Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Alabama - they won't stop here but good news for now.Wooowww! Alabama!
Two terrible anti-library bills on the docket for Alabama have not passed.
https://www.readfreelyalabama.org/202...
For the past three months, thousands of Alabama residents have joined Read Freely Alabama to work tirelessly to ensure that two bills that would have had devastating effects on libraries, HB4 and SB6, did not pass. Today as we look back on the close of this legislative session, we are proud to see that those efforts paid off.
Our devoted and beleaguered librarians will not have to worry about being handcuffed and jailed for refusing to censor books under House Bill 4, the “Jail the Librarians bill,” which never made it out of its House Committee. Furthermore, the bill, which would have politicized our library boards even more (SB 6), once again died before making it to the Senate floor.
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We know that the fight isn’t over. As we speak, a stacked and extreme Alabama Public Library Service board continues its assault on libraries, stripping funding from those who will not cave to their demands. And even today, as this session closes, opposing forces are already crafting legislation for a chosen representative to prefile, and are regrouping to continue their assault on our freedoms and beloved public institutions at the next legislative session.
Kelly Jensen of BookRiot reports:Idaho- West Ada (ID), is re-reviewing their signage policy to further emphasize “neutrality” in signage.
PAYWALLED
https://www.idahopress.com/news/local...
Tennessee
The Blount County Schools’ Library Committee met last week to talk about more ways to ban books in the school library and in school classroom libraries.
PAYWALLED
https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/bl...
IdahoSheer madness!
The Community Library Network (ID)–the one that bars young people from even requesting so-called “inappropriate” books from other libraries in the consortium–is considering a lawsuit against the consortium.
https://cdapress.com/news/2025/may/16...
CLN trustees hint at litigation involving library consortium
While the region’s library consortium works toward a new joint powers agreement, Community Library Trustees alluded this week to possible litigation involving the consortium of which it is part.
The Cooperative Information Network is a group of 13 North Idaho and eastern Washington libraries and library districts that share their collections. The consortium is preparing to reorganize under the name Inland Northwest Libraries.
Several member libraries have expressed reservations about CLN’s updated policies for minor library cardholders, which state that minor cards “cannot be used to reserve physical or electronic materials from other libraries in the Cooperative Information Network” and bar minor library patrons from accessing material deemed “harmful to minors,” regardless of the wishes of their parents or guardians.
Some library directors have said the policies are overly strict and go beyond the requirements of Idaho law, creating possible legal liabilities for CLN and other member libraries.
When CLN trustees convened Thursday at the Rathdrum Library, Trustee Tom Hanley suggested the board schedule a special meeting to discuss possible legal action. The basis of any legal action is unclear at this time.
“It’s necessary to decide where this board is going,” he said
Hanley added that trustees “didn’t come to a conclusion” about the matter when they met last month in executive session.
“I think there’s too much we don’t know right now,” Trustee Tim Plass said. “We did kind of say our positions, I think, the last time we met on this topic. I don’t think we’ll know what (the other CIN members) want to do until July.”
During the most recent CIN meeting, member libraries agreed to provide feedback on a proposed joint powers agreement in July, with an eye toward approving a final draft by October.
Trustees also agreed Thursday to adopt an updated materials selection and acquisition policy that redefines “materials inappropriate for minors” as “obscene content or propaganda regarding illegal activity.”
“Propaganda” is defined in the policy as “the use of language, imagery, symbols, or narrative techniques to disseminate information in a biased or misleading way in order to manipulate or influence the reader’s attitudes or actions.”
The updated policy defines “unlawful” as “activities that are illegal in the state of Idaho including, but not limited to, abortion, s--ual assault, polygamy, suicide and illicit drug use.”
Under the updated policy, material containing such content “shall be excluded from selection and acquisition for the collection curated for minors,” though “age-appropriate materials with serious literary, scientific, medical, artistic, religious or political value for minors may be exempt.”
Also in IdahoKootenai County - another far right extremist was elected to the Community Library Network board.
They already restrict their youth cardholders from getting books they deem inappropriate from other libraries in their consortium.
https://cdapress.com/news/2025/may/21...
Victoria Bauman won the race for a seat on the Community Library Network board of trustees, garnering 10,002 votes throughout Kootenai County for 56% of the vote.
Her opponent, Michelle Lippert, received 43%.
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Before polls closed on Election Day, Lippert urged CLN patrons to keep a close eye on the decisions that trustees make, particularly regarding changes to the materials that are available on library shelves and cuts to library hours and services.
“I want the community to be aware of what’s happening in the library,” she said.
Bauman’s victory further consolidated power on the CLN board of trustees. All five trustees were backed by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee at the time of their election, though Trustee Vanessa Robinson has diverged from the rest of the board on several issues.
