The popularity of public library streaming media entertainment spiked during the pandemic. What’s next?

Libraries have been reinventing themselves for well over a decade, as the emergence of smartphones and ubiquitous connectivity has put access to information into nearly everyone’s hands. No longer just repositories of information, libraries have morphed into full-service community centers that aim to meet a wide variety of civic and social needs.

On the Books: Using Algorithms of Resistance to Expose North Carolina’s Jim Crow Laws is a machine learning and collections as data project of the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill Libraries. Where does the “resistance” come in? Since 2019, the project team has been building an algorithm and searchable database for Jim Crow legislation signed into law in North Carolina between 1866 and 1967 (Reconstruction to Civil Rights era). 

From a Joint Announcement: OverDrive, the leading digital reading platform for libraries and schools worldwide, announced today that it is acquiring Kanopy, a leading video streaming service for public and academic libraries.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lives around the world, public libraries were undergoing dramatic changes. No longer just repositories of information, libraries have morphed into full-service community centers that aim to meet a wide variety of civic and social needs. Six forward-looking companies are helping libraries meet evolving needs in their communities with innovative products, services, and design.

House Bill 518/(SB432) became law in Maryland on June 1. The law—which the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates both passed unanimously in April—requires publishers to offer "electronic literary product" licenses to Maryland libraries “on reasonable terms,” and prohibits publishers from instituting embargo periods during which ebook and electronic audiobook licenses are available for sale to the public but not to libraries. When the law takes effect in January 2022, the state will view violations as “an unfair, abusive, or deceptive trade practice subject to certain enforcement.”

On May 17, Clarivate announced a definitive agreement to acquire ProQuest from Cambridge Information Group for $5.3 billion. Pending regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of 2021.

On May 18, Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) signed an agreement with Amazon Publishing that will make all of the latter’s 10,000 ebooks and audiobooks available to libraries via the DPLA Exchange content marketplace. This is the first time that ebooks and audiobooks from Amazon Publishing have been made available to libraries.

From DPLA: Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is pleased to announce that we have signed an agreement with Amazon Publishing to make all of the approximately 10,000 Amazon Publishing ebooks and audiobooks available to libraries and their patrons through the DPLA Exchange.