Libraries
A 200-year-old book distributor is closing. Here’s what that means for public libraries
Baker & Taylor is one of very few companies that handle book distribution for libraries — getting books from publishers into borrowers hands. But a few months ago, the company abruptly announced it was shutting down.
Genre fiction and female authors top U.S. libraries’ most-borrowed lists in 2025
All of the top 10 books borrowed through the public library app Libby were written by women. And Kristin Hannah's The Women was the top checkout in many library systems around the country.
Libraries and museums get federal funding back after Trump cuts
Earlier this year, the Trump administration gutted the Institute of Museum and Library Services, leading to canceled federal grants. Now, after a court order, those grants are being reinstated.
PEN America warns of rise in books ‘systematically removed from school libraries’
A new report says that the number of books being challenged or removed from public schools across the country has risen exponentially in the past two years. A Clockwork Orange tops their list.
Boston Public Library aims to increase access to a vast historic archive using AI
The library is launching a project in collaboration with Harvard Law School and OpenAI this summer to digitize the materials and make them more fully searchable.
Hungary’s oldest library is fighting to save 100,000 books from a beetle infestation
Restoration workers are removing about 100,000 handbound books from their shelves and carefully placing them in crates, the start of a disinfection process that aims to kill the tiny beetles.
A new documentary checks out the many ways libraries are a ‘Free For All’
By examining the value of libraries in the distant and recent past, this PBS film makes a compelling case for the importance of the American public library system today.
‘All Boys Aren’t Blue’ tops the ALA’s list of most challenged books
Organized pressure groups, not individual parents, are leading the fight to remove books from shelves, according to a new report from the American Library Association.
Entire staff at federal agency that funds libraries and museums put on leave
The staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services was placed on administrative leave this morning, following a meeting between IMLS leadership and DOGE staff.
Federal agency responsible for library and museum funding gets a visit from DOGE
Keith E. Sonderling is the new acting head of The Institute of Museum and Library Services, the main source of federal funding for libraries and museums across the country. President Trump issued an executive order last week saying he aims to close the agency.
Book bans are on the rise in the Gulf South. Here’s what’s being challenged in Alabama
Efforts to ban books believed to be inappropriate for children and teens have seen a sharp uptick recently, but some libraries and bookstores are fighting back.
