Censorship is surging thanks to an organised rightwing minority targeting books on LGBTQ and Black characters and issues“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door,” warns a character in Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury’s dystopian vision of an America where books are considered so dangerous they must be incinerated. The novel appeared 70 years ago, in the aftermath of Nazi book burnings and amid McCarthyism and Soviet ideological repression. But the urge to ban books has resurged with a vengeance, with the American Library Association (ALA) recording a doubling of censorship attempts in 2022, to 1,269 across 32 states: the highest rate for decades. Pen America, which champions freedom of expression, tallied more than 2,500 cases in the last school year.These attempts are not merely more numerous but are also broadening and deepening. The decisions of school boards and districts take place in the context of politicians grasping electoral advantage and punitive yet often vaguely worded state laws on education – such as the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis’s, Stop-Woke Act. At least 10 states have passed legislation increasing parental power over library stock, or limiting students’ access. In place of spontaneous challenges to single titles come challenges to multiple titles, organised by campaign groups such as Moms for Liberty. The ALA says that 40% of attempts last year targeted 100 books or more. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-13 17:21:33 UTC ]
In Library World, the word on everybody’s lips is “lawsuit.” Read on for more information about how we’re using the ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-04-22 10:30:00 UTC ]
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The American Library Association (ALA) and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees has filed a lawsuit against ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-04-08 17:24:50 UTC ]
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A lawsuit filed in federal court on April 7 by the American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees alleges that the Trump administration’s recent “evisceration” of the Institute of Museum and Library Services is both illegal and unconstitutional. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-04-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In its annual State of America's Libraries report, the American Library Association found that George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue was the most challenged book of last year, among other titles largely by and about LGBTQ+ persons and people of color. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-04-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Amidst turmoil, the American Library Association is marking National Library Week April 6-12 with the tagline “Drawn to the Library,” which emphasizes the essential role libraries play in American life. This year’s honorary cochairs are Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-04-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The American Library Association and the Sharjah Book Authority will host the inaugural ALA Sharjah School Librarians Conference on April 15–16 in the United Arab Emirates. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Spend any time scanning a list of banned books and you’ll find some head-scratchers: picture books challenged for including seemingly gay characters in the background, or describing a difficult moment in history, or revealing a naked goblin butt. Among the most banned picture books of the last... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-10 08:58:37 UTC ]
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Iowa public libraries may lose access to state funds for being affiliated by the American Library Association under a new anti-library bill floated by state republicans. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-02-25 18:20:00 UTC ]
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House File 274 would repeal a section of the Iowa Code that addresses obscenity exemptions for public libraries and educational institutions, while Senate File 347 proposes steep fines for sharing allegedly obscene work with minors. American Library Association president-elect Sam Helmick called... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Using its I Love Libraries website as a platform, the ALA has launched a public supporter program intended to generate donations and keep library patrons apprised of the organization’s advocacy work and grants. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Established in 2012, the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction are awarded by the American Library Association ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-01-27 15:21:29 UTC ]
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Little Free Library has partnered with the American Library Association and PEN America to develop an interactive map that indicates areas in which books are banned and pinpoints locations of its book-sharing boxes. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-09-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Plus: the most read books on Goodreads in July, new cookbooks for the school year, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-08-02 15:00:00 UTC ]
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The American Library Association has for nearly 40 years been putting out “Read” posters featuring celebrities and books. Lots of us remember these from school and libraries—my elementary school had the Shaq one guarding the reference books section. When I set out to compile a list of these... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-07-18 08:56:19 UTC ]
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Librarians got hands-on experience with tools of the trade and shared their own innovative approaches to meeting community needs at this year’s American Library Association Annual Conference. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Librarians got hands-on experience with tools of the trade and shared their own innovative approaches to meeting community needs at the American Library Association Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, June 27–July 2. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The report, 'Banned in the USA: Narrating the Crisis,' reports 4,349 book bans recorded from July to December 2023, with more book bans recorded during the first half of the current school year than in all of the last school year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The academic and research librarian at the Alder Graduate School of Education in Redwood City, Calif., has been elected president of the American Library Association for its 2025–2026 term. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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