Andrew Albanese

New York

Co-founder and editor of Words & Money. Career book person, author, journalist, former Publishers Weekly and Library Journal.

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Articles

Judge Schedules Next Steps in the ALA’s IMLS Case

1 week ago | wordsandmoney.com | Andrew Albanese

After declining to issue a preliminary injunction, federal judge Richard J. Leon this week set a schedule that likely won’t have the American Library Association's lawsuit to save the Institute for Museum and Library Services ready for oral argument until October, at the earliest.
GAO Declares Trump's Withholding of IMLS Funds to Be Illegal

1 week ago | wordsandmoney.com | Andrew Albanese

The Trump Administration is breaking federal law by withholding congressionally approved funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, according to a report released this week by the Government Accountability Office.
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending June 13, 2025

2 weeks ago | wordsandmoney.com | Andrew Albanese

On Sunday, June 8, former Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden broke her silence and spoke with Robert Costa at CBS News, her first interview since her sudden dismissal last month. Among the not-surprising-but-still-shocking moments, Hayden revealed that she has not heard from anyone at the White House beyond the brief email dismissing her, despite one most successful tenures of any Librarian of Congress in the institution's history. "I was never notified beforehand, and after," Hayden told Costa.
With an Appeals Court Considering a Stay in Rhode Island Case, the IMLS Faces an Uncertain Future

2 weeks ago | wordsandmoney.com | Andrew Albanese

The immediate future of the IMLS is hanging in the balance as attorneys for 21 states this week urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit not to stay a Rhode Island judge’s preliminary injunction blocking the Trump Administration from dismantling the agency. In a 34-page filing this week, lawyers for 21 plaintiff states argue that Judge John J. McConnell’s May 13 injunction was properly issued—an argument that comes a week after judge Richard J.
Minnesota School District Settles Lawsuits, Agrees to Return Banned Books to School Library Shelves

2 weeks ago | wordsandmoney.com | Andrew Albanese

In a move being applauded by freedom to read advocates, a Minnesota school district has agreed to return dozens of banned books to the school’s shelves to settle two lawsuits filed in March by a coalition students and advocacy groups.
In About Face, Judge Denies ALA's Bid for Injunction Blocking IMLS Destruction

3 weeks ago | wordsandmoney.com | Andrew Albanese

After a month-long temporary restraining order, a federal judge in Washington D.C. has sharply reversed course, and denied without prejudice the American Library Association’s motion for a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the IMLS. In a June 6 opinion and order, judge Richard J. Leon noted that both “the facts and the law” in the case are in flux and held that the ALA could therefore not make a showing that it was likely to prevail on the merits.
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending June 6, 2025

3 weeks ago | wordsandmoney.com | Andrew Albanese

You have to hand it to library leaders in Connecticut—it has been one successful legislative session. After passing the nation's first library ebook legislation since 2022 last month, the state has followed up by passing a law to protect the freedom to read in the state's libraries. On June 4, the Connecticut General Assembly passed Senate Bill 1271, sending the bill to Governor Ned Lamont's desk.
Are Library Book Decisions Government Speech? After Controversial Fifth Circuit Decision, a Florida Judge Is Now Set to Weigh In

3 weeks ago | wordsandmoney.com | Andrew Albanese

After a May 22 hearing, a federal judge in Florida is now set to rule in one of the nation’s most closely watched book banning lawsuits—a publisher-led challenge to two provisions of HB 1069, the 2023 Florida state law that opponents say has led to hundreds of books being pulled from Florida public school libraries.
Rhode Island Judge Declines to Stay His IMLS Injunction

3 weeks ago | wordsandmoney.com | Andrew Albanese

In a June 5 decision, federal judge John G. McConnell denied a Trump administration motion to stay his preliminary injunction blocking the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services pending an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
After Conference, Move to Block the Firing of the Register of Copyrights Set to Stretch Well into the Summer

3 weeks ago | wordsandmoney.com | Andrew Albanese

A federal judge last week declined to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the firing of Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter. But after a June 4 status conference, the court set a schedule to hear Perlmutter's subsequent motion for a preliminary injunction that could stretch the litigation into mid-July, if not later.