Banksy to help keep Bristol libraries open
11 July 2018
In the UK, anonymous street artist Banksy has offered support to keep all of Bristol's libraries open, reports the Bristol Post. Bristol City Council had announced budget cuts in February last...
HK public libraries remove LGBTQIA+ kids books
27 June 2018
The Hong Kong government has been accused of moving several LGBTQIA-themed children’s books out of public view in the city's public libraries, following complaints by an anti-gay group, reports the Standard....
Bristol council backtracks on decision to close 17 libraries
20 June 2018
In the UK, Bristol City Council has backtracked on a decision to close 17 of its 27 libraries, reports the BBC. Despite the council's proposal in February last year to...
UK copyright specialists create copyright board game
20 June 2018
In the UK, two copyright specialists have created a board game to help research students and early-career researchers understand copying and licensing choices, reports the Chartered Institute of Library and...
SCL and CILIP partner on ‘ethical guidelines’ following Home Office deal
14 June 2018
The UK’s Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) has agreed to partner with the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) to develop an ethical framework for commercial partnerships, following...
UK librarians condemn deal between SCL and Home Office
6 June 2018
In the UK, 80 library professionals have signed an open letter to condemn a contract deal between the Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) and Home Office (HO) that will see...
Numbers of US public school librarians down 20% since 2000
30 May 2018
US public schools have lost 19% of full-time equivalent school librarians in the period between 1999-2000 and 2015-16, reports Forbes. The figure comes from researcher Keith Curry Lance’s analysis of...
Swedish universities cancel contract with Elsevier
23 May 2018
Swedish universities have decided not to renew a contract with Dutch journal publisher Elsevier, reports Times Higher Education. The Bibsam Consortium, which represents 85 higher education and research institutions in...
Eight winners announced for ALA’s public relations award
16 May 2018
The American Library Association (ALA) has announced eight winners of the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award, which recognises marketing and public relations excellence by libraries. The eight winners...
US National Medal for Museum and Library Service winners announced
9 May 2018
In the US, five libraries have been announced as recipients of the 2018 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, alongside five museum services. Presented by the Institute of Museum...
UK library associations join forces to make school libraries required by law
2 May 2018
In the UK, library associations are joining together for a campaign to make school libraries a statutory requirement and ensure they are inspected by the Office for Standards in Education,...
US Senate to consider Marrakesh Treaty on book accessibility for the print disabled
26 April 2018
The United States Senate is poised to pass the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act, which, if passed, will make an additional 350,000 books available to the blind and print disabled. A...
Online library launches to digitally preserve at-risk heritage sites
18 April 2018
A new online library has launched to digitally preserve major cultural heritage sites to prevent them from being lost in the future, reports Smithsonian.com. Named Open Heritage, the online library...
Asher, Alexie top ALA ‘most challenged books’ list in wake of allegations
11 April 2018
In the US, two books by authors who have previously been accused of sexual harassment have topped the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual list of most frequently challenged books. Jay...
Hawaii government to rent out library land
5 April 2018
In the US, the Hawaii state government has put forth a bill to lease library land and facilities to private companies as a way of generating revenue, reports the Hawaii...
British Library houses oral history of Women in Publishing
5 April 2018
In the UK, the British Library will host a new oral history project comprising interviews with 30 high-profile former members of Women in Publishing (WiP), an organisation founded in 1979...
Digital Library of the Middle East platform to be built
5 April 2018
In the US, the Digital Library Federation (DLF) program will construct the Digital Library of the Middle East (DLME) platform to record the cultural heritage of the Middle East. The...
Oneida County Library announces ‘Books for Babies’ initiative
28 March 2018
In the US, Oneida County libraries located in the state of New York have received funding of US$25,000 (A$32,480) for a 'Books for Babies' program, which will provide a free...
IFLA, IPA and STM release joint statement on supporting ‘quality information’
21 March 2018
The International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), the International Publishers Association (IPA) and the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers (STM) have issued a joint statement about creating...
British Library reports 6.2% gender pay gap
15 March 2018
The British Library has revealed that women earn 6.2% less than men per hour at the organisation, reports the Bookseller. In January, the British Library reported that men are paid...
British Library’s Harry Potter exhibition available online
28 February 2018
The British Library has collaborated with Google to launch a virtual version of its Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition on the Google Arts and Culture mobile app and...
Taylor & Francis scraps licensing change after opposition from libraries
21 February 2018
In the UK, Taylor & Francis has reversed its decision to charge extra for older journal material after more than 110 libraries in the UK and Ireland signed an open...
Trump’s budget proposal calls for elimination of library funding
14 February 2018
In the US, the Trump administration has argued for the elimination of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities (NEA and NEH) and the Institute of Museum and Library...
Welsh librarian jailed for stealing books
7 February 2018
In Wales, a librarian has been jailed for stealing books from the workplace and attempting to sell them online, reports the BBC. Elizabeth Macregor, from Pontypridd Library in Rhondda Cynon...
OverDrive reports almost 60 libraries topped one million digital lends
31 January 2018
In the US, library provider OverDrive has revealed 58 international library systems recorded over one million digital lends in 2017—up from 49 in 2016, reports Publishers Weekly. Among the top...
Fifteen Somserset libraries under threat of closure
24 January 2018
In the UK, 15 out of Somerset County’s 34 libraries are under threat of closure unless voluntary staff can be found to run the service, reports the Guardian. The council...
Five librarians win IFLA/OCLC fellowship
17 January 2018
Library cooperative OCLC and International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has awarded the IFLA/OCLC Early Career Development Fellowship Program for 2018, which supports librarians and information science professionals...
Library of Congress to scale back Twitter archive
10 January 2018
In the US, the Library of Congress will scale back its approach to collecting every message posted on Twitter, reports the Australian Financial Review. The Library of Congress had collected...
Report shows 105 UK libraries closed last year
12 December 2017
In the UK, a report by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has found 105 libraries closed in the UK last year, with £66m (A$117m) slashed from...
Hong Kong rolls out library vending machines at train stations
6 December 2017
In Hong Kong, vending machines stocked with up to 300 library books each are being installed at train stations, reports the South China Morning Post. Books in the machine can...
