Good morning: Over the past week we’ve collected several stories about the ruling against the Internet Archive over fair use in providing books to public libraries and why this is a very significant ruling. Today’s piece from MIT Technology Review is perhaps the best explainer for what it means for the economics of libraries. Essentially it will drastically reduce the ability of libraries to offer new books as they traditionally have. This is one of those stories about tech infrastructure that is tremendously consequential for how culture is shared. Well worth the read.
- War, Love, And Impressionism: The Story Of Eduard And Berthe The romantic and artistic partnership between Impressionist painters Edouard Manet and Berthe Morisot. Sebastian Smee’s new book, Paris in Ruins: Love, War, and the Birth of Impressionism, captures the intertwined nature of their love and the war-torn times that influenced their work. Read more in MSN.
- The Billionaire Composer And His Ability To Buy High-Profile Performers Alexey Shor, a billionaire composer, uses his wealth to hire top soloists to perform his music. Critics argue that his compositions lack depth, yet his financial power continues to draw the attention of the classical music world. Read more in VAN Magazine.
- The Internet Archive Court Loss Traps Libraries In Untenable Position A recent court decision against the Internet Archive locks libraries into a profit-driven e-book ecosystem that may compromise reader privacy and access to knowledge. This ruling could have profound implications for local libraries and the communities they serve. Read more in MIT Technology Review.
- NaNoWriMo Suggested Using AI To Write Novels, And Actual Novelists Are Furious The popular writing initiative NaNoWriMo sparked outrage by suggesting the use of AI tools to write novels. Many novelists argue that AI undermines the creative process and disrespects the artistic integrity of human writers. Read more in MSN.
- How Grassroots Advocacy Remade Arts Funding In St. Petersburg, Florida Grassroots efforts in St. Petersburg have transformed the city’s approach to arts funding, ensuring that diverse cultural programming thrives despite the challenges posed by the free market. Read more in 83 Degrees Media.
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Doug
