Library and Academic Institution Movements & the Law

“I Don’t Think Librarians Can Save Us”: The Material Conditions of Information Literacy Instruction in the Misinformation Age

Despite increasing advocacy for open access (OA), its uptake in some disciplines has remained low. Existing studies have linked the low uptake of OA in the huma...

PEN America, the writers and free expression group that has been at the forefront nationally of documenting spreading school book bans, today filed a legal brief  in an appeal by the state of Iowa to a federal judge’s ruling blocking enforcement of part of a 2023 law that led to the removal of thousands of books from the state’s schools that depict or even mention sexual activity.

Join Library Futures and a distinguished panel of guests for a discussion on Bridging the Gap: Accessibility and Digital Collections for All Patrons. Digital...

The book ban bill vetoed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte would have allowed parents to request books, films, and other items that depicted nudity and sexual contact to be removed from their child's school.

The Government Accountability Office found that the Trump administration, by abruptly canceling NIH grants, had violated a 1974 federal law

The aim of this case study was to empirically elucidate the core elements underpinning the legitimacy of twenty-first-century public libraries, with a particular focus on the New York Public Library (NYPL). We conducted a qualitative content analysis of 24 NYPL annual reports spanning the period from 2000 to 2023 to investigate the ways in which legitimacy is expressed at NYPL and explore the interrelationships among the dimensions of library legitimacy. A coding framework, grounded in the established legitimacy dimensions from Yamagishi, Koizumi, and Larsen’s (2024) research, was utilized alongside a periodization approach to assess how these dimensions interact during key historical events. We examined the NYPL’s reported practices through the lens of five primary dimensions of legitimacy. Analyzing how these practices are reported in annual reports revealed how these dimensions interact and evolve in response to significant societal challenges, including the 9/11 attacks, the global financial crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The research findings highlight the critical role of both internal factors (such as librarianship) and external influences (such as economic conditions) in sustaining the overall legitimacy of public libraries. This case study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the complex and dynamic nature of legitimacy in public libraries and demonstrates how these institutions can adapt to and reflect broader societal changes. The findings hold important implications for the development and management of public libraries on a global scale.

The attacks on DEI and academic freedom show higher education needs to come together, build collaborations and stand firm. Here’s how

The Ohio State University President Ted Carter said Sunday that he thinks Ivy League schools are in “survival mode” when asked about Columbia University’s settlement with the Trump administration. …

Thoughts About Feelings is a heartfelt podcast that reminds you we all have thoughts about feelings and sharing them helps us get through them. Together with friends, Blair Imani and Mychal Threets talk about mental health, personal stories, and more. The show contains no sponsors and is instead brought to you by acts of self-care like drinking a glass of water or taking a deep breath. Blair Imani will help you get Smarter in Seconds about each episode's topic and keeping with Mychal's dedication to literacy and books, every episode is filmed in a book space whether it's a library or bookstore. With insightful questions from Mychal, Blair, and library kids we hope you leave each episode of Thoughts About Feelings with a few more reasons to keep on living.For video episodes of the podcast, subscribe to our Thoughts About Feelings Youtube channel.Produced in partnership with Ninth Planet Audio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Craig and Olivia chat with Cory Doctorow about tech monopolies and how authors and readers alike can divest from Amazon.

The National Science Foundation has canceled more than $1 billion in research grants since mid-April, raising concerns about the future of American research and innovation.

Carla Hayden, the former Librarian of Congress fired by President Donald Trump, has joined the the country's foremost philanthropic supporter of the arts.

The American Bar Association (ABA) is maintaining its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) despite intensified political pressure from the Trump administration and recent legal developments that have challenged the organization’s authority and policies. During a recent forum in Cleveland, ABA leadership reaffirmed the association’s belief that DEI is essential to the excellence and […]

Unraveling Equity: The Effects of Anti-DEI Legislation on Academic Law Library Workers This important discussion shines a light on the often-overlooked role ...

In the 2021-22 school year, RWU Law co-sponsored, along with the City University of New York School of Law and Jurist, an ongoing Integrating Doctrine & Diversity Speaker Series.

Has your favorite book been removed from local libraries? The restriction and removal of books in libraries and bookstores–including literary classics–have come front and center in the culture wars.

This work provides information to members and prospective members of the law librarian profession on the status, rights, and responsibilities of academic law li

Press Release: Taking the pulse: Share your voice on the state of libraries. Libraries today are navigating a landscape filled with opportunities and challenges. The rapid acceleration of AI is reshaping how information is discovered, accessed and understood. Open access scholarship is expanding the boundaries of knowledge sharing, while simultaneously challenging traditional publishing and acquisition models. All of this is unfolding under the weight of persistent budget constraints, staffing shortages and shifting institutional priorities.

Only one library book ban case has ever been decided by the U.S. Supreme Court: Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico (1982). In 1975, the Island Trees school b…

We know that the need for reliable internet access, digital skills training, and wi-fi-enabled technology persists. The DEA programs would have brought capacity-building resources to communities all over the United States; these devastating cancellations will hinder our progress toward closing the digital divide and ensuring that all Americans can thrive.

In Banned, readers are taken on a journey through the intense racial politics surrounding the banning of Mexican American Studies in Tucson, Arizona. This book details the state-sponsored racism that led to the elimination of this highly successful program, and the grassroots and legal resistance that followed. Through extensive research and firsthand narratives, readers will gain a deep understanding of the controversy surrounding this historic case. The legal challenge successfully overturned the Arizona law and became a central symbol in the modern-day Ethnic Studies renaissance. This work is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the power of community activism, the importance of fighting for educational equity, and why the example of Tucson created an alternative blueprint for how we can challenge states that are currently banning critical race theory.

The bills would have applied the state's obscenity laws to local libraries and allow counties and cities to terminate library board members.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on May 23 reversed a district court’s preliminary injunction and dismissed free speech claims in Little v. Llano County, a Texas case challenging the removal of 17 books from a public library.

Alt Text: White words on blue background stating “Rather than succumbing to helplessness, the response is to do something, take a step, find your work, and commit to it.” Allison Jennin…