Librarians are fighting a nationwide battle against high e-book prices, which so far has yielded minimal results. Despite efforts and temporary legislative victories, strict renewal and loan policies imposed by publishers keep e-book costs high, limiting the number of popular titles libraries can offer and leading to frustration among patrons. Axios reports: Publishers typically require libraries to renew the license to each e-book every two years, or after 26 loans -- policies that libraries call prohibitively expensive. This restricts the number of e-books -- particularly popular bestsellers -- that they can lend out to patrons, who are angry and baffled by the limitations. Readers love the free (to them) apps that allow them to borrow countless e-books and audiobooks: Libby (the dominant one, run by OverDrive) and hoopla. But some libraries say that the cost of renewing their contracts with OverDrive and hoopla are prohibitive, so they're dropping the apps -- hoopla in particular. The Association of American Publishers argues that it must protect the rights of copyright owners -- that is, authors -- to be fairly compensated for their work. hoopla and Libby say they're just the middlemen. "It's really not up to us, to be honest," Ann Ford, a vice president at hoopla, tells Axios. "It's the publishers that make the rules." Libraries have a "unique and determinative public mission" that should entitle them to more favorable e-book purchasing terms when using public funds, says Kyle Courtney, a lawyer and Harvard librarian who drafted model e-book legislation for states. "These are nonnegotiable contracts, and the libraries have been trying to get a deal for years. We need the coercive power of the state sitting behind us at the table saying, 'We need a special slice of the pie.'"

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Asus on Tuesday said that it would announce its first 'AI PC' based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite system-on-chips later this month. The new laptop is set to be introduced at the Next Level. AI Incredible virtual launch event on May 20.

The launch of Asustek's new Vivobook S 15 will be hosted by Asus and will be joined by representatives of Qualcomm and Microsoft, who will reveal how they collaborated with PC maker to develop the first notebook based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processors. These new SoCs promise to have a significant impact on the PC market in the coming quarters as they are based on the Arm instruction set architecture and are expected to bring together high performance, on-device AI acceleration, and long battery life. 

Qualcomm itself calls systems powered by its Snapdragon processors as AI PCs, which is exactly how Asus calls it Vivobook S15 as well. Meanwhile, the only things we know about the machine for now is that it will be based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite or Snapdragon X Plus processors with 12 or 10 Oryon CPU cores (originally developed by Nuvia), a high-end Adreno GPU, and a 45 TOPS NPU; will come in a metallic chassis, and will feature a 15-inch display.

"The launch event, which will feature a collaboration between Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Asus, celebrates the first of the new-era Asus AI PCs, which are set to redefine the very fabric of computing," a statement by Asus reads. "The new laptop will usher in a new era of Asus AI PCs, breaking traditional boundaries and harnessing advanced AI capabilities. With comprehensive support for the latest AI functionality from Asus and Microsoft, it offers personalized AI experiences tailored to individual requirements."

Asus is also scheduled showcase its Vivobook laptops based on Qualcomm's processors at Computex in June. Actual systems will be available later this year.

The U.S. publishing industry is driven by celebrity authors and repeat bestsellers, according to testimony from a blocked merger between Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. Only 50 authors sell over 500,000 copies annually, with 96% of books selling under 1,000 copies. Publishing houses spend most of their advance money on celebrity books, which along with backlist titles like The Bible, account for the bulk of their revenue and fund less commercially successful books.

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An anonymous reader writes: More books were called to be banned in 2023 across US schools and libraries than any other year on record, according to a new report from the American Library Association (ALA). Building on a surge that started in 2021, some 4,240 unique book titles were challenged last year -- a 65% increase from 2022, and the highest figure documented in over 20 years of tracking. Although the number of affected titles has grown dramatically, as groups increasingly target multiple books at once, overall censorship demands dropped slightly, down 2% to 1,247. Literature concerning race and gender was particularly contested, with autobiographical graphic novel Gender Queer named the most challenged library book of the year.

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