An Update on the Internet Archive's Libraries

In response to the lawsuit by four publishers, the Internet Archive (IA) announced that it will close its National Emergency Library tomorrow, two weeks ahead of the originally scheduled June 30.

The IA has released a blog post with testimonials to the positive impact the National Emergency Library, such as “So grateful that the NEL is there to help our kids stay connected with their schoolwork.“ and “The NEL has been a relief and lifeline to diverse materials that are not accessible or out of financial reach for me and my family.“

Adds Chris Freeland of the IA, “If you’d like to share your own story of how you used the NEL and the impact it made, please let us know. We will not share your response unless you give explicit permission. “

The IA will continue to offer the Open Library. RF reiterates its support of the Open Library’s use of Controlled Digital Lending (CDL) and points readers uncertain of CDL’s legal underpinnings to this site for a full discussion.