Intellectual Freedom News 04/02/2023
Highlights
- Statement: American Library Association (ALA) condemns ongoing threats against libraries | Library Journal
- Office for Intellectual Freedom issues letter to the board of Greenville County Library System | Intellectual Freedom Blog
Censorship
- NCAC protests viewpoint discrimination in Greenville County Public Libraries proposed policy | NCAC (SC)
- More than 35 books pulled from Canby High library for reconsideration | Canby First (OR)
- Hilton schools receive new bomb threat | 13WHAM (NY)
- NCAC urges Martin County School District to improve book challenge policy after removal of 100 books | NCAC (FL)
- An interview with the school board chair who forced out a principal after Michaelangelo’s David was shown in class | Slate (FL)
- The inside story of why a Florida school removed a movie about Ruby Bridges | Popular Information (FL)
- Bible ban? School district reviewing the religious text after parent’s request | Hill (UT)
- York County school distrcit removes two popular books from library shelves | Fox 43 (PA)
- Blount County Public Library trustees hear second round of public comments on book challenges | Daily Times (TN)
- Investigation uncovers communication about ban of Heritage Month displays at Orem library | KJZZ (UT)
- ‘Banned books’ at Staples face rare challenge hearing | Westport Journal (CT)
- NCAC recommends a substantial change to proposed library media policy at Volusia County schools in Florida | NCAC
- St. Tammany library board keeps LGBTQ-themed books on shelves | Fox 8 (LA)
- Passionate crowd watches at Greenville Library Board debates gender identity books in kid’s section | WYFF (SC)
- Spring Branch ISD school board passes new streamlined process to ban books submitted for review | ABC 13 (TX)
- ‘This Book is Gay’ is banned at Hillsborough County middle schools | Tampa Bay Times (FL)
- Library collection policy leads to calls for book bans | Blue Ridge Public Radio (NC)
- Heartstopper among latest Florida banned books | Gayming (FL)
First Amendment, Free Speech, & Civil Liberties
Legislation
- Florida is looking to expand ‘Don’t say gay’ law. What does this mean for educators? | Ed Week (FL)
- Texas lawmakers debate which books belong in school libraries | KUT 90.5 (TX)
Disinformation & Media Literacy
- Canadian Nobelist wages war on science disinformation | Times Higher Education
Around the Web
- Conservatives are targeting suburban school boards. And the elections are becoming political battlegrounds | Chicago Tribune
- Democratic Party of Illinois launches $300K direct mail, online ad program for school and library board races | Capitol Fax
- Opinion: ‘Wokeness’ is winning | Washington Post
- ‘The library is a safe place.’ | Wil Wheaton
- Guest column: Why do Oklahoma politicians want us to react to imaginary threats | Oklahoman
- Don’t give into culture war distractions, teachers’ union head says | Ed Week
- SF Public Library trains youth to stand up against book bans–and Ron DeSantis | San Francisco Standard
- A brief history of drag queen story hour | HuffPost
- People are attempting to get books banned in record numbers, and it’s ‘exhausting and frightening’ | Fortune
- School library book bans are seen as targeting LGBTQ content | CBS News
- ‘You have the right to choose what you read’: Demands to censor library books reach record high, librarians push back | KHQ
- When Missouri proposed library censorship, librarians got organized | TruthOut
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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