned copies of their books.”
Associated Press: Book ban attempts hit record high in 2022, library org says. “Attempted book bans and restrictions at school and public libraries continue to surge, setting a record in 2022, according to a new report from the American Library Association released Thursday.”
