After recent Black Lives Matter protests, Americans rushed to libraries to request books on history, politics, and anti-racism. There were immediate shortages of certain books, with up to six month waits for commonly recommended titles. This happened throughout the entire system — even electronic books had long queues to check out. This is, in part, […]

Libraries have been central to culture, education, and research for centuries. Libraries have been part of America since the early 18th Century; the most famous early American library, (though not the first), was founded by Benjamin Franklin and others in Philadelphia in 1731. Libraries have taken many shapes — they’ve been public and private; membership-based […]

Today, the Internet Archive announced that it is ending its National Emergency Library lending program, citing the efforts of local libraries and other institutions to increase the circulation of digital books. Public Knowledge commends the Internet Archive for championing access to knowledge during this time of crisis, and urges policymakers to support legislation that makes more print books available electronically.

Today, a number of major publishers filed suit against the Internet Archive, arguing that making electronic copies of print books available to library patrons is unlawful.

This was our discussion on how we can use technology to make sure that students, educators, and others can continue to remotely access the collections they need, during lock-down and beyond.

Misinformation — how it develops, how it spreads, and why people believe it — is an unavoidable topic in current information policy debates. And though headlines have largely focused on the high-profile impacts of misinformation on everything from public health to voting behaviors and technological literacy, there’s another, more important question at stake: How do we combat it when it emerges?