The race was defined in part by differing approaches to what materials should be available on CLN shelves and the level of control that parents should have over what materials their children can access.
Lippert pointed to the board’s decision to ax the “open access” card for minor library patrons as an area of concern.
“They’re telling parents they can no longer give their children full access to the library,” she said.
Parents and guardians previously had the option to choose a library card for their children that allowed access to all CLN materials. According to a January report, about 91% of all library cards issued to minors had open access, or a little more than 8,900 cards in total.
In a voter guide published by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, Bauman indicated her support for efforts to prevent minors from accessing certain library materials.
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Wacko Vicki Blodgett is at it again in FloridaThe person responsible for hundreds of objections in two counties (Escambia and Santa Rosa) has filed an appeal to the state AG’s Office of Parental Rights.
She is not a parent of a current student in either district.
https://bsky.app/profile/flfreedomrea...
The “book banning pastor” who travels the country to complain about books at school boards made his way to Francis Howell schools (MO) this week and subsequently was asked to leave the meeting.PAYWALLED
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/e...
Goodish newsEn banc Fifth Circuit overrules decades of precedent and holds that there is no First Amendment right to receive information in a public library.
https://bsky.app/profile/joshablock.b...
FloridaHillsborough sent out an email today to all school media specialists offering a $1,500 stipend to review books over the summer.
If every certified media specialists accepts, this could cost the district more than $350,000. If not, reviews will likely go well into the new school year.
https://bsky.app/profile/flfreedomrea...
Libraries are cutting back on staff and services after Trump's order to dismantle small agencyhttps://www.newsday.com/news/nation/i...
Libraries across the United States are cutting back on e-books, audiobooks and loan programs after the Trump administration suspended millions of dollars in federal grants as it tries to dissolve the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Federal judges have issued temporary orders to block the Trump administration from taking any further steps toward gutting the agency. But the unexpected slashing of grants has delivered a significant blow to many libraries, which are reshuffling budgets and looking at different ways to raise money.
Maine has laid off a fifth of its staff and temporarily closed its state library after not receiving the remainder of its annual funding. Libraries in Mississippi have indefinitely stopped offering a popular e-book service, and the South Dakota state library has suspended its interlibrary loan program.
E-book and audiobook programs are especially vulnerable to budget cuts, even though those offerings have exploded in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think everyone should know the cost of providing digital sources is too expensive for most libraries," said Cindy Hohl, president of the American Library Association. “It’s a continuous and growing need.”
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In April, California, Washington and Connecticut were the only three states to receive letters stating the remainder of their funding for the year was cancelled, Hohl said. For others, the money hasn’t been distributed yet. The three states all filed formal objections with the IMLS.
Rebecca Wendt, California state library director, said she was never told why California's funding was terminated while the other remaining states did not receive the same notice.
Most libraries are funded by city and county governments, but receive a smaller portion of their budget from their state libraries, which receive federal dollars every year to help pay for summer reading programs, interlibrary loan services and digital books. Libraries in rural areas rely on federal grants more than those in cities.
Many states use the funding to pay for e-books and audiobooks, which are increasingly popular, and costly, offerings. In 2023, more than 660 million people globally borrowed e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines, up from 19% in 2022, according to OverDrive, the main distributor of digital content for libraries and schools.
In Mississippi, the state library helped fund its statewide e-book program.
For a few days, Erin Busbea was the bearer of bad news for readers at her Mississippi library: Hoopla, a popular app to check out e-books and audiobooks had been suspended indefinitely in Lowndes and DeSoto counties due to the funding freeze.
“People have been calling and asking, ‘Why can’t I access my books on Hoopla?’” said Busbea, library director of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System in Columbus, a majority-Black city northeast of Jackson.
The library system also had to pause parts of its interlibrary loan system allowing readers to borrow books from other states when they aren't available locally.
“For most libraries that were using federal dollars, they had to curtail those activities," said Hulen Bivins, the Mississippi Library Commission executive director.
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Attorneys general in 21 states and the American Library Association have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration for seeking to dismantle the agency.
The institute's annual budget is below $300 million and distributes less than half of that to state libraries across the country. In California, the state library was notified that about 20%, or $3 million, of its $15 million grant had been terminated.
“The small library systems are not able to pay for the e-books themselves,” said Wendt, the California state librarian.
In South Dakota, the state's interlibrary loan program is on hold, according to Nancy Van Der Weide, a spokesperson for the South Dakota Department of Education.
The institute, founded in 1996 by a Republican-controlled Congress, also supports a national library training program named after former first lady Laura Bush that seeks to recruit and train librarians from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds. A spokesperson for Bush did not return a request seeking comment.
