Intellectual Freedom News 10/27/2023
Highlights
- Blade’s Q&A with American Library Association President Emily Drabinski | Los Angeles Blade
- How librarians became American free speech heroes | Saturday Evening Post
- America’s school librarians have landed in Florida. ‘How could we not?’ | Tampa Bay Times
- Michele Norris, Emmy Award-winning Journalist and Founding Director of The Race Card Project, to Open the 2024 LibLearnX | ALA
Censorship
- Residents push Pine-Richland school directors to pull books from libraries | Pittsburgh Post Gazette (PA)
- Menomonee Falls school book ban, 33 titles removed | Fox6 Milwaukee (WI)
- School board president responds to Menomonee Falls book ban | WISN (WI)
- Parents speak out on decision to remove books from Menomonee Falls High School library | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
- A North County school district quietly pulled books, shut down libraries after a parent complained. Its policy dictates otherwise. | San Diego Union-Tribune (CA)
- Pennridge ordered to produce library records, pay legal fees for dad challenging book removals | Philadelphia Inquirer (PA)
- book debate alive in Clyde; lawyers argue against board book ban reversal | Finger Lake Times (NY)
- Parent not satisfied with Horry Co. school board’s book restriction | WPDE (SC)
- Greenville County Library Board votes 6-4 to remove displays unless concerning ‘paid holidays’ | Greenville News (SC)
- St. Tammany library board reverses course on pulling challenged books from shelves | Louisiana Illuminator (LA)
- What do Centre County school board candidates think about ‘book bans?’ Read their responses | Centre Daily (PA)
- Former library director given lifetime achievement award from state library association | Gillette News Record (WY)
- Will the show go on? D300 Superintendent reconsiders decision to postpone ‘The Prom’ musical | Daily Herlad (IL)
- Nazareth Area school board tables vote on ‘Push’ book | WFMZ (PA)
- Menomonee Falls parents voice concerns & support over controversial book removal | WTMJ (WI)
- Pittsburgh-area school district parents challenge 12 school library books | CBS News (PA)
- Residents file formal complaint to remove inappropriate book from Mayfield High School | New Mexico Sun (NM)
- Easthampton council moves to oppose book bans | Daily Hampshire Gazette (MA)
- We looked at banned books in Utah’s biggest school districts. What we found might surprise you. | Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
- Explore The Tribune’s database of books banned in Utah schools | Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
- Community members gather in Pensacola to express book ban concerns | WEAR (FL)
- Oklahoma Teachers Don’t Know If It’s Legal to Teach “Killers of the Flower Moon” | Mother Jones (OK)
- Readers speak: Suffield library director does the right thing | Hartford Courant (CT)
- ‘There’s just no place for bigotry here.’ Parents, advocates protest Moms for Liberty meeting in CT | Hartford Courant (CT)
- Library Board votes to keep contested book on shelf | Claremore Daily Progress (OK)
- These are the 68 books set to come off shelves at Iowa City-area schools in 2024 | Iowa City Press-Citizen (IA)
- Garfield County Libraries hosts “Freedom to Read” forum amid controversy, criticism from county commissioners | Aspen Public Radio (CO)
- Conroe ISD considers changing book policy to mirror controversial Katy ISD guidelines | Houston Chronicle (TX)
- An Indiana library board sought to protect kids from books. No one asked what they thought. | Indy Star
- Behind the censure: Here’s why the Ozark City Council reprimanded its mayor last week | Montgomery Advertiser (AL)
- Chino Valley Unified book-banning policy draws crowd; vote expected Nov. 16 | Daily Bulletin (CA)
Privacy & Cybersecurity
- Here’s how a children’s privacy law figures into that big legal effort against Meta | Washington Post
First Amendment & Civil Rights
- ACLU: Trump’s gag order in federal case is unconstitutional | Politico
- Missouri and Kansas don’t allow companies with state contracts to boycott or divest from Israel | NPR
