This month, we focus on: Claude, Sora 2, and the State of AI in business and organizations.

Microsoft makes Windows and Office free for all public access computers in libraries, JSTOR reaches 100 open access books via its Path to Open initiative, Ingram partners with Backstage Library Works to bolster shelf-ready offerings, and more.

People tend to assume that everyone has home broadband access, but affordability is a big issue for some residents. Mission Telecom, a nonprofit telecommunications organization, has stepped up and agreed to provide mobile hotspots at a discounted rate so libraries could continue lending them to patrons in under-resourced communities.

The Public Library Association (PLA) announced the launch of a Transformative Technology Task Force that will focus on artificial intelligence and “advise the association on the evolving role and impacts of transformative technology on library work.”

According to a May 2025 survey, just under half of all responding adults said they think they see false or misleading information online every day. Amid the growing ecosystem of fake news and misinformation spreading online, library reference tools provide carefully vetted information that is trustworthy and reliable.

A growing number of libraries are exploring or implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in 2025 (67 percent, compared with 63 percent in 2024), although the majority are in the earliest evaluation stages, according to Clarivate’s second annual “Pulse of the Library” report, based on a global survey of 2,032 librarians from 109 countries representing academic, public, and national libraries. The report also notes that there is a wide variation between academic and public libraries with AI adoption.

This spring, the Kansas State University Libraries, in Manhattan, KS, will launch a Mobile Innovation Lab, in partnership with the Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab. The towable trailer—packed with innovative technology and programming resources designed to inspire curiosity, spark innovation, and support digital equity—will deliver hands-on, STEM-focused learning experiences to middle and high school students across the state.

The three of us talk monthly in the Libraries Lead podcast (available at librarieslead.libraryjournal.com), and share content from that segment of the podcast in digital and print form through Library Journal. In this month’s column we talk about: “Trapped in a ChatGPT Spiral,” Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince on how AI could “ruin the internet,” disaster preparedness and using AI tools to recreate websites, Claude AI, and the recent Anthropic copyright settlement.