Category: Censorship
Emerging Leaders Team at Work on IFRT Project
Four members of the 2023 ALA Emerging Leaders cohort are now at work on a research project for the Intellectual Freedom Round Table. The project team, made up of Maya Bergamasco, Paul McMonigle, Sarah Colbert and Rach Wells, recently sent a survey to the library associations of all 50 states. The goal is to use the information they gather to create a resource for librarians facing materials challenges.
St. Marys City Renews Library Lease
After months of debate, public protest, and letters of support from the Kansas Library Association, OIF, and ACLU of Kansas, the St. Marys City Commission voted to renew the lease for Pottawatomie Wabaunsee Regional Library for another year.
Viewing Anime Censorship at Your Library
This post provides a historical overview of anime censorship in North America before highlighting notable examples of anime censorship to include in library programming activities. Series mentioned include Cardcaptors, Robotech, Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and more!
Do People Who Fill Out “Request for Reconsideration” Forms Have a Right to Privacy?
Public records requests are a way for journalists and other interested parties to find out information about request for reconsideration forms that have been submitted to libraries and gain insight into book challenges that are happening at libraries near them. A legal debate in Colorado has raised the question of whether individuals submitting request for reconsideration forms are protected by library privacy laws or if their names and other identifying information is public record along with the rest of the request.
The Scapegoats of Status Quo
The growing conservative trend aiming to prosecute and punish educators and librarians for having materials that include ideas about racism, sex, and sexuality is in direct oppostition to the cause of “liberty” – a term often used by these same groups to justify their actions.
The Iranian Protests Are a Reminder of the Need for Praise of Salman Rushdie
We in libraries can do nothing to ameliorate Mr. Rushdie’s physical pain. We can and should, however, proudly display and recommend his works. To support Mr. Rushdie and to celebrate his works is not to attack a religion. It is only to excoriate, as we should, the mindless and soulless adherence to the wrong-headed, hateful, and evil interpretation of a religion promulgated by mere–and mistaken–men.
Digital Collections are Not Immune to Book Challenges
Providers of e-content such as Overdrive and Epic are no longer immune to book challenges – and in some counties, access is being cut off entirely.
Board of Education v. Pico: Forty years of First Amendment Legacy
On June 25, 1982, the Supreme Court announced their decision regarding the authority of school boards to censor materials in school libraries in Board of Education v. Pico. Now, on the 40th anniversary of their landmark decision, we are seeing an unprecedented wave of challenges. What happened with the Pico decision? And will it help us now?
“Banned Book” Reading Group Among Parents in Prosper Texas in the Face of Book Challenges in Their School District
In January of this year the Prosper Citizen Group Political Action Committee (Prosper PAC), a conservative political action group operating in Prosper, Texas, asked the Prosper Independent School District (PISD) to remove a list of 82 books from their libraries on the grounds that they were sexually graphic, violent and inappropriate for children. A group of Prosper ISD parents have created a reading group so they can decide for themselves whether these titles should be removed from Prosper schools. One of those parents is Holly Lister Draper who in February posted a review of one of the books from the Prosper PAC’s list, The Pants Project by Cat Clarke, on her Facebook page.
Fight Censorship: Keeping PRIDE Books on Display
The Office for Intellectual Freedom has received multiple reports over the last two days about individuals checking out all the books from a library’s PRIDE Month display to prevent other readers viewing or reading the books. This censorship tactic is being promoted by a fringe Catholic political advocacy group, CatholicVote.
One thought on “Censorship”
Katy Independent School District
Katy, Texas
Superintendent Dr. Lance Hindt
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Removed book due to parent complaints without following school board policy and procedures regarding challenged materials.
Articles:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2017/12/01/the-hate-give-book-banned-texas-school-district/8C2XDJ2rGSK2jjwyajmKJK/story.html
https://bookriot.com/2017/12/01/the-hate-u-give-banned/
http://cbldf.org/2017/12/the-hate-u-give-banned-in-texas-school-district/
https://www.bookstr.com/hate-u-give-banned-katy-texas-public-school-district