Intellectual Freedom News 1/31/2020
Highlights
Censorship
- Censorship and Cheyenne Schools | Wyoming News; “After the public had voiced their opinions, the Committee came to a unanimous decision recommending to keep the book [ ‘Drama’ by Raina Telgemeier] fully accessible in the Laramie County School District Libraries.”
- Does a ‘Gender Critical’ meeting belong at the public library? City attorney, yes. Others, no. | Burlington Free Press (VT)
- Drag Queen Story Time brings ‘literature, imagination, and a few sequins’ to Norwalk | The Hour (CT)
- Norwalk drag queen event for children draws protesters | Nancy on Norwalk
- Parents angered, surprised over new book on high school reading list | 12 News (FL)
- Drag queens plan protest at state capitol against bill that would jail librarians for displaying age-inappropriate materials | Newsweek
- They’ve found this year’s Culture War and it’s Drag queens, books | Wonkette
- Opinion: We must reject efforts to censor science content standards | Idaho Press
Privacy and Cybersecurity
- Most Americans support right to have some personal info removed from online searches | Pew Research Center
- Facebook will now show you exactly how it stalks you—even when you’re not using Facebook | Washington Post
- Facebook’s new privacy tool lets you manage how you’re tracked across the web | CNet
- Have a search warrant for data? Google wants you to pay | New York Times
- Leaked documents expose the secretive market for your web browsing Data | Motherboard
- Lawmakers claim progress on online privacy bill | The Hill
- Here’s how Facebook plans to make final decisions about controversial content it’s taken down | Vox Recode
- Ad Groups Seek Delay of California Privacy Law | Multichannel News
- If Chrome fixes privacy too fast it could break the web, Google exec warns | CNet
- Opinion: DNA collection at the border threatens the security of all Americans | New York Times
- Worried about privacy at home? There’s an AI on that? | Wired
- Amazon’s Ring app shares loads of your personal info, report finds | Ars Technica
Additional privacy posts, news, and updates are available at the Choose Privacy Every Day blog.
Access
- Meeting rooms and sacred spaces cause schisms in Seattle | Intellectual Freedom Blog
- Opinion: The shaky future of .org domains | New York Times; “The sale of the nonprofit domains to a private equity firm threatens the integrity of the open internet. ICANN should investigate.”
- Tired of waiting for e-books? Two national digital library systems might help | Philadelphia Inquirer
- Philly’s got the worst school librarian ratio in the U.S. This group is protesting. | Philadelphia Inquirer
- In the internet era, public libraries are more vital than ever | Mashable
- Digital Reading Program Extends Classrooms to School Buses in South Texas | School Transportation News
- Immersive classrooms for all | American Libraries
- Position Statement on Controlled Digital Lending by Libraries endorsed by COSLA | COSLA
Net Neutrality & Broadband
Academic Freedom & Campus Speech
- China’s funding of U.S. Reseachers raises red flags | Wall Street Journals
Fake News, Free Press, Social Media
- Trump ads on Facebook warn of Super Bowl censorship | Mercury News
- Church-Pike 2.0: How fake news enabled real surveillance abuses | Intellectual Freedom Blog
First Amendment & Free Speech
- NPR sends letter to State Dept. demanding answers for reporter’s removal from trip | The Hill
- NPR Seeks ‘Clarification’ From State Department About Reporter Dropped From Trip | NPR
- White House objects to publication of Bolton’s book, demands classified info be removed first | NBC News
Around the Web
- Happy birthday, Virginia Woolf | Intellectual Freedom Blog
- Survey Shows “No Discernible” Progress Diversifying Publishing | School Library Journal
- Addressing requests for reconsideration at the public library part one: biblical dinosaurs | Intellectual Freedom Blog
- In U.S., Library Visits Outpaced Trips to Movies in 2019 | Gallup
- A brief history of Data Privacy Day | IAPP
- Local librarian takes stand against promoting controversial ‘American Dirt’ novel | The Monitor
- Swearing: The power of profanity | The Article
- Yes, you should be afraid of Elizabeth Warren, the censor | Washington Examiner
International Issues
- The Kremlin is notorious for global meddling online. But controlling cyberspace at home has been trickier | Washington Post
- China’s censorship helps spread the virus | Wall Street Journal
- London to deploy live facial recognition to find wanted faces in a crowd | Ars Technica
ALA News
- 2020 Youth Media Award Winners | American Libraries
- GODORT Voting & Election Toolkits
- New from ACRL—Leading Change in Academic Libraries and Developing the Next Generation of Library Leaders
- ALA persists with #eBooksForAll advocacy campaign: “Macmillan must lift the embargo”
- AASL president holds office hours to discuss EDI in school libraries
- Know her name| American Libraries; “Closing Session speaker Chanel Miller on reclaiming her story and libraries as sanctuaries”
- ALA releases updated Libraries’ Guide to the 2020 Census
- United for Libraries offers first-ever chance to livestream Institute during Midwinter Meeting; registration open
- Philadelphia leaders and innovators share insights at 2020 Symposium on the Future of Libraries
- John E. Ulmschneider named 2020 ACRL Academic/Research Librarian of the Year
- Ready to Code Opens Call for Applications: Mini-Grants for Digital Skills Programs
- Feb. 1 deadline for ALA/Information Today, Inc. Library of the Future Award
- Games and Gaming Round Table announces Game On! Grants; deadline March 1
- Application open for 2020 ALA Leadership Institute; deadline March 9
- ALA seeks proposals for 2020 Diversity Research Grants; due April 15
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