One of the great embarrassments of New York, the richest city in America, is how money can’t be found to keep public libraries open every single day.It is, truly, a matter of priorities. Other far-reaching, progressive policy proposals can come with enormous upfront costs — municipal or statewide single-payer healthcare comes to mind — but there’s really no reason why the city can’t pay to keep libraries open every Saturday and Sunday.Mayor Eric Adams, in his executive budget, has proposed to keep the cuts to the library system that he ordered starting last year. If he has his way — and given his deteriorating relationship with the City Council, he might not — the library system will lose $58.3 million. If the cuts go through, library service citywide would be curtailed to five days a week, according to the presidents of the Brooklyn, Queens, and New York Public Libraries.Since 2015, when Bill de Blasio boosted funding to the library system, six-day service has been the norm. This is not ideal, but it is better than five, which would see crucial weekend service evaporate entirely. Most library branches in the city are already closed on Sunday. Thanks to midyear budget cuts in November, seven-day service — available sparingly before then — is gone. The cuts would also mean delaying the renovations of certain branches.Democrats in the City Council might successfully oppose Adams. This dynamic recalls the “budget dance” that was common during Michael Bloomberg’s mayoralty.... Continue reading at 'Crains New York'
[ Crains New York | 2024-04-29 15:50:14 UTC ]
Public libraries should be replaced by Amazon stories, argued Panos Mourdoukoutas in an article published on Forbes’ website Saturday. "At the core, Amazon has provided something better than a local library without the tax fees," wrote Mourdoukoutas, an economics professor at Long Island... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers need to speak up and champion reading in the face of the erosion of the book stock in England’s public libraries, says Tim Coates. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The partnership will make Penn Foster’s extensive library of courses, degree, and certificate programs available to public library patrons nationwide through Baker & Taylor’s Axis 360 platform. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Week in Libraries, May 11, 2018: Among the headlines this week, net neutrality is given one month to live; And it was a good week for public libraries in Ohio. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones boss James Daunt has slammed the widespread closure of public libraries as a "disgrace", arguing that the decline will have a damning effect on the future of British society. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The £580,000 Arts Council England funding will support new initiative to find and develop black and minority ethnic, disabled and LGBTQ writersA new literary agency, which aims to discover “the next generation of diverse writers” and “blow open the pipeline” for them, is being launched by the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The British Library is leading an 18-month project to determine the possibility of a single digital presence for UK public libraries, backed by more than £260,000 worth of funding. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Data released by Public Lending Right (PLR) has revealed that "Horrid Henry" creator Tony Ross was the UK's "most borrowed" illustrator across public libraries last year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The public libraries of New York, Brooklyn, and Queens have teamed up with the Metropolitan Transit Authority and Transit Wireless to launch Subway Library, which offers free ebook downloads in subway stations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The role of public libraries is "crucial to sustaining and building engagement in literature", the Royal Society of Literature has concluded from a survey conducted with Ipsos MORI. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The UK's public libraries are missing 25 million books, according to new figures from libraries body CIPFA, although the decline in books could be worse than the figures indicate due to discrepancies between computer audits and physical stock takes. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In 1906, a reporter for the Detroit Free Press described a scene that had become all too common at the city’s public libraries. A child hands an overdue book to a stern librarian perched behind a desk, and with a “sinister expression,” the librarian demands payment of a late fine. In some cases,... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2017-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rob Wilson on how the government wants local authorities to think differently about public libraries. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The long-awaited Ambition report for Public Libraries has been published, urging local authorities to use libraries to deliver other public services such as health, with the help of a £4m dedicated fund. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Library campaigners have expressed their intense frustration at the continued non-appearance of the Libraries Taskforce's Ambition report on a national strategy for England's public libraries. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rachael Jolley, editor of global freedom of expression magazine, Index on Censorship, has spoken out about the growing importance of public libraries for freedom of expression saying "at the heart of any library is the idea of a freedom to think and discover”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dosdoce, Bookwire and Publishing Perspectives are offering an exclusive ebook licensing guide for global public libraries and publishers. The post Free Guide to Ebook Licensing for Public Libraries and Publishers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The British Library has appointed Tom Holland as chair of the Public Lending Right (PLR) Advisory Committee for the next three years. Holland said: “I am hugely honoured to be taking on the role of chair of the PLR Advisory Committee, which does such excellent work in promoting the interests of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Library groups have welcomed education secretary Nicky Morgan’s drive for all children to have a library card, although campaigners say the news rings hollow at a time when many public libraries are closing. Desmond Clarke, a veteran library campaigner who has spoken out against library cuts in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Ali Smith has used her appearance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival to warn how the closure of public libraries was threatening the “democracy of reading”. Smith, who was interviewed at the festival yesterday (16th August), said the continued closing of libraries would have an... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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