“Library funding is never robust. It's always a point of discussion. It's always something you need to advocate for,” said Liz Doucett, library director at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Maine. “It's adding to just general anxiety."
AlabamaRead Freely Alabama cites Colorado case in library lawsuit
Read Freely Alabama argues a Colorado court ruling supports its request for a preliminary injunction against the Autauga-Prattville Public Library.
https://www.alreporter.com/2025/05/16...
Not much has happened in Read Freely Alabama’s lawsuit against the Autauga-Prattville Public Library since the plaintiffs asked for a preliminary injunction in October.
But the plaintiffs added a new filing last week, arguing that a decision in a similar 10th Circuit Court case in Colorado supports their request for a preliminary injunction against the library.
In Crookshanks et al. v. Elizabeth School District, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction to the plaintiffs who argued the school system had violated students’ first amendment rights by removing books due to “sensitive” and political topics.
“In granting a preliminary injunction that prohibits the removal of library books, the Crookshanks court concluded that defendants’ ‘argument—that its decisions as to the library contents are government speech immune from First Amendment scrutiny—finds little support in the caselaw,'” counsel for Read Freely wrote in a filing in the suit on May 8. “The court therefore ‘reject[ed] the [defendant’s] invitation to extend government-speech precedents . . . something the Supreme Court has expressly discouraged.’ As the court explained, ‘[n]o one would seriously argue that placing [Mein Kampf] in a school library constitutes government speech.‘”
OhioSome people are wackos. What is this? The 1890s? 1920s?
Ohio library systems, advocates push back on House provision to hide certain materials
A provision in the Ohio House budget proposal would require libraries to place content on sexual orientation and gender identity out of view of minors
https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/0...
As Ohioans pleaded for more support for the state’s public libraries, there was also outcry against a provision that library staff and supporters say would add more work and unnecessary regulations to the local institutions.
The Ohio House added a provision to their budget draft that was not in the governor’s executive proposal, one that would require public libraries to place “material related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in a portion of the library that is not primarily open to the view of minors.”
As budget plans move through the Ohio Senate, state residents asked the chamber to push back on the House’s proposal and eliminate the provision in their own draft.
Librarians who spoke at the Senate Education Committee last week noted the vague language of the provision, and tried to give legislators an idea of the heavy lift this might mean for libraries. Library visitors and advocates criticized the provision as targeted toward LGBTQ+ content, such as transgender issues.
“Books are an outlet, an escape,” said Bree Taylor, founder and executive director of the non-profit transgender advocacy groups Trans Unity Coalition. “A children’s book isn’t going to turn a kid gay or trans, but it will bring comfort to a kid who already is.”
Toledo resident Erin Prestwich said the idea of separating out the content speaks not only to keeping children from accessing content some may find objectionable because of its connection to LGBTQ+ issues, but to simply keeping children from seeing perspectives that match their own.
“I ‘acted like a boy’ as a child, like climbing trees, playing with trucks in the dirt,” Prestwich wrote to the committee. “I am not transgender, and never thought that I was, but I did enjoy reading books as a child (with characters) who did things that I wanted to do. That is normal. It is important for children to read about characters that are like them.”
The libraries themselves spoke to the already existing ways in which parents can control a child’s access to certain materials. Library systems have collections and purchasing policies that come with opportunities for public feedback and input, and many libraries have tiered library cards based on the amount of access a parent wants a child to have.
“While libraries do provide access to information, we do not act ‘in loco parentis,’” said Jay Smith, director of government and legal services for the Ohio Library Council. “We do not act in the place of the parent or guardian. Parents and guardians play a vital role in determining what their children are reading and have a right to determine what is best for their child.”
Amelia Green, who identified herself as a married transgender woman who plans to raise children in Ohio, agreed that parents should be the deciding factor in what children have access to, not state leaders.
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Green also said the language contained in the state budget proposal would mean taking her children past “actual adult material” just to find “a simple picture book about a kid with two moms, or a young adult novel with a trans protagonist.”
“That’s absurd,” she said. “Queer stories are not adult content – they are human content.”
As libraries face an uncertain financial future while they wait for the state to decide whether or not to fund the Public Library Fund, the provision to separate out certain content could come with its own financial load.
The House budget draft noted “potential costs” for identifying and relocating the “restricted materials.”
With no additional funds added alongside the proposed changes, library staff said moving books based on their content would be extremely costly in some cases and in other cases nearly impossible, based on the limited space in branch libraries.
Paula Brehm-Heeger, director of the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, said she recently visited one of the smaller libraries in her system, and could see the entire library as soon as she entered it. Even if separating the materials is possible, the cost at the southwestern Ohio library system would “likely be upwards of $1 million per year, adjusting for inflation and current library procedures,” according to Brehm-Heeger.
Having the provision in place with the vague language as it stands would lead to “inconsistent and arbitrary enforcement across Ohio,” Lauren Hagan, CEO of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, told the committee. Her team could only make an “educated guess” at the financial impact such a policy would have.
“We anticipate the initial cost for compliance at $3.14 million, with continuing costs of approximately $1.7 million every year,” Hagan said.
The Senate is still working on their budget draft, expected to be released in the coming weeks, with a deadline for a final draft combining the House and Senate priorities due by the end of June.
Well DUH! This makes perfect sense! School boards operate on behalf of the students to begin with so why not let them vote?Oregon: House Bill 3012 would let 16 and 17 year olds vote in school board elections.
https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/20...
House Bill 3012, introduced earlier this year, would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in nonpartisan school board elections starting in 2029. A group of youth voting advocates met outside the Oregon Capitol on Monday morning to encourage legislators to take up the bill — one day before school board elections take place across Oregon.
Oregon automatically registers 16- and 17-year-olds when they obtain driver’s licenses, but they do not receive a ballot until they are 18. Meanwhile, there are 21 states that allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they will be 18 by the general election, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and some U.S. cities allow teens to vote in local elections.
But Oregon teens like Nilani Maheswaran, a Beaverton high school student, said she should be allowed to vote on issues impacting her education because she works, drives and pays taxes. The issues that concern her the most in her school are staff shortages, mental health support and high student to teacher ratios.
“We want to work with our teachers and board members on the issues we care about, but that can’t happen until we’re given a seat at the table,” Maheswaran said.
Katie Jin, a Portland high schooler, said she transferred to a private school after her local school board cut the programs she cared about. While she understands not all Oregon students have this option, she said all students regardless of their socioeconomic status should have a say in the school policies and programs they want.
“This starts by giving youth voices in their schools to elect school board members, who best represent them and will listen to their needs, challenges and experiences,” Jin said.
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Supporters say bill promotes democratic process, opponents say youth lack maturity
Rep. Willy Chotzen, a Portland Democrat and bill sponsor, said the bill is a powerful tool to allow students to understand the democratic process. As of 2021, Oregon implemented a law requiring students to complete at least half a credit of civics to graduate.
“If we want an active, engaged and responsible set of Oregonians in the future, we can do that by encouraging them to learn civics and to participate in democracy, not just in the classroom, not just hypothetically, but at the ballot box,” Chotzen said.
However, many Oregonians oppose the bill. For the bill hearing in the House Rules Committee, 150 letters of testimony were submitted in opposition to the bill while 211 were submitted in favor.
Many of those who opposed the bill shared concerns that teens are not mature enough to vote and that they are more easily influenced by ads or peer pressure than adults. Others pointed out that while youth can drive and work, they still cannot purchase tobacco, guns or alcohol.
The bill has already received a public hearing on the House side, but it has yet to be scheduled for a work session, which is the next step needed to reach the House floor. It would have to pass both chambers before reaching the governor’s desk, where the governor can sign it into law, veto it or allow it to become law without her signature.
PennsylvaniaWest Shore schools (PA) are floating a new book policy that would ban things like Shakespeare.
https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/ne...
West Shore's far-right school board majority is considering sweeping restrictions on the content of books in public school libraries, raising questions from administrators about the purpose of the new policy.
Staff in the school district that straddles the Cumberland and York county line warned that the broad language of the policy could result in banning books by Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare due to their references to s-x.
Assistant Superintendent Mathew Gay, who previously worked as an English teacher, specifically cited "The Tempest," a play by Shakespeare commonly taught in high school classes.
“[With this policy], I’m not sure we don’t inadvertently say you can no longer teach 'The Tempest,’” he told the board's policy committee on Thursday.
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Gay told the committee that, to date, no parent has ever gone through the district's existing book challenge process in the two years he's worked there. One person asked for paperwork to challenge a book but never filed the challenge.
From his vantage point, the board's proposal is too vague and would result in the wholesale removal of many books that aren't obviously objectionable, he said.
“Is this something that you want spelled out in your policy book?" Gay said, referring to the sweeping prohibition against any reference to s-x.
Board members didn't offer much explanation for the policy, which was originally revised in February but delayed to add language about age-based appropriateness requirements.
The policy committee reviewed a new draft of the library resource policy, which was written by the district’s legal counsel, Tucker & Arensburg, and was untouched by the administration.
The draft includes wording that the resources cannot contain pervasive vulgarity, explicit s--ual content and material that would be illegal to give to minors. The solicitors also offered up a version of that from Bermudian Springs School District’s policy, which also bans similar items from the high school and classroom libraries.
The current policy states that “there is a wide range of public opinion” on sensitive or controversial topics such as alcohol, ideologies, se- and profanities. It calls for factual materials and consequences of using alcohol and drugs and to avoid sensationalized presentations. The policy also says if s-x and profanity appear in the materials, that isn’t an automatic ban. Rather, the book should be viewed as a whole for its literary and educational value.
WyomingLegislative panel pursues bills to regulate Wyoming library books with s--ual material
Lawmakers are taking up library books as conservative activists around the state pore over material in young adult and teen library sections for s--ual content.
https://wyofile.com/legislative-panel...
A Wyoming legislative committee decided Tuesday to draft bills to police books in libraries, taking steps down a constitutionally fraught path out of concern that literature dealing with sexuality and gender identity can corrupt minors.
Lawmakers are reviewing the content of library books, which has become a national crusade by religious conservatives, as activists and lawmakers around the state pore over material available in young adult and teen sections of libraries, hunting for s--ual content.
They have focused specifically on books exploring LGBTQ+ issues that are written for young people, though some books dealing with issues like drug use are also under the microscope.
In Torrington, the Joint Judiciary Committee voted nearly unanimously to draft bills that would remove books containing s---ally explicit materials from the children’s sections of libraries, and also police minors’ access to library materials accessible online.
The first and more consequential bill draft, as proposed by Casper Republican Rep. Jayme Lien, would list out specific s--ual acts and rule any literature depicting them as s--ually explicit material. It would also fine libraries $50,000 if the institution allows minors to gain access to such books, and allow citizens to bring civil actions against libraries they believe are violating the rules.
Some lawmakers on the committee said they were voting for the bill draft to carry the policy discussion forward, but would likely later oppose the penalties in the legislation. The Wyoming Library Association is chiefly concerned about penalties for libraries or librarians.
Any penalties for librarians are also a concern of the Wyoming Education Association, that group’s lobbyist Tate Mullen told the committee. His organization, which represents the state’s professional educators, worries that any step toward penalizing librarians could hurt efforts to attract and retain teachers and school staff for Wyoming.
Rep. Ann Lucas, a freshman lawmaker endorsed by the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, has led the charge to involve the Legislature in the selection and placement of books in public libraries. At Tuesday’s meeting, the Cheyenne lawmaker brought a bag of books, some checked out from libraries and some she had purchased herself, which she said contained material inappropriate for children.
“I sat here for the past week and I went through a lot of books and I looked for all the nasty words,” she told the committee. Lucas put sticky notes on certain pages in the books, and one title in particular, the book “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe, drew the committee’s opprobrium.
“I don’t think there is a single person up here … that would look at this book ‘Gender Queer’ and think it belongs in a children’s section,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne.
The only no vote on Lien’s bill draft came from Rep. Kenneth Chestek, a Laramie Democrat and University of Wyoming law professor, who said he feared the Legislature would struggle to regulate books without running afoul of the U.S. Constitution. ...
Lawmakers asked Wyoming Library Association President Lindsey Travis and other bill opponents several times if they thought copies of Hustler, a p----graphic magazine, should be available to minors. Travis responded that Hustler was considered obscene under the law and p---graphy wasn’t available in the library. The books in question aren’t the same thing, she said.
...Kobabe wrote the book GenderQueer for young people facing similar turmoils, according to an online interview with Michigan news outlet MLive, and considers it most appropriate for high school students.
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In Wyoming, Kobabe’s book is located on bookshelves in the young adult or adult sections, Travis told WyoFile. What ages are considered young adult is a decision made by each local library, Travis said, but it generally includes teenagers. Libraries pick their own collections and display locations, she said. They are governed by local library boards, and the Legislature’s efforts would take some of that control away.
“Wyoming libraries are locally controlled, and I think we need to maintain that,” she said.
But lawmakers worried that children could access “Gender Queer” and other books as they roam through libraries, regardless of what shelves they’re placed on. The practicalities of keeping younger children away from books for adults and teenagers weren’t substantively discussed at the meeting in Torrington, though Lucas noted the public library in Cheyenne keeps its young adult section in an area of the library that doesn’t sit behind closed doors.
Wyoming libraries have drawn conservatives’ ire, particularly when they highlight LBGTQ+ literature in special sections or social media posts. In Campbell County, for example, where the political dispute has played out most sharply, trouble started in 2021, after the library highlighted a series of such books for Pride Month.
Furor over that post kicked off sustained scrutiny of books in the Gillette library from a group of local residents. That conflict ended with the firing of a library director who had resisted such efforts, and the regulation of certain books to a special library section. The library board later ended the special section, and placed the books into the adult section of the library, current Campbell County library director John Jackson told WyoFile on Tuesday.
The ousted-director, Terri Lesley, has sued both a local family and government officials for discrimination and wrongful termination. The two lawsuits accuse residents of harboring clear bias against LGBTQ+ people and lifestyles, and violating the First Amendment in their quest to limit access to books on the topic.
As culture wars flare at libraries, Nevada lawmaker seeks to move book ban decisions to courts The bill would limit the power of local library staff and trustees to remove books, instead tasking courts with deciding whether materials are truly “obscene.”
https://thenevadaindependent.com/arti...
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At this meeting on April 16, some attendees held signs that said “Fire Scott” and “Save Washoe County,” blaming former library Director Jeff Scott for allowing a storytime featuring drag performers.
Meanwhile, members of Freedom to Read, an organization that supports public libraries, were scattered among the crowd with vibrantly colored signs opposing “hate speech.”
“There are many times when individuals come up to give public comments, the rhetoric that they use is hateful, harmful and straight out hate speech,” organizer Naseem Jamnia told The Nevada Independent.
But Assm. Brittney Miller (D-Las Vegas) is hoping to defuse the controversies through AB416, a bill that takes decisions about book removals out of local school and library officials’ hands and instead moving them to court — something she said will ensure more consistency in bans from one jurisdiction to the next.
The bill would criminalize two types of actions — including trying to share sensitive information about library employees or threatening them — as felony offenses, punishable by one to four years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
AB416 passed the Assembly on a 29-13 vote on Wednesday, with two Republicans voting yes along with all Democrats. The bill is exempted and it still needs to clear several more legislative steps by the end of the session, which is less than two weeks away, to become law.
“It's heartbreaking that we even have to consider bills like this in 2025,” Miller said in an interview with The Nevada Independent. “I grew up as a kid thinking all my rights were ingrained and protected … But we've seen this movement, especially over the past few years, with censorship and book banning.”
To challenge a book in the Washoe County Library System, residents need to affirm they have fully read the book they are challenging, fill out a form, and submit it to library staff or email it to the system’s collection development manager, who oversees which materials are purchased by the library. The development manager will respond within a “reasonable period of time.”
If the book challenger is unsatisfied with the collection development manager’s decision, they have 10 days to make a written appeal to the library director. Despite a “loud” group of people pushing for book bans, Washoe County Library Board of Trustees Chair Ann Silver said the Washoe County Library hasn’t removed any books from its collection yet in response to the challenges.
Silver told The Nevada Independent the board has never even discussed book banning as a serious option.
“If parents don't want their children to read certain books, they should make sure they don't,” Silver said in an interview. “They should also check their phones and what they're seeing on their screens and what they're watching on TV in equal measure.”
Pushback over library material has happened elsewhere in Nevada, too. Pahrump considered reshelving certain children’s books that had LGBTQ+ themes to the adult section, but after months of consideration, they decided to put a halt to the plan.
Miller characterized the situation in Pahrump as part of a political agenda and said it underscored the importance of this bill.
“That's the inconsistency that concerns me, because, again, it shouldn't be that Pahrump's library board and Clark's library board, they can easily come to two different determinations,” Miller said. “And I understand people say, ‘Well, this community, that community,’ but you know, there's only one First Amendment, and it's blanketed over this entire nation.”
If AB416 passes, individuals wishing to challenge a book will need to petition a court, which will review it and decide if the book is “obscene.” If the book is deemed obscene, there will be a court-created statewide list of banned books to ensure libraries don’t purchase or shelf that book again.
Opponents, including Bruce Parks, chairman of the Washoe County Republican Party, said this change would put an “undue hardship on citizens.” [Undue hardship to READ and file paperwork and PARENT THEIR OWN CHILDREN! GASP!]
Opponents also argue the bill is taking rights away from parents by removing the option to appeal to the library, and say some of the materials they are challenging are “desensitizing” children.
However, Miller says this bill doesn’t take the rights away from anyone and that opponents don’t fully understand the bill. Parents can still challenge books, they will just have to go through the courts.
Miller, a middle school teacher, says the bigger issue is that parents need to be involved in their children’s lives so that their children are instilled with values their parents believe in.
“When a kid brings you that book and they see that word ‘ass’ in there, and they bring it to the teacher … I'll just say straight to them, ‘Well, is this something your mom would be OK with you reading?’” Miller said while describing a situation she was in. “And they'd say no … And so either the kid … has either handed me the book, or they run and they put it back on the shelf, right? That's what you want your kids to do, if you're instilling certain values in your kids.”
Opponents to the bill have also raised concerns about the new potential criminal penalties. Under the bill, it would be a crime for someone to threaten force, intimidation or coercion in an attempt to block access to a book and pressure staff or a board member to violate the library access rules. Additionally, individuals will be prohibited from retaliating and doxxing library system employees.
Those actions would be considered category E felony offenses, punishable by 1 to 4 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
Opponents such as Deborah Earl, vice president of Power2Parent, said the provision would have a “chilling effect on free speech” and contends that it would criminalize a parent who “tells others in the community about objectionable books"
Miller said she was inspired to sponsor the bill by the multiple librarians who told her of the experiences they were going through. She said supporters include a library board member who was afraid to openly support the bill publicly because she fears retaliation.
Miller is confident AB416 will be signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardon (though a spokesperson for his office did not return a text seeking comment). She told The Nevada Independent she meets with his staff on a regular basis and she trusts Lombardo will protect Nevadans’ First Amendment rights.
“The public library, it is for everyone,” Miller said. “Including adults, and they do have mature sections where they have mature literature or art.”
ArizonaOutcry over Scottsdale Unified social studies curriculum
https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/out...
Despite outcry from the police community and parents, the Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board approved new high school social studies books for the 2025-26 school year.
Following fierce debate, the 3-2 vote approved a $675,000 allocation for social studies books.
The material drawing the greatest scrutiny was the Savvas publication “U.S. History Interactive,” to be used with the American and Arizona History course.
At the board’s May 13 meeting, a dozen critics took to the microphone to blast the Savvas book as glorifying the Black Lives Matter movement and overplaying police violence, such as the George Floyd murder. Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of wrongfully killing Floyd after a counterfeit bill complaint.
Public speakers supporting and attacking the books – approved by a committee – were met with applause by the split crowd.
In defense of the book, one emotional parent said, “Is it messy? Yes? Is it uncomfortable? Yes. You may not like George Floyd being brought up, but Derek Chauvin is serving time for murder.”
Another parent presented a petition of support signed by 116 parents and students.
Sharon Walker, an immigrant who graduated from Chaparral High in the 1980s, complained the books are not objective.
Jill Dunican, another parent, echoed that, stating the curriculum “teaches that children can change their sex, or that they can be neither a boy nor a girl, that police are inherently harmful, and that America is systemically racist.”
Dunican also warned the curriculum would violate a “No DEI” letter the district recently submitted to the state Department of Education.
Former Scottsdale Police Officer Jim Hill was strongly against the history book.
“At a time when it’s already challenging to serve as a police officer or to recruit new ones, it’s deeply concerning to see our school district undermining the profession through opinion-driven narratives presented as academic scholarship,” Hill said.
Dr. Kim Dodds-Keran, SUSD’s director of Teaching and Learning, led a presentation to the board, noting the materials were selected by a committee and were available for viewing over the last three months.
According to the presentation, “All selected materials are fully aligned with the respective AP course descriptions and exam requirements or state social studies standards.”
...
The history book was not the only one to draw ire.
A parent emailed the board that the “National Geographic Voyages of Exploration” book “advocates every left-wing, progressive idea as ‘history,’ without context or mentioning an opposing view.
“The book does not teach history; instead, it teaches students to become activists in support of radical and controversial ideas.”
Board members explained their views before voting.
Carine Werner, who with Amy Carney voted against the curriculum, cited several emails she received from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and Arizona State Troopers Association about “anti-police rhetoric” in the Savvas book.
...
“The reality,” Carney said, “is families are concerned with ideological influences in education – which has already driven many families away from our schools." She added the social studies curriculum committee “was formed in darkness.”
On the “for” side, Matt Pittinsky said 68% of emails received by the board supported the curriculum, stressing the new materials were approved after a rigorous process.
Pittinsky, who said his uncle was a police officer, grew emotional in stating he found an email threatening to report those who voted for the curriculum to the Scottsdale Police Department as “offensive.”
Acknowledging the angry pushback, Pittinsky concluded: “Everyone believes politics shouldn’t be part of the curriculum – they just have a different way of interpreting it.”
His fellow board members Donna Lewis, the board president, and Mike Sharkey also explained their support before voting for the curriculum.
Lewis suggested “customization and monitoring,” without making any specific recommendations.
Sharkey said his review of the material did not suggest the committee’s recommendation should be rejected. He said he considered the process, content and community feedback before reaching his decision.
This is Unconstitutional! It's been challenged before and hopefully will be again.Texas is closer to putting the Ten Commandments in classrooms after a key vote
https://apnews.com/article/texas-ten-...
SAVE the freedom to read in TEXAS. Protect librarians and booksellers!SB 13 has been placed on the House calendar for (as soon as) Monday. So please disregard prior instructions about contacting the calendars committee.
Time to focus exclusively on YOUR house rep for SB 13 and your Texas senator for HB 3225.
SB 13 is this session's school library book ban bill. It is a bureaucratic nightmare that will further burden public schools and politicize school libraries. SB 13 will result in unconstitutional censorship of books that a politically appointed "school library advisory committee" will inevitably- incorrectly- deem "indecent," "profane," or "against community values."
Texas book banners claim SB 13 is necessary because HB 900 "is not working." The truth is, the 40 or so people driving their movement for the entire state refuse to take "no" for an answer.
Contact your Texas House Rep.
Sample script: "My name is {insert your name}. I am a constituent in {insert zip code}. I am calling to voice opposition to SB 13. Please take record of my position against this bill, and ask my representative to vote "no" on SB 13. Thank you."
Feel free to make a more personalized plea to your rep and explain why you oppose SB 13, and want them to do the same. But at a minimum, get your opposition on record.
Stop House Bill 3225.
HB 3225 is the public library book ban bill that would limit teen parents and 17 year old honors students to the kiddie section of their municipal public libraries unless their parent signs a permission slip for them to access the full library. There is nothing common sense or practical about 5 year olds and 15 year olds being restricted- by default- to the same children's library books in the local community library- which is what HB 3225 would do.
Contact your Texas Senator.
Sample Script: "My name is {insert your name}. I'm a constituent in {insert zip code here}. I'm calling to ask Senator {insert Senator name here} to vote "no" on HB 3225 if it comes to a vote on the Senate floor. "
Feel free to tweak and edit this script to communicate your specific concerns about HB 3225.
Our friends at Texas Freedom Network are holding a Read-In at the Texas Capitol TOMORROW- Monday- May 26 at 12:00PM.
Join TFN & other library and book-loving advocates as we celebrate diverse and inclusive stories that are under threat if SB 13 becomes law.
https://act.tfn.org/a/read-in-2025
TennesseeKnox County parent reacts to list of banned books in schools
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/edu...
Knox County Schools parent reacts to recent list of titles removed due to state law
Knox County Schools bans 65 more books, sparking concerns over diversity and parental choice
...
One KCS mom, Kari Anton, said the decision to remove books is a disservice to the students of Knox County Schools.
"I think that that's an absolutely hypocritical thing to do," Anton said. "They say that 'this is the parent's choice.' You're taking the choice out of too many parents' hands when you rip these books out of the school's libraries."
Anton also worries about silencing voices of diverse authors.
"We need to again look carefully at the authors of these books," she said. "Because it seems like they're going after authors who are primarily of color, women, and who are LGBTQIA."
Some books removed are surprising, including an Eyewitness book about mammals. Others in the first list include Shel Silverstein's 'A Light in the Attic' and Eric Carle's 'Draw Me A Star'. Both Carle and Silverstein are children's book authors.
Other titles are less surprising, including the Sarah J. Maas series 'A Court of Thorns and Roses', a fantasy romance series with themes about s-x with unbalanced power dynamics. ...
Regardless, Anton believes it should be up to families, not lawmakers and school districts, to determine what is appropriate.
"If you don't want your kid reading that, then say, 'Hey, you know, let's have a conversation about what's actually in that book,'" Anton said. "Think about what kids can get to with their phones with maybe 2 or 3 clicks. I have asked to scan through my kids' phones from time to time just because I have been concerned about content from time to time. That's your right as a parent. "
On Wednesday, Knox County Schools released 65 more books that it said would be banned due to the Age-Appropriate Materials Act. The law broadly restricts materials from being available to students if they contain nudity, s--ual abuse, s--ual content or "excessive violence."
Mod
Texas is closer to putting the Ten Commandments in classrooms after a key vote
https://apnews.com/article/texas-..."
Hmm, would that mean if a student is Hindu or another religion that practices polytheism, they would get kicked out of school if they complain about that "there is only one God" part of the Ten Commandments?
Manybooks wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "Hmm, would that mean if a student is Hindu or another religion that practices polytheism, they would get kicked out of school if they complain about that "there is only one God" part of the Ten Commandments?"They might get suspended if they act out but something similar has been challenged before by a student and gone to the courts.
"Ahlquist v. Cranston, 840 F. Supp. 2d 507 (D.R.I. 2012), was a case where the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island ruled that a "School Prayer" banner posted in Cranston High School West was a violation of the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution and ordered its removal. The suit was brought by Mark Ahlquist on behalf of his minor daughter Jessica Ahlquist, a student at the school, with the assistance of the American Civil Liberties Union."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahlquis....
and the posting Ten Commandments in Schools Was Struck Down in 1980
https://www.edweek.org/policy-politic...
Louisiana just tried the same stunt and there was a lawsuit
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lawsuit-...
However, if it makes it all the way to the Supreme Court, they may not decide in favor of precedent.
As I expected, Oklahoma parents are protesting. I sure as heck would and pull my kid from public school, drop everything and move. This is ridiculously damaging nonsense. Ