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 ]
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 ]
More news stories like this
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 ]
More news stories like this
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 ]
More news stories like this
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 ]
More news stories like this
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 ]
More news stories like this
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 ]
More news stories like this
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 ]
More news stories like this
A Louisiana bill would criminalize membership in the American Library Association with fines, jail time, or hard labor. No, this isn't a joke. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-04-03 16:22:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Under the conference theme “Stories Inspire. Opportunities Await,” Texas Library Association leaders say the 2024 annual conference, set for April 13-16 in San Antonio, is expected to draw more than 5,000 attendees. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
With a strong program and solid registration numbers, excitement is running high for the 2024 Public Library Association Conference, set for April 3–5 in Columbus, Ohio. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Among the week's headlines: The American Library Association announces five new "Core Values" for librarianship; a candidate for Missouri secretary of state campaigns by burning library books with a flamethrower; and OCLC is suing a shadow archive site. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
An award-winning critic chronicles the rise of reality TV, a Virginia bill would ban book bans by school boards, and more news today in books. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-02-07 16:10:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Thirty finalists in six categories for this year's National Book Critics Circle Awards, which recognize books from the publishing year 2023, have been announced. 'Washington Post' critic Becca Rothfeld, author Judy Blume, and the American Library Association have also won special awards. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-25 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Unless checks are put in place, citizens and voters may soon face AI-generated content that bears no relation to realityAndré Spicer is professor of organisational behaviour at the Bayes Business School at City, University of LondonDuring 2023, the shape of politics to come appeared in a video.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-01-03 12:00:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this
CEO Peter Warwick attributed lower than expected second quarter results to a “complex” school environment characterized by “growing polarization in U.S. society and politicized schools and school boards.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
No Book Left Behind, by Alice-Catherine Carls Essay [email protected] Mon, 10/09/2023 - 15:35 Photo by Alexander Grey / UnsplashWelcome news to those of us in the “Flyover Zone”: our reading habits are healthy and well served. The Jackson Madison... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-10-09 20:35:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In the midst of a historic attack on the freedom to read, the American Library Association has announced a series of "listening sessions" which could lead the first revision of the landmark Freedom to Read statement since 2004. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Among the week's headlines: a major victory for freedom to read advocates in Arkansas; a motion to block Texas's new 'book rating' law gets a speedy hearing date; the Michigan Library Association recruits advocates for its freedom to read initiative; and a look at the Brooklyn Public Library's... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The 2023 American Library Association Annual Conference concluded on June 27, in Chicago, with the ALA reporting a solid bump in turnout over 2022. The library community rallied around the freedom to read with a clear stand against censorship. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Publishers from America's heartland are prepared to strut their stuff at this year's American Library Association conference in Chicago. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this