We are thrilled to announce that the Mellon Foundation has awarded the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy at NYU Law a two year, $1 million grant to support Library Futures. This grant is in service of our specialized mission that focuses on identifying, addressing, and tackling issues at the cutting edge of libraries and technology. 

Libraries face unprecedented challenges, especially in the areas of equity, access, and emerging technologies. Without an ethical and collaborative vision of the future of libraries and technology, we risk further exacerbating divides in our democracy and society, as well as the continued privatization of information access.

Over the next two years, we will be building out our team of library practitioners, policymakers, advocates, and technologists and promoting new possibilities for preservation of, and unfettered access to, information. We will explore new technologies and policies for access to information and continue to advocate for open access to culture in the service of the public good.

Library Futures originated as a 501(c)3 in January 2021 and is now housed within the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy at NYU School of Law. We are innovative and proactive, tackling cutting-edge issues around technology and access to information. We do so by mobilizing a community of experts through research, policy and advocacy, education, special projects, and programmatic interventions that seek to encourage the adoption of technologies that uplift libraries in the digital age.

This grant would not have been possible without the support of our community, board, donors, and staff, who have been core to this project’s growth over the past two years. As we look forward to 2023, we hope to continue to expand our reach and impact as well as to continue to sustain the project through strategic, community-centered support.

Thank you to the Mellon Foundation for their commitment to the Library Futures mission. Looking forward to more impactful work in 2023 and beyond!