Macmillan CEO John Sargent reverses his controversial stance on library ebooks, and Penguin Random House announces a discounted digital books amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Spain’s New Bookish Habits Report: 68.6 Percent Reading
The 2019 data just released on trends in Spain’s reading habits shows that among those who don’t read books, ‘lack of time’ is the most cited reason.
Industry Notes: BookNet Canada’s New Libraries Data Tool Goes Live
BookNet Canada’s new tool, LibraryData, promises to provide ‘nationwide data on loans, holds, renewals, on-order, and collection holdings.’
Sharjah World Book Capital Reveals the ‘House of Wisdom’ Library Project
Set for completion in April, Sharjah’s new House of Wisdom facility is designed to bring legacy and digital library services together with social learning.
UK’s 2020 Portico Prize Goes to Jessica Andrews’ Debut ‘Saltwater’
The Manchester-based Portico Library Prize for Literature–focused on the country’s North– finds its winner in a native of Sunderland.
PEN America Warns Proposed Missouri Bill Could Jail Librarians
A proposed Missouri state bill ‘relating to parental oversight of public library with penalty provisions’ alarms freedom-of-expression advocates.
Sharjah World Book Capital Program Backs Kenyan Library Restoration
Backing ‘the journey of a historic cultural icon’ in Nairobi, the Sharjah World Book Capital program announces support for the McMillan Library restoration.
The UK’s ‘Spirit of the North’ Portico Prize Announces 2019 Shortlist
‘This list defies the rumor that it’s grim up north,’ says the Portico Prize jury of its 2019 shortlist of fiction and nonfiction related to the northern regions of England.
In the UK, the ‘Library of the Future’ Looks a Lot Like Lego
In a ‘Library Week’ competition from the UK’s CILIP, library supporters build their visions of the future in Lego and head for a festival this weekend.
OverDrive’s Steven Rosato: The Arab World’s ‘Enormous Advantage’ in Libraries
At the IPA Amman seminar, OverDrive’s Steven Rosato will stress that in moving to a digital library ecosystem, ‘It’s the publishers who must take the leap.’