Intellectual Freedom News 03/24/2023
Highlights
- Library association reports record book ban attempts in 2022 | AP News
- Record number of demands made to ban or censor books in 2022: Report | ABC News
- Attempts to ban books doubled in 2022 | New York Times
- Record book ban attempts reported last year | Hill
- Intellectual Freedom Round Table announces Emily J.M. Knox as the recipient of the 2023 Eli M. Oboler Award | ALA
- Amanda Jones receives AASL Intellectual Freedom Award | ALA
- ALA fund available for librarians fighting censorship — News Bites | School Library Journal
Censorship
- Hendersonville Library director fired after threats, allegations in national media relating to Christian actor’s story hour | WKRN (TN)
- Crawford County library board holds off on changing policy for selecting new books | KNWA (AR)
- Escambia County school board decides fate of 4 controversial books | WEAR (FL)
- Escambia school board votes to keep 4 chalelnged books after 7+ hours of debate | Pensacola News Journal (FL)
- Teachers, librarians, parents challenge censorship agenda | Florida Education Association (FL)
- Group seeks removal of sex ed book | Conway Daily Sun (NH)
- Hilton district goes into emergency mode after threats made via emails to media | WHEC (NY)
- Greenlawn school board meeting draws police presence as some parents demand 2 LGBTQ books be pulled from library | News12 (NY)
- School library book bans are seen as targeting LGBTQ+ content | ABC7 NY
- Nationwide spike in book challenges continues. How are Connecticut librarians responding? | CT Public (CT)
- NYLA reaffirms the right to read in response to the Hilton Schools hate crime | NYLA (NY)
- Film ‘Ruby Bridges’ banned in Pinellas County school | Weekly Challenger (FL)
- Hundreds attend library meeting about controversial LGBTQ book | County Press (MI)
- The fate of ‘Gender Queer’ now in the hands of Lapeer librarian | Bridge Michigan (MI)
- Amid national debate over ‘book bans,’ a Michigan district is letting parenets choose what their kids read | Michigan Live (MI)
- As book bans ebb, the battle to criminally charge Texas librarians has started | Houston Chronicle (TX)
- Dozens of Meridian residents testify on petition to dissolve library district. Decision still ahead | Boise Dev (ID)
- To help teachers avoid CRT in class, Calif. school board spends $15k on consultant | Fox17 (CA)
- A CT leader’s decision to pull a children’s book about pronouns from library display called ‘censorship’ | Hartford Courant (CT)
- Central York plans book rating system amid scrutiny over banned books | York Dispatch (PA)
- School board bans ‘Addams Family’ musical over ‘dark’ themes | Newsweek (PA)
- Moving book from middle school problematic for several reasons | Sparta Independent (NJ)
- Media specialists revolt after school board takes aim at book policy | West Volusia Beacon (FL)
- Conservatives are trying to ban books in your town. Librarians are fighting back. | New Republic
- Guilford parents divided over library books some see as ‘vulgar, inappropriate,’ | New Haven Register (CT)
- Library network adopts minor library card policy | Coeur d’Alene Post Falls Press (ID)
- Library book relocation policy rescinded | Fremont Tribune (NE)
Privacy and Cybersecurity
- Mapping project reveals locations of U.S. border surveillance towers | Intercept
- Iowa unanimously passes data privacy law | Forbes
- Schools are tracking everything students do | San Diego Voice & Viewpoint
First Amendment, Free Speech, & Civil Liberties
- The ad in the First Amendment | New York Times
- Florida First Amendment Foundation leader believes defamation bill will affect everyone | WPTV (FL)
- Wyoming ACLU reacts to abortion bans | KPVI (WY)
- Fox News can be held accountable while protecting free speech | Washington Post
Academic Freedom & Campus Speech
- Christopher Rufo wants to shut down ‘activist’ academic departments. Here’s why he’s wrong. | Reason
Legislation
- Florida bill would ban young girls from discussing periods in school | Washington Post (FL)
- Proposals would restrict school library content and limit student privacy at school; how you can weigh in | Oklahoma Watch (OK)
- Utah governor signs laws requiring parents’ consent for minors to use social media | NBC News (UT)
- Human Rights Campaign denounces new Idaho house effort to ban books from school and public libraries | Human Rights Campaign (ID)
- Arizona Senate passes bill that would allow parents to remove books from schools | 12news (AZ)
- Florida advances a bill censoring university DEI, gender studies, and queer studies | Prism (FL)
- State house committee advances latest version of anti-Critical Race Theory legislation | NC Policy Watch (NC)
State & Local Governance
- Rules impacting school libraries, LGBTQ+ students advance in Oklahoma state board of education | Oklahoman (OK)
- Statewide teachers union, other groups file lawsuit challenging Florida’s library book rules | News4Jax (FL)
- Florida edits history, the Ron DeSantis way–Opinion | New York Times
Net Neutrality & Broadband Access
Social Media
International
- Censor to assess ‘Gender Queer’ graphic memoir after activist’s complaint | WA Today (Australia)
Around the Web
- Book sanctuary cities like Chicago are a response to book bans, censorship | Teen Vogue
- Conservatives aim to build a chatbot of their own | New York Times
- Covid politics leave a Florida public hospital shaken | New York Times
- How generative AI impacts democratic engagment | Brookings
- Protesters are bloodied and arrested at NYC drag story hour | NBC News
- Story of 1939 VA library sit-in reinforces today’s fight for access to books | 74 Million
- The new Red Scare for red states: Diversity programs | Politico
- Author protests banning of her highly regarded teen book on surviving sexual assault | Mary Sue
- There’s confusion over book bans in Florida schools. Here’s why | Education Week
- To empower high school students, don’t censor them | News Decoder
ALA News
- 2023 RUSA Achievement Award Winners
- Core Webinar: User Engagement: New Approach and Tools
- Carnegie-Whitney Grant 2023 award winners
- AASL Opens Call For Knowledge Quest and School Library Research Editorial Board Members
- Dr. Alexandra “Alex” Schultz named winner of the 2023 Phyllis Dain Library History Dissertation Award
- Revision of the Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies
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