$1.5 billion AI piracy settlement rejected by federal judge

Anthropic logo Andrew Richard Albanese writes: “The terms of a massive $1.5 billion settlement between authors and AI company Anthropic have only been available for a few days, but the deal already has one major objector: Willam Alsup, the federal judge who must ultimately approve the deal. According to Bloomberg News, Alsup spent much of a 54-minute hearing on September 8 blasting the initial settlement filing, and questioned whether the class lawyers were attempting to force a deal ‘down the throat of authors’” before refusing to grant preliminary approval. He set a second hearing for September 25 to receive clarifying information.

Words & Money, Sept. 9, Sept. 5; Bloomberg Law, Sept. 8

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Brett Zongker and Deb Fiscella write: “The 2025 National Film Registry has been announced, showcasing a group of 25 films spanning 118 years and including fan favorites such as The Thing, Clueless, The Big Chill, and The Incredibles. The Library of Congress’s annual addition to the list of films to be preserved for their cinematic and cultural heritage starts with the 1896 silent film, The Tramp and the Dog, and stretches to the 2014 Wes Anderson picture The Grand Budapest Hotel. Since Congress established the registry in 1988, 925 films have been added.”

Library of Congress, Jan. 29
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Tony Phillips writes: “In today’s fast-paced world, where everyone seems to be in a rush, displaying data in a way that can be easily interpreted and analyzed—such as in a heat map—is essential. Excel lets you automatically color-code figures to demonstrate their relationship with one another, using darker colors for higher numbers and lighter colors for lower numbers, for example. This means you can see trends and anomalies at a glance.”

How-To Geek, Feb. 2
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The RAILS regional library system in northern Illinois has published advocacy tools for libraries to build awareness about the challenges of e-book and audiobook pricing. These documents include an advocacy flier, sample social media graphics, and sample copy that libraries can use to make their communities aware of this growing problem. Libraries are also welcome to download a Canva template to customize graphics with their own logos.

RAILS, Jan. 30
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Jerry Lawson writes: “When people think about malware, they often imagine someone clicking a suspicious attachment or downloading a shady file. In reality, one of the most dangerous forms of infection requires no obvious mistake at all. It’s called a drive-by download, and it remains a quiet but serious threat. It occurs when malicious code is installed on a device simply by visiting a compromised website—often without any prompt or warning. No defense is perfect, but layered precautions significantly reduce exposure.”

LLRX, Jan. 29
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Angele Latham and Scott Broden write: “Nearly 3,000 books that were flagged as possibly running afoul of federal standards on gender topics have been temporarily saved from removal from public library shelves across Rutherford County, Tennessee, on February 2. Instead, the board approved recommendations from Rutherford County Library Board Director Luanne James that would move 450 books out of the juvenile collection. The statewide review was spurred by an October letter from Secretary of State Tre Hargett, which directed most public libraries in the state to review their juvenile collections conform to a Trump executive order on gender topics.”

The Tennessean (Nashville), Feb. 3, Dec. 3
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Catherine Paolillo and Christopher Marcum write: “This study gathered feedback from student employees on the elements of our retention program that they see as critical to retaining them throughout their time on campus. Consistently positive feedback regarding flexible schedules and a supportive interview experience highlights the effectiveness of our hiring practices. Strong appreciation for the structured onboarding and training process indicates that our efforts to provide consistent and thorough preparation are successful. However, more work is needed to assess our need for direct day-to-day supervision for all students and to improve our performance appraisal process and specific work-preparation activities.”

Library Leadership and Management, Vol. 39, No. 2, Feb. 1
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Ariel Barreras writes: “Like many of you, I currently have Pokémon on the brain! In December, I wrote about how I was preparing to start a Pokémon Club at my library. In this post, I will share the setup for my first session and what I have learned after completing round one of Pokémon Club. The first session of a new program can be a tricky one, with kids and the librarian trying to figure out what works best. Throughout the session, I was taking notes on what worked and what needs work.”

ALSC Blog, Jan. 31

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