Intellectual Freedom News 9/16/2022
Highlights
- American Library Association Releases Preliminary Data on 2022 Book Bans | ALA News
- American Library Association highlights increasing censorship attempts during Banned Books Week | Business News
- Sourcebooks and ALA present banned book journal and reading guide | ALA News
Censorship
- Orange school board candidate complains about sexually explicit books | Yahoo! News (FL)
- Supt. removes LGBTQ book from Western High library | Alamance News (NC)
- 22 titles pulled from Missouri district shelves to comply with state law and more — Censorship roundup | School Library Journal
- Federal lawsuit filed against Guilfod, CT, schools by parents opposing critical race theory | Globe Newswire
- Two books in Spruce Mountain High School library challenged | Livermore Falls Advertiser (ME)
- LGBTQ comic books under scrutiny back on the shelves at Dixon Public Library | Shaw Local (IL)
- Dixon Library Board looking into policy changes for displays | Shaw Local (IL)
- Spotsylvania to remove 5 books from high school libraries following review | Free-Lance Star (VA)
- Nampa to consider new policy for removing books | Idaho Ed News
- Polk group petitions school board to change policy on books it considers harmful | Ledger (FL)
- Chicago-area library cancels drag queen bingo event for teens over ‘vitriolic’ threats | NBC News
- Huntsville residents push back after city removes ‘Read with Pride’ display from library | Houston Public Media (TX)
- Mead school board strikes down proposals that would have banned critical race theory, gender studies | Spokesman-Review (WA)
- NCAC calls on Norman Oklahoma School District to clarify HB 1775 only applies to curriculum | National Coalition Against Censorship
- How the Brooklyn Library helped fight book bans in Oklahoma | New York Times
- SJ school board clarifies book review policy after parent comment on ‘pornographic’ book | WSJM (MI)
- 7 books pulled from Dearborn Public Schools after parents express concerns | WXYZ (MI)
- Wellington board of trustees takes action against book bans in the town’s public library | Fort Collins Coloradoan
- Residents, Republicans angry about being barred from Grayslake library event; ‘The whole purpose of a public library is to have open information’ | Lake County News-Sun (IL)
- Committee formed to consider banning book from PHS English | Perry News
- Victoria library advisory board adopts new book policy | Victoria Advocate (TX)
- Miami school district says it denied Pulitzer play due to racy scenes. Others say censorship | Miami Herald
- KPS addresses LGBTQ+ books controversy following board meeting drama | KSNB (NE)
- Regional library board declines to move controversial book | Isanti-Chisago County Star (MN)
- Virginia Beach school leaders address ‘threatening’ emails sent to school staff | 13 News Now (VA)
- Fauquier County school board plans to revise policies around books containing ‘sexually explicit content’ | WTOP (VA)
- Amity debates library books, sexuality, diversity, and the role of parents in schools | CT Examiner
- Katy ISD teacher ‘decimated’ class library, removing every YA book to avoid controversy, parent says | Houston Chronicle (TX)
Privacy & Cybersecurity
- With ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Laws & Abortion Bans, Student Surveillance Raises New Risks | 74
- Senators petition ICE to curtail ‘Orwellian’ use of facial recognition, surveillance technology | FedScoop
First Amendment, Free Speech, & Civil Liberties
- An unprecedented uptick in book bans brings First Amendment scrutiny | First Amendment Watch at NYU
- The ACLU’s fight against classroom censorship, state by state | 74
- Supreme Court reverses course on religious school’s LGBTQ club in 5-4 vote | Washington Post
- Americans’ civic knowledge drops on First Amendment and branches of government | Annenberg Public Policy Center
- ‘Huge win’ for civil liberties as judge blocks Arizona law limiting filming of police | Common Dreams
- The Senate must codify same-sex marriage | Ticker
- U.S. Supreme Court upholds censuring members of a governing body | MRSC
Legislation
- Amid book bans, Virginia parents push for more ‘authority’ over what kids can read in school libraries | ABC News
- Hearing held on ND critical race theory | KNOX
- Representative to introduce bill to rid Pennsylvania school libraries of obscene content | Pennsylvania Star
Access
- Gov. Newsom announces free online tutoring for all Californians, grants to improve libraries across the state | Random Lengths News
Social Media
Information Literacy & Disinformation
Around the Web
- Teacher: ‘To censor and ban books is to erase whole parts of humanity’ | Columbus Dispatch
- Brooklyn Public Library has issued 5,100 free library cards to make banned books available for teens | CNN
- Today’s book bans might be more dangerous than those from the past | Washington Post
- Censorship is the refuge of the weak | New York Times
- How book bans are affecting schools and libraries | Week
- Banning LGBTQ books isn’t just stupid and ineffective–it’s cruel beyond measure | Common Dreams
- The human costs of LGBTQ book bans | Counterpunch
- N.J.librarian who fought book banning co-creates app to help others do the same | NJ.com
- Teacher Voice: How the sad shadow of book banning shuts down conversations and lacerates librarians | Hechinger Report
- Students are back in school with less to read | Inside Sources
- What parents can do when schools ban books | Washington Post
- Richard Borow, L.A. attorney who fought for Angela Davis’ right to teach at UCLA, dies | Los Angeles Times
- Idaho’s far right suffers election loss to 18-year-old climate activist | Intercept
- Anti-drag harassment continues across the country | Prism
- ‘Maus’ author Art Spiegelman to receive honorary National Book Award after book banned | USA Today
- Parents react to North Allegheny school board decision to eliminate all library secretary positions | Yahoo! News
- Ibram X. Kendi on his new book and why kids today need the kinds of books being banned | Reader’s Digest
- John Green on people trying to ban his book at his old school | Vulture
- NCAC, A Kids Co., release new kids book about banned books | National Coalition Against Censorship
- Gender identity, critical race theory generate discussion before Lakeland Union High School board | WXPR (WI)
- What happened to critical race theory? CT Republicans ditched the messaging after mixed results | CT Insider
- Shelf life: York Public Library celebrates the freedom to read | Seacoast Online
- UB Libraries presents Banned Books Week events beginning Sept. 19 | University at Buffalo
- College, public library set banned book discussion series | Wilmington News Journal
- NRPLF names Sunny Hostin honorary spokeswoman for Banned Books Week | Patch
- As Banned Book Week approaches, Middletown librarians discuss challenged works in 2022 | Newport Daily News
- Des Moines library to launch ‘banned books’ library card | Axios
- Worries before Banned Books Week | Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
- A new battleground: School chiefs | Politico
- Oklahoma bookstore challenges state book ban, sells merchandise with QR codes linking to open copies | ABC 7
- Library director was ‘blindsided’ by not being notified about meeting | Jamestown Sun (ND)
- Two CRT rallies planned at tomorrow’s school board meeting | Loudoun Now (VA)
ALA News
- Libraries Build Business report highlights impact of small business programs on local communities and library field
- ALA, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Invite Public Libraries to Host Traveling Exhibition on Human Evolution
- LIS Students: Apply for the 2023 Larew Scholarship for Tuition Help
- Carnegie-Whitney Grant awards up to $5,000 for guides to library resources
- ALA’s Civic Imagination Stations Pilot Cohort Announced
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