Due lack of outside funding, after three years, U.S. World Book Night (WBN)—a worldwide book giving effort in which over a million and half specially-printed World Book Night paperbacks across America were distributed from libraries across the United States—announced on WBN's Facebook page that it would be suspending its operations. According to a July 2 email that its Carl Lennertz, executive director of U.S. WBN, sent out disclosing the news, the organization "did receive some funds via individual donations, and we worked very hard to get grants. We did get some, but there are a lot of other worthy causes out there and only so much money available. We can't carry on without significant, sustainable outside funding." His email went on to detail that the staff of U.S. WBN would be "staying on hand through the summer without pay to maintain social media contact with you all, to talk good books, and to announce the winner of the giver essay contest."

For past SLJ coverage on World Book Night, read:

World Book Night and Social Media Strategies for School Librarians

World Book Night and a Proper Celebration of the Day of Shakespeare’s Birth