What Really Destroyed the Library of Alexandria?; National Geographic, August 28, 2026

 Candida Moss , National Geographic; What Really Destroyed the Library of Alexandria?

"We can’t excavate the Library of Alexandria; If it is not under water, then the other place on the peninsula where it was said to be located is currently occupied by the Egyptian military. But we do know that insects, mice, and mold were major issues for Egyptian book collectors that could only be counteracted by recopying texts. And we also know that the third century C.E. was a period of military crisis and financial upheaval that disrupted funding streams in the Roman Empire. Given the instability and currency devaluation of this period, Bagnall said, along with the rapid turnover of Roman prefects, budget cuts, staff losses, and ample opportunities for theft, “it’s not difficult to imagine the whole enterprise just falling apart.” 

It would have happened slowly over time, and therefore not necessarily been documented. But there’s a powerful lesson here, said Schultz, about the need to fund and sustain public libraries.

The real boogeyman, then, is just neglect. It’s not as exciting as marauding monks or power-hungry generals, but it might be more dangerous."

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Changes Lives. Some States Gut It Anyway.; The New York Times, August 26, 2026

Ash Wu, The New York Times; Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Changes Lives. Some States Gut It Anyway.

"In 1995, Parton started the Imagination Library in Sevier County, Tenn., where she grew up. The program mails a free book each month to registered children from birth until age 5.

The Imagination Library mushroomed after forging an exclusive partnership with Penguin Young Readers in 2001; the agreement was later expanded to include Random House Children’s Books, after Penguin and Random House merged in 2012. In the United States, books are selected by childhood literacy experts, according to the Imagination Library website. Educational nonprofits that partner with the library help to enroll children in their local communities in the program, paying an average of $2.60 per child to cover the costs of books and postage each month.

Parton dedicated the library to her father, a farmer who never learned to read or write.

“My daddy just loved it when all the little kids would call me ‘The Book Lady,’” Parton wrote in a note to fans that was previously posted to her website. “That meant more to him than the fact that I had become a star and worked my butt off.”"

China asserts firm grip on research data; Science, April 9, 2018

Dennis Normile, Science; China asserts firm grip on research data

"In a move few scientists anticipated, the Chinese government has decreed that all scientific data generated in China must be submitted to government-sanctioned data centers before appearing in publications. At the same time, the regulations, posted last week, call for open access and data sharing...

...[T]he U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is concerned. “NSF bases its funding and its international collaboration on the principle of the freedom for scientists to publish all of the data they generate with U.S. funding, regardless of where the data are collected,” Nancy Sung, head of NSF’s Beijing office, wrote in an email to Science. “We would be concerned about any potential impact to this principle.”"

Sources: Lee quit amid tensions over Patent Office funding; Politico, June 7, 2017

Nancy Scola, Politico; Sources: Lee quit amid tensions over Patent Office funding

"Intrigue continues to surround Michelle Lee's abrupt resignation Tuesday as director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, with some sources saying it was triggered by the Trump administration's efforts to tap her agency's funding to pay for services at the Commerce Department."

'Moonshot' cancer panel calls for US to create national research database; Guardian, 9/7/16

Amanda Holpuch, Guardian; 'Moonshot' cancer panel calls for US to create national research database:

"The Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel report said the recommendations, if implemented, “will transform our understanding of cancer and result in new opportunities to more effectively prevent and treat the disease”.

The 10 recommendations include existing programs that need more funding – such as research to update guidelines for patient symptom control – and brand new initiatives including a human tumor database to monitor and analyze multi-dimensional cell behavior...

But the funding necessary to fulfill these recommendations has not been approved by Congress despite lobbying by the Obama administration, which said it hoped to spend $1bn on the program."

Britain’s scientists are freaking out over Brexit; Washington Post, 7/31/16

William Booth and Karla Adam, Washington Post; Britain’s scientists are freaking out over Brexit:

"British research today is networked, expensive, competitive and global. Being part of a pan-European consortium has helped put Britain in the top handful of countries, based on the frequency of citations of its scientific papers.

Last week the heads of British academic societies posted a public letter reminding everyone that the country’s universities, many of them among the best in the world, are staffed by legions of top-flight researchers from abroad...

Research in the 21st century is more collaborative than ever, the scientists say...

“You can’t do this kind of research in one country,” Rosser said. She is especially worried about what will happen to funding and collaboration for investigating rare diseases."