Microsoft has created a new program offering Windows licenses and its standard Office software suite for free to all public access computers in public libraries, following “sustained advocacy by ULC [the Urban Libraries Council], the Public Library Association, and major urban systems,” according to a ULC announcement. All libraries qualify, although the program applies only to public-access devices and does not include computers used primarily by library staff. Libraries can apply for the program here.

JSTOR, part of the nonprofit ITHAKA, this month announced a milestone in its Path to Open initiative: the first 100 books published through the program are now open access and freely available to readers everywhere. Supporting the transition of peer-reviewed scholarly monographs to open access at scale, the Path to Open initiative aims to offer more than 1,000 titles in disciplines across the arts, humanities, and social sciences this year. “Path to Open was built to balance sustainability for publishers, opportunity for authors, and affordability for libraries,” Kevin Guthrie, President of ITHAKA and Manager Director for JSTOR, said in an announcement. “Seeing the first 100 titles become openly available shows that a community-driven model can deliver on all three at scale while expanding global access to high-quality scholarship.”

Ingram Library Services has announced a partnership with Backstage Library Works “to deliver additional fully integrated shelf-ready processing solutions,” according to an announcement. Ingram will ship purchased items to Backstage, where they will be assigned MARC records and processed with covering, labeling, stamping, and tagging. Finished materials will then be shipped to a library’s central processing location or directly to branches. The announcement states that the shelf-ready service will provide ready-to-circulate materials even for “libraries with highly customized” specifications. “Partnering with Backstage allows us to expand our own cataloging and processing services to offer libraries additional choices for true end-to-end workflow solutions that meet the needs of today’s libraries,” said Carolyn Morris, VP of Library Services at Ingram Content Group.

ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID), the global nonprofit that provides persistent identifiers to contributors to scientific literature, humanities publications, and other scholarly communications, this month published its new strategic plan, ORCID 2030: Advancing the Future of Research. The plan includes five themes: Empowering Researchers, Connecting Research Information, Broadening the ORCID Community, Advancing Trust and Integrity, and Strengthening ORCID’s Resiliency. “In developing the plan for the next phase of ORCID’s growth and evolution, we adopted the SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results) strategic planning framework,” according to an ORCID blog post. “Given that ORCID’s core vision and mission remain highly valid—and thus a strategic change of direction is not warranted—the SOAR method’s emphasis on doing more of what is working for the organization while expanding our horizons perfectly suits our needs. Furthermore, as the research and scholarly landscape faces challenging and uncertain times, SOAR allows us to remain agile and adapt quickly by continually reinforcing and leveraging our core competencies.”

Library Ideas last month announced a partnership with Blinkist, the world’s top micro-learning app with 41 million users, to make Blinkist Premium available to library patrons. A learning platform that distills insights from nonfiction books into actionable "Blinks" of 15 minutes or less, Blinkist currently features more than 9,000 titles in English, German, and Spanish. Early adopters include Singapore’s National Library Board (NLB); Libraries Tasmania; Ipswich Libraries in Australia; Stadtbücherei Mühldorf am Inn, Germany; San Bernardino County Library, CA; and Mason Public Library, OH.

Follett Content and OverDrive’s Sora student reading app last month announced a sales partnership aimed at providing “an improved experience for readers by delivering digital content to [K–12] students,” according to an announcement. The integration will bring Follett’s digital catalog directly into the Sora app for students to access. “Sora and Follett Content share a deep commitment to empowering students with equitable access to high-quality reading materials,” said Renee Davenport, VP of Education for Sora. “By bringing together Follett Content’s respected resources with the digital reading experience in Sora, we’re giving educators and librarians more ways to meet readers where they are.”

Separately, OverDrive announced that libraries once again broke digital lending records in 2025 with over 820 million checkouts, representing a 10.9 percent increase over 2024. This included 379.4 million ebooks borrowed (a three percent increase), 315.9 million audiobooks checked out (a 13 percent increase), 125.1 million magazines borrowed (a 31 percent increase), and 55.7 million comics borrowed (a 22 percent increase). The company also added 3.6 million new users to its Kanopy streaming service, a 41 percent increase.

The Equinox Open Library Initiative last month announced the 3.16 release of the Evergreen open source ILS, which is currently used by 1,800 libraries worldwide. New features include “single sign on for library staff sponsored by North Carolina Community College Evergreen, built-in integration for Quipu eCARD and eRENEW services supported by the Pennsylvania Integrated Library System, circulation payments which can now be marked nonrefundable backed by the Kenton County Public Library, and the ability to search and display accessibility metadata from MARC bibliographic records, plus additional usability and accessibility improvements with support from the BC Libraries Cooperative,” according to an announcement.

The Urban Libraries Council (ULC) announced its 2025 Innovations Awards Winners last month. The winners were Dayton Metro Library, OH; DC Public Library; Gwinnett County Public Library, GA; Pasadena Public Library, CA; Pioneer Library System, OK; and Prince William Public Libraries, VA. Honorable mentions were awarded to Halifax Public Libraries in Nova Scotia, Canada; Hartford Public Library, CT; Hennepin County Library, MN; Kitchener Public Library in Ontario, Canada; Sacramento Public Library, CA; and Saint Paul Public Library, MN. “This year’s submissions showcased the remarkable breadth of library innovation—from engagement campaigns spanning generations and programs designed quickly yet thoughtfully in the wake of natural disasters, to creative policy updates that promote safer, healthier libraries,” according to a ULC announcement. “More than 180 projects, spanning the six award categories, were submitted by ULC member libraries across the United States and Canada. The 2025 Innovations Initiative is proudly supported by EBSCO, the premier supporter of public library innovation.”

The Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2026. “ASERL’s strength has always come from its members and their shared commitment to collaboration,” Dr. Leslie N. Sharp, Dean of Libraries at Georgia Tech and ASERL’s Board President for 2025–26, said in an announcement. “As we celebrate this milestone, we honor the vision of our founders, the dedication of generations of library leaders, and the enduring impact of working together to support the continued success of the students, faculty, and researchers we serve.”

OCLC's CloudLibrary platform, which offers patrons access to ebooks, e-audiobooks, streaming video, digital magazines, and other digital content, has received Gold recognition as part of the 2026 Modern Library Awards from LibraryWorks. OCLC acquired the digital platform from Bibliotheca in April 2024. Drew Bordas, COO for OCLC, said in an announcement, “This recognition is especially meaningful because it’s judged by our customers—the libraries that rely on our products and services every day. We’re grateful for their support. Being recognized for the second consecutive year since CloudLibrary joined OCLC reflects our continued investment in this innovative product and outstanding team.”

EBSCO Information Services has opened submissions for its 2026 EBSCO Solar Grant. Now in its 11th year, the grant helps offset the cost of solar panel installations, produce solar flower gardens, and create green infrastructure. The company will award a total of $300,000 in solar grants this year. Libraries can submit any questions through February 27. Submissions are due by April 30, and winners will be announced in June.