Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-2026

Abstract

Libraries are under attack on multiple fronts. Fueled by right-wing talking points, social-media misinformation, and conspiratorial fantasy, efforts to remove or restrict access to books in public and school libraries have exploded across the United States. At the same time, libraries have confronted a disturbing rise in threats of violence and harassment directed at staff and patrons. State and federal actors have targeted library budgets. And on occasion, local residents have voted to defund their own libraries.

But it gets worse. Libraries face new challenges to their basic operations. Materials are harder than ever to acquire, and many in-demand digital titles are off limits to libraries. Those they can make available have skyrocketed in price, putting undue stress on already overstretched library budgets. Once acquired, those titles are prone to disappearing and vulnerable to post-publication editing, undermining preservation efforts. Because libraries increasingly rely on third-party digital infrastructure for ebook discovery, storage, and delivery, core library values like intellectual freedom and patron privacy are at risk. Just as alarmingly, this outsourcing opens the door to a subtle form of privatization, stripping librarians of their autonomy and disregarding their considered, professional judgment.

Comments

Originally published as Perzanowski, Aaron (2026) "How Licensing Compromised the Library," Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law: Vol. 16: Iss. 3, Article 8. Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sjteil/vol16/iss3/8

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