- Judge bars Chino Valley Unified from outing transgender students to parents | Daily Bulletin (CA)
- Threats to American Democracy Ahead of an Unprecedented Presidential Election | PRRI
Academic Freedom & Student Speech
- In ‘Disgraceful’ Assault on Free Speech, DeSantis Bans Pro-Palestinian Student Group | Common Dreams (FL)
- The failure of FERPA | Inside Higher Ed
Net Neutrality & Broadband Access
Legislation
- Pennsylvania Senate passes bill opponents worry targets books about LGBTQ+ and marginalized people | AP (PA)
- Pa. Senate passes ‘explicit content’ legislation after heated debate over whether it’s a book ban | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (PA)
- Reynolds: Law ‘clear’ on which school books to bar | Gazette (IA)
- Rep. Emerson: Statement on anti-book banning bill | Wis Politics (WI)
- A Parents’ Bill of Rights: Inside North Carolina’s New Education Law | The 74 (NC)
- State legislator threatens to block $10M in state grants for Arkansas libraries associated with American Library Association | Arkansas Democrat Gazette (AR)
State & Local Governance
- SC superintendent wants the state, not local districts, to pick school library books | State (SC)
- Arkansas senator hopes to defund library advocacy group, which is not a state-funded agency | Arkansas Advocate (AR)
Social Media
- The Supreme Court could soon change the internet forever — here’s what you need to know | Hill
- Susan Shelley: Supreme Court sends mixed signals on social media censorship | Orange County Register
- Meta sued by 42 attorneys general alleging Facebook, Instagram features are addictive and target kids | CNBC
- The consequences of Elon Musk’s ownership of X | New York Times
Disinformation & Information Literacy
- Thousands of FakeReporter volunteers sort through disinformation on social media | NPR
- U.S. tries new track on Russian disinformation: Pre-empting it | New York Times
Around the Web
- The impact of book bans on Scholastic book fairs | Houston Chronicle
- Penguin Random House launches high schoolers’ award to combat book bans | Guardian
- Announcing the CWA’s Freedom of Expression Award | Penguin Random House
- NCAC Student Advocate Receives White House Honor | Publishers Weekly
- Philadelphia Students Navigate School Without Access to School Libraries | The 74
- What Educators Should Know About Mike Johnson, New Speaker of the House | Education Week
- School Districts Push for Black Studies | Dallas Weekly
- Ted Cruz endorses Cy-Fair ISD school board candidates. Experts say it’s the latest in a growing trend. | Houston Public media
- Beyond the Pages: University of Miami’s contribution in the fight against book bans | Miami Hurricane
- Banned Books Week promotes reading | South Central Florida Life
- Neo-Nazi could go away for years for firebombing a church for hosting a drag story hour | LGBTQ Nation
- Penguin Random House launches high schoolers’ award to combat book bans | Guardian
- Capital B: The racism Black kids endure is spiraling Into a health crisis | University of Cincinnati
- Tens of thousands of books banned, restricted in US prisons: Report | Hill
- The “Banned Bookmobile” Hits Texas Roads | ReformAustin
- An expert journalist’s guide to covering book bans | The Grade
- Building Grassroots Support to Protect You and Your Library | School Library Journal
- After Gaza tweet, firing of life sciences journal editor sparks freedom of speech concerns | STAT
- What is the Censorship Industrial Complex? | LA Progressive
- Florida’s book ban playbook: Read the racy parts | CNN
- Books under attack, then and now | MIT News
ALA News
- Using experimentation to make evidence-based decisions
- AASL Commends the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Missouri
- AASL Commends the Literacy and Justice Project
- AASL Commends Lead to Read KC
- American Library Association and Sustainable Libraries Initiative to join forces on climate action strategy for libraries
- ALA Sustainability Round Table opens nominations for wellness citation
- Core Webinar: Opportunity in the Face of Crisis
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