The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending May 8, 2026
Among the week's headlines: Library Journal's 2026 class of Movers & Shakers; a librarian claps back at the publisher response to Illinois's library ebook law; Marshall Breeding releases his annual library tech overview; and controversy erupts over an essay by children's book author Mac Barnett.
Movers & Shakers
Library Journal this week announced its 2026 class of Movers & Shakers honoring a great group of library professionals. Two quick notes: first, as LJ points out, the Movers & Shakers awards turn 25 this year, an impressive milestone that I'm personally very happy to celebrate. I was at LJ when we introduced the first class, and I worked on the issue every year until I left the magazine at the end of 2008. It was always an honor to work on the project, and a highlight of the year.
"The production of the annual issue always feels like a good opportunity for reflection on the preceding 12 months," writes LJ executive editor Lisa Peet in her intro. "It’s a moment to wonder not just how we’re all doing, but: Are we OK? Judging by this year’s class of Movers, the answer would be an affirmative Yes."
Also of note: this year's issue is sponsored by Amazon Business. Amazon has been making a big push into the library market over the last year, and if there was any question that Amazon is intending to expand its footprint, well, this is a pretty strong signal of their intentions.
Congrats to all the honorees this year, and to the staff at LJ for another great class of Movers & Shakers.
Architect of Library Ebook Bills Slams Publisher Response to Illinois Legislation
Kyle K. Courtney
After the Illinois House passed its library ebook law last month, leaders of the Association of American Publishers and the Authors Guild put out a statement to the media ripping the bill and accusing supporters of “a backdoor attempt to infringe on the rights of authors and creators across creative mediums and limit their ability to earn a living from their craft.” This week, Kyle Courtney, one of the architects of the legislative framework behind this wave of new library ebook laws, via the Ebook Study Group, responded to the statement on the group's Substack, calling the AAP/AG release a "work of fiction."
"It is a familiar script that the eBook Study Group (ESG) has seen deployed in other states using our eBook model bill," Courtney writes. "Instead of addressing the reality that libraries are having their core functions eviscerated by predatory, non-negotiable, expiring digital contracts, they offer another fear-driven marketing pitch."
Internet Archive Says Fears of AI Scraping Are Impeding Vital Digital Preservation Efforts
Chris Freeland
The Internet Archive has a blog post about the latest episode of the Future Knowledge podcast featuring Wayback Machine director Mark Graham, tech policy expert and Techdirt founder Mike Masnick, media lawyer Kendra Albert, and Authors Alliance executive director Dave Hansen, who discuss reports that "some news publishers are blocking the Wayback Machine from archiving their websites due to unfounded concerns over AI scraping." You can listen to the full podcast, or read the transcript.
Marshall Breeding's 2026 Library Systems Briefing Is Out
Greg Landgraf
Over at American Libraries, Marshall Breeding has published his annual must-read snapshot of the library technology sector, writing that the marketplace is at "a critical juncture, driven by uncertainties in funding and disruptions in technology," including the rapid advance of AI. "[Vendors] will continue to explore new AI features, both in patron-facing interfaces and for staff workflows," Breeding writes. "In other business sectors, these uses of AI have driven workforce reduction; we can expect similar dynamics in the library industry. AI will continue to present both challenges and opportunities for years to come."
Headed to ALA? Check Out Foreword's Library Insight Summit 2026
If you're heading to Chicago for the ALA Annual Conference, consider arriving a day early for Foreword's Library Insights Summit, which is set for June 26 at the McCormick Center, before the ALA conference officially kicks off. "LIS is the only conference designed to bring established publishers, author-publishers, and librarians together for a full day of smart, actionable, and future-focused programming," the event description reads. Hosted in partnership with BISG, NISO, and the IBPA, the program will once again offer an excellent platform to explore issues of common interest. Full program details and registration information is here.
On the Impact of Book Bans in Wyoming
Marion Yoder
WyoFile columnist Marion Yoder writes about the yearslong attack on libraries and librarians in Wyoming ahead of the state's upcoming elections. "Sadly, librarians are on the front lines in the fight against modern-day McCarthyism," Yoder writes. "There’s something terribly wrong with this picture, but it’s one that can be changed for the better. A good place to start is at the ballot box. Meanwhile, thank a librarian for their service."
Libraries Rack Up Wins at the Ballot Box
Jo Ingles
Ideastream State News reports that voters in Ohio approved 12 of 14 library levies on the ballot this week, good news coming after state lawmakers last year voted to slash support for libraries statewide. "Ohio's public libraries lost around $25 million in expected funding in the most recent budget, as the state changed from 1.7% of the General Revenue Fund to a fixed appropriation determined during each budget cycle," the report notes, adding that Ohio is also considering other measures that could impact libraries, including a constitutional amendment to abolish property taxes, and a bill (H.B. 137) that would allow local taxing authorities to reject library levies from appearing on the ballot.
In addition, EveryLibrary reports that pro-library candidates in Texas fared well in local school board elections on May 3. "Across the state, moderate pro-access candidates saw wins, ousting more extremist incumbents in some of the most contested districts," EveryLibrary said. "Texas school board elections once again demonstrated that Texans want moderate candidates who care about the business of running school districts, not extremists."
Mac Barnett, National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature, Faces Backlash Over Essay
By now you've probably heard about the controversy acclaimed children's book author and National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature’s Mac Barnett has touched off by positing that "94.7%" of children's books are "crud" in an essay for his new adult book Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children. (For background, Publishers Weekly has a piece this week, as does School Library Journal). Now, an open letter from members of the children's book community is asking the Library of Congress and Every Child a Reader, which oversee the ambassador role, to "address the harm" and to "work to minimize the damage" done by Barnett's remarks, which, the letter claims "arms book banners with an easy script to further attack books already targeted for bans."
How to Prepare for Pride Month
Kelly Jensen
Over at Book Riot, Kelly Jensen leads off her weekly censorship news column with a look at how libraries can prepare for Pride Month. "For libraries, Pride has traditionally been a month for joyful displays of queer books, with periodic and predictable complaints," she writes. "But several years into surging book bans, escalating violence, and swift-rising fascism, it is important to prepare for the upcoming month of events to anticipate all that has, does, and might arise."
Association of American Publishers Honors Josh Hawley with Distinguished Service Award
At its Annual Meeting this week, the Association of American Publishers featured talks by author and presidential historian Jon Meacham and copyright scholar Paul Goldstein. And, in a somewhat awkward choice, the association gave its Distinguished Public Service Award to Missouri GOP senator Josh Hawley for his stance against "industrial scale copyright infringement by AI companies." The AAP award generally alternates between the two major parties, honoring individuals who have made “outstanding contributions to the public good by advancing laws or policies that respect the value, creation, and publication of original works of authorship.”
Awkward, considering that Hawley hasn't been on the best of terms with publishers in recent years. In 2021 Simon & Schuster canceled publication of Hawley's book, The Tyranny of Big Tech, citing the senator's objection to certifying Joe Biden's Electoral College victory. In a statement, S&S said it could not support Hawley "after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom." Furthermore, in 2022, Hawley introduced the Copyright Clause Restoration Act, a bill that proposed shortening copyright terms for "woke corporations" like Disney. Hawley's proposal was reportedly in retaliation for Disney’s opposition to Florida's “Don’t Say Gay” law.
This isn't the first time the AAP has made a controversial choice for the award. As Alex Shephard reported in the New Republic, in 2022, in the teeth of a surging right-wing movement to ban books, the association gave the award to North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis, despite Tillis sponsoring a bill that would have blocked federal funds from being used to teach Nikole Hannah-Jones's The 1619 Project in K-12 schools.
And Finally This Week...
Viktoria Sundqvist
I do love a good library road trip. CT News Junkie Vicktoria Sundquist has a fun piece on a reporter's mission to visit 50 libraries in 30 days in celebration of the Connecticut Library Association's Passport to Connecticut Libraries program. Among her favorite moments: "when a toddler in Canton abandoned her dad in the parking lot, eagerly ran inside the library, then popped her head back out of the door to see if he was coming in," she writes. "Similarly in Middlebury, a young boy walked through the library’s automatic doors, reached both his arms straight up in the air and shouted 'Yes! We’re here!' ... Pure library joy is contagious."
