Tag: intellectual freedom
What Fayetteville Public Library v. Murray Means for Arkansas Libraries
On July 30, 2026, the Eighth Circuit issued its decision in Fayetteville Public Library v. Murray, a case that challenged two sections of Arkansas’s Act 372 that would makes it a crime to “furnish a harmful item” to a minor and require public libraries to adopt policies that allow people to challenge the “appropriateness” of materials available in county and municipal libraries.
OIF Releases Additional Reports on Censorship in 2025
The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom has released two reports providing additional detailed insights from 2025, the year with the highest level of library censorship ever documented in the U.S. One report focuses on censorship activities that took place at public libraries, and the other examines censorship at school libraries.
PRH v. Robbins & Iowa Safe Schools v. Reynolds
On April 6, 2026, the Eighth Circuit issued its decision in Iowa Safe Schools v. Reynolds and in PRH v. Robbins, two cases challenging SF 496, an Iowa law that requires the removal of books containing “descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act” from public school libraries and that imposes penalties on educators who do not comply.
Your Guide to Intellectual Freedom, Privacy, and Advocacy at ALA Annual 2026
Welcome to your guide to intellectual freedom and privacy at ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition 2025, June 25 – 29! With unceasing censorship attempts in our communities and legislative attacks from the federal level on down, this year’s conference lineup includes sessions and meetings that tackle these critical issues.
Banned Books Week 2026 Artwork Unveiled
The American Library Association (ALA) and Banned Books Week Coalition today unveiled the artwork for Banned Books Week 2026, October 4–10. Designed for use in Banned Books Week events nationwide and internationally, the 2026 theme is “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.” The struggle against book bans is too immense to capture in a single image. This year’s Banned Books Week campaign features three illustrations showing how libraries and access to information enrich our lives.
American Library Association releases 2025 Most Challenged Books List
The American Library Association (ALA) released its highly anticipated Top 11 Most Challenged Books List of 2025 as part of the 2026 State of America’s Libraries Report, offering a window into the ongoing challenges libraries continue to face head-on. As the nation’s libraries unite to celebrate National Library Week and communities everywhere recognize the valuable contribution of America’s libraries and the people who power them, library workers around the country continue to grapple with censorship challenges and threats to their livelihood.
Lies About Libraries (Part Three)
Welcome to the third in a series of posts dedicated to debunking false claims used to undermine trust in libraries and attack those who work in them.
What now? Libraries after LITTLE V. LLANO COUNTY
In December 2025, the Supreme Court declined to review a Fifth Circuit Court case about whether the government can remove books from a public library’s shelves. This guide provides an overview of the case and explains what it says about the right to read in libraries.
Lies About Libraries (Part Two)
Welcome to the second in a series of posts dedicated to debunking false claims used to undermine trust in libraries and attack those who work in them.
Lies About Libraries (Part One)
Welcome to the first in a series of posts dedicated to debunking false claims used to undermine trust in libraries and attack those who work in them.