Stylized silhouettes of two people facing each other in front of library shelves.

The Future of Intellectual Freedom: IFLA, FAIFE Seek Comment, Article Proposals

The future of intellectual freedom is ours to decide. To commemorate Human Rights Day, share your views on the IFLA Statement on Libraries and Intellectual Freedom in IFLA-FAIFE’s survey by January 15th. Then, develop your ideas further with an article abstract for the 2021 special issue of IFLA Journal on intellectual freedom due March 1st.

Social media apps on a smart phone

US Eyes TikTok Ban While Books are Pulled From Hong Kong Libraries

A ban seems a bit like using a meat cleaver where a scalpel might be more appropriate. I’m also troubled by the potential message a TikTok ban sends; we want to encourage China to be more protective of and open to free speech, especially in light of the troubling shift toward censorship in Hong Kong. Can we really do that if we are banning their apps? By banning their apps, are we taking steps in that same direction?

Malala Yousafzai

“How Dare They Take Away My Right To Education?” Happy birthday, Malala Yousafzai!

On July 12, the world celebrates the birthday of Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist, author, and speaker, Malala Yousafzai. While perhaps most widely known for being shot in the head by a member of the Taliban on the way home from school and surviving, Malala was an outspoken advocate of girls’ rights and education before that. Make plans for the children and young adults in your libraries and classrooms to discover her work and message.

Carmen-Francesca Banciu

‘Books saved my life and my sanity’: An Interview with Banned Author Carmen-Francesca Banciu

Carmen-Francesca Banciu is an author, journalist and lecturer who grew up in Romania as the daughter of a high-ranking member of the Communist party. She studied in Bucharest, going on to win the International Short Story Prize in Arnsberg, Germany in 1985, leading to a ban on her works in Romania.