Sep 14, 2026 · 1h 2m
Digital vendors are reshaping what libraries can offer
Fighting for the Future of Libraries (With Jennie Rose Halperin)
The episode shows how licensing, DRM, AI-generated material, and database restrictions can turn public digital access into a fragile, privately controlled system.
- 1Libraries often rent digital books under restrictive terms rather than owning durable copies for their communities.
- 2AI-generated material and vendor dependence make it harder for librarians to preserve quality, context, and trust.
- 3Library advocacy now extends beyond book challenges to database access, digital rights, and community-centered services.
Don't miss
Jennie Rose Halperin explains how AI-generated books can flood digital library marketplaces, making useful information harder to distinguish from noise.
The brief
Jennie Rose Halperin of Library Futures frames the central problem: technology vendors increasingly shape how libraries buy, lend, protect, and explain digital resources.
Services such as OverDrive and Libby make ebooks convenient, but restrictive licenses, borrower limits, and DRM mean libraries generally rent access rather than own copies.
The conversation connects digital scarcity to a newer threat: AI-generated books entering library marketplaces, adding low-quality material to an already noisy information environment.
Halperin defends professional selectors who balance quality, context, broad access, and community needs instead of relying on blunt systems to identify AI-generated work.
The episode broadens censorship beyond challenged books, showing how database restrictions can quietly narrow research access while libraries remain vital community institutions.
Featuring
Jennie Rose Halperin
Connecticut Library Association
ConnecticutListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.