LatesNews from The Bookseller

Library task force starts work A new task force for libraries, which met for the first time last week, will focus its attention on sharing best practice between councils, promoting the role of digital and shaping a workforce for the future. One of the key aims of the Leadership for Libraries task force will be to highlight to council decision-makers the wide variety of roles that libraries play in their communities—be it boosting health, safety or information agendas. It will also look to help services to share their skills and showcase their value.

Phil Carroll leaves Sainsbury's Sainsbury’s book buying manager Phil Carroll has left the retailer after nine years.  His departure follows a period of head office consultations at the supermarket, announced in January when the new boss Mike Coupe revealed 500 positions would go across its offices in London, Manchester and Coventry.  A regular in the Bookseller 100 list, Carroll increased book sales year-on-year in his time at the grocer, leading it to win both Chain Bookseller of the year in 2011 and Children's Bookseller of the Year in 2014.

Faber launches new membership programme Faber has a launched a new membership programme, which will offer special collector's editions of some of the publisher's titles. The new programme, Faber Members, will offer both a free and a premium tier costing £500 a year, with each giving members a different range of features.

Poole appointed as CILIP c.e.o Nick Poole has been appointed as chief executive of CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. Poole will begin at CILIP in June. He is currently c.e.o. of the Collections Trust, a UK charity which works with libraries, archives and museums, and has previously been a trustee of CILIP, and was CILIP treasurer between 2012 and 2013.

Peter Lang announces management buyout The Switzerland-based Peter Lang Academic Publishing Group is coming under new ownership after a group of senior management and board members announced a management buyout. The new management team – chairman Claude Béglé, c.e.o. Kelly Shergill, c.f.o. Vanessa Weber and head of warehouse and logistics Abdurahman Kaymaz – did not reveal the size of the deal but said the change in ownership will be fully effective by mid-2015.

New Rebus novel from Rankin A new Rebus novel by Ian Rankin will be published this autumn. Orion Fiction m.d. Jon Wood bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Even Dogs in the Wild, Rankin’s 20th Rebus novel, and one other book from Peter Robinson of Rogers, Coleridge & White. Rankin teased fans on Twitter earlier this year with news of the new novel.

EIBF submits evidence to EC enquiry into Amazon's taxes The European Commission (EC) is committed to reporting the first results in its ongoing investigation into the legality of Amazon and Luxembourg’s tax arrangements in the next quarter, after the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) submitted evidence to its inquiry.

Pushkin launches translated crime imprint Pushkin Press is launching a new imprint for crime fiction in translation, Pushkin Vertigo, which will publish crime classics from around the world. The list will issue crime and thriller classics from the 1920s to the 1970s written by international authors, many of whom are well known in their native countries. While some of the titles have been published in English, others have never been translated into English before.

WH Smith opens six stores at Sydney airport WH Smith is to open six outlets at Australia’s Sydney airport following a “competitive tender process”. The new stores are part of the airport’s plans to transform the T1 terminal and the first outlet will open in August, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Nurnberg blasts 'shameful' Lee claims Harper Lee's agent Andrew Nurnberg has issued a full and emphatic denial of claims that novelist Harper Lee has been subjected to "elder abuse" linked to the publication of her novel Go Set a Watchman, describing allegations made against her care as "shameful" and "sad".

Scotland moots library membership from birth Children in Scotland could be issued with library cards from birth under a new scheme discussed in a parliamentary debate, according to the Sunday Times. During a debate on the importance of libraries, culture minister Fiona Hyslop said 30 local authorities have already voiced their support for the scheme.

PRH acquires two books from Robin Stevens Penguin Random House Children’s has acquired two further novels in Robin Stevens’ Murder Most Unladylike series. Books four and five in the series, as yet untitled, will be published in 2016 in paperback (£6.99) and will continue to the story of 1930s schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong. Natalie Doherty, fiction editor at Penguin Random House Children’s, acquired the UK & Commonwealth rights from Gemma Cooper at the Bent Agency.