Library Stat of the Week #46: Where there are more libraries and librarians, people tend to be readier to engage in volunteering and more interested in politics

Last week’s Library Stat of the Week looked at the relationship between the strength of the library field in any given country, and levels of trust in government. As highlighted, trust matters because it can be a determining factor in the effectiveness of policies, especially at the time of COVID-19. This week we look to […]

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Remedies, Removals and Rights: (Lack of) Conclusions So Far from the EU Stakeholder Dialogue on Upload Filters

The third day of Copyright Week 2020 is focusing on the topic of remedies – the compensation that those found guilty of infringement are expected to pay to ‘make things right’. In the United States, for example, these can be very high, with the intention of having a dissuasive effect, although often final sums are […]

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The 10-Minute Library Advocate #24: Think What Your Audience Wants to Hear

Advocacy is about getting people to agree with you. When you talk with someone, you want them to understand that you have shared goals, and that you can help them. Especially for decision-makers, who often have to face problems, libraries should look like a solution. To do this, you need to adapt your arguments, and […]

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Getting the Right Measures: How Copyright Exceptions and Limitations are an Essential Ingredient for Successful Library Systems

In any recipe, you cannot just substitute one ingredient with more of another. If you try to make a cake only with flour and milk, you get wallpaper paste. One made only of egg is a soufflé. The same goes libraries and their work to support education, innovation and culture. A variety of ingredients is […]

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Day for Universal Access to Information: Libraries, Freedom, and the US Law

Why US Courts consider public library as the “quintessential locus” of information in a free and democratic society. By Tomas Lipinski (Professor, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee) Anyone following recent library developments is the United States is likely to have seen legislative efforts in various states to restrict access to LGBTQIA+ or […]

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Libraries on the political compass: advocating to politicians from different perspectives

This blog starts from the fact that libraries find themselves having to make the case for funding and support to decision-makers with a wide variety of positions, and looks at what sort of arguments could work in each case. It is with thanks to Antoine Torrens-Montebello, who sparked the idea for it. 

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