Library Futures Launches

Library Futures, a new non-profit, has launched, championing “the right to equitable access to knowledge” and seeking “to empower libraries to take control of their digital futures.” {Disclosure: the ReadersFirst Working Group is listed as a supporting organization on their website.]

Here is a press release dated 1/25/2021:

Library Futures Institute, a new 501(c)(3) that will empower libraries to take control of their digital futures and fight for the right to equitable access to knowledge, launched this week with a social media campaign celebrating a technology-positive vision for libraries.

Focused on six core principles that champion the rights of libraries to lend materials in a digital environment, Library Futures will enable libraries to fulfill their mission, providing non-discriminatory open access to culture for the public good. Through advocacy, grant making, education, and community, the organization will respond to 21st century needs, operate at the speed of change, and level the playing field between publishers and the public.  

In coalition with organizations including Authors Alliance, Boston Public Library, Creative Commons, EveryLibrary, Fight for the Future, Internet Archive, Public Knowledge, Readers First, SPARC, and the Special Libraries Association, this public interest alliance seeks to enable collective action while building power through an innovative advocacy organization. “We need Library Futures now more than ever to organize the voices of librarians to fight for the role of libraries as a public resource for information in the digital age,” says Chris Lewis, President and CEO of Public Knowledge. 

“I am very excited to be a part of Library Futures. This organization is poised to make real change at issues I care about deeply - issues that are challenging libraries today - access and equity,” says Kyle K. Courtney, Copyright Advisor and Program Manager at the Harvard Library Office for Scholarly Communication and Chair of the Library Futures Board. “Digital library books—when loaned correctly—can be a pivotal tool libraries use to preserve great works, provide patrons with access to books, and defend patron privacy. I hope the community will join us in standing up for the future of libraries.”

“I am honored to be leading this organization, which will take on major issues in libraries and help usher in a more inclusive digital future for teachers, learners, and researchers from every walk of life,” says Jennie Rose Halperin, Executive Director.

The campaign can be reshared from the Library Futures social media accounts: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and inquiries regarding press, coalition partners, donations, or volunteer opportunities can be directed to jennie@libraryfutures.net.

Please visit the Library Futures website at https://libraryfutures.net, sign up for the mailing list, and stay tuned for future developments and opportunities.

RF notes substantial overlap in mission with Library Futures and looks forward to joint action for the good of libraries.