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When the local paper folds, who's left to cover the news?

Checking in with the remaining reporters in Val Verde County, Texas, three years after its last daily newspaper folded.
Del Rio, Texas, lost its daily newspaper in 2020. Media researchers have labeled Val Verde County, in which Del Rio is located, a "news desert." But that doesn't mean it's a complete vacuum of information.
David Brancaccio/Marketplace

How voters in a Texas news desert get their information

Researchers have labeled 204 counties in America as "news deserts" — places that lack access to credible, reliable news sources. That includes Val Verde County, Texas.
Del Rio is county seat of Val Verde County, Texas — one of more than 200 counties in the U.S. classified as a "news desert."
David Brancaccio/Marketplace

In California and beyond, the right-to-repair movement picks up speed

Feb 9, 2024
Fixit Clinics and other groups have formed communities devoted to reducing waste and costs by fixing broken devices.
A Fixit Clinic coach works on a tape player at a California library. Fixit Clinics' aim is to reduce costs for appliance owners and reduce waste for society.
Kathryn Styer Martínez/KQED

The Internet Archive lawsuit highlights the tricky economics of e-books and libraries

Mar 30, 2023
Public libraries have to pay more for e-books than physical copies, while academic libraries say that journal subscription prices are rising.
A view of the Rose Main Reading Room at the New York Public Library.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

This Tennessee library can offer more services — when it pays as much as McDonald's

“We don't have enough people to add new things," like social services, says the director of the Marshall County Memorial system.
"We have people who come to the library who need help with housing or help with food," says Jennifer Pearson, director of the Marshall County Memorial Library System.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Library e-book checkouts soar during the pandemic

Dec 24, 2020
Publishers may want to turn the page on this moment, though, to get back to more store sales of books after COVID-19.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, library checkouts of electronic books have shot up by more than 50%. And libraries expect the demand to last.
fizkes via Getty Images

Libraries have spent years reinventing themselves. Will they have to do it again?

May 14, 2020
Just when libraries had figured out how to be a community space, they might have to change again.
Jennifer Pearson, director of the Marshall County Library in Tennessee, with a bag of books for curbside pickup.
Courtesy of Jennifer Pearson

For public good, not for profit.

Why e-books make things complicated for libraries

Dec 4, 2019
Digital books are more expensive than physical books and create logistical challenges for libraries.
A librarian displays a recently-arrived e-book at the Chicago Public Library in 2000.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images

In Denmark, long opening hours for unstaffed libraries

Apr 3, 2019
Almost half of Denmark's libraries are open 24 hours a day.
Almost half of Denmark's libraries are open 24 hours a day.
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