Wednesday, 13 July 2016
In the UK, Northern Wales’ Wrexham council will reverse its decision to transfer its 11 libraries to a trust, after a financial review showed it was more expensive than running...

Wednesday, 6 July 2016
In the UK, Leicestershire county council is transferring 26 libraries to community groups to save £800,000 (A$1.41m), reports the Bookseller. So far, 23 libraries are being run by community group...

Wednesday, 29 June 2016
In the US, information-content and technology company ProQuest has acquired Alexander Street, a provider of streaming videos, music and other primary-source collections to libraries. In a statement ProQuest CEO Kurt...

Wednesday, 29 June 2016
In the US, a Chicago public library will stay open until 1am on 31 July so readers can get their hands on a copy of the new Harry Potter book...

Wednesday, 22 June 2016
The Toronto Public Library in Canada will offer lendable Wi-Fi hotspots at six branches in low-income neighbourhoods, reports the Toronto Star. The library included C$100,000 (A$104,660) in its 2016 operating...

Wednesday, 8 June 2016
An autonomous shelf-scanning robot is being developed by the Institute for Infocomm Research at Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research, reports Cnet. Using laser-mapping to navigate a library and...

Wednesday, 1 June 2016
The Publishers Communication Group’s (PCG) annual survey of institutional library materials spending has found spending in North America is expected to rise 1% in 2016 while declining 0.1% in Europe,...

Wednesday, 25 May 2016
A London council that temporarily closed two libraries as a money-saving measure has spent up to three times the running costs on private guards to secure the buildings, reports the...

Wednesday, 18 May 2016
Poet Chrissie Gittins is petitioning new London mayor Sadiq Khan to support four libraries in the borough of Lewisham, where five libraries closed in 2011, reports the Bookseller. Gittins, who is...

Wednesday, 11 May 2016
The University of Notre Dame has become the first US academic institution to partner with the Vatican Library after signing a memorandum of understanding for future collaboration. The university and...

Wednesday, 20 April 2016
In the US, a new report from the Pew Research Centre found 76% of adults believe libraries serve the learning and educational needs of their communities either ‘very well’ or...

Wednesday, 20 April 2016
In the US, seven libraries have been selected as recipients of the Library Building Award 2016 from the American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association. The seven libraries selected...

Wednesday, 13 April 2016
A barbershop owner in Athol, Massachusetts, has left US$1.4 million (A$1.8m)—over 90% of his estate—to his local public library, reports the Independent. Anthony J Ralys’ estate attorney said the bequest...

Wednesday, 13 April 2016
In the UK, the occupation of London’s Carnegie Library to protest the council’s plans to convert it into a ‘healthy living centre’ has ended, reports the Bookseller. Around 30 occupiers...

Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Two libraries in Lambeth in south London will reopen as hybrid ‘part private gym, part host to shelves of books with no dedicated staff’ due to deepening cuts in public...

Thursday, 31 March 2016
Almost 8000 UK library jobs have been lost and 342 libraries have closed in the past six years, a BBC investigation has found. Using data from more than 200 authorities...

Thursday, 17 March 2016
The only surviving play script handwritten by William Shakespeare has been digitised by the British Library ahead of an exhibition, reports the Guardian. While Shakespeare was not the original author...

Wednesday, 24 February 2016
In the UK, visitors to the Library of Birmingham fell by 600,000 in 2015 compared to the previous year, reports the Bookseller. The library, which opened in September 2013, was...

Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Seattle’s first independent library has opened its doors, reports local radio station KPLU News. The Folio library occupies 1800 square metres in the city’s YMCA and is filled with thousands...

Wednesday, 10 February 2016
In the UK, bestselling authors have gathered at parliament, calling on MPs to sign a motion that ensures local authorities provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient library service’, reports the Guardian....

Wednesday, 3 February 2016
The Dubai government has announced plans to build a new library that will hold more than 1.5 million print books, one million audio books and two million ebooks, ‘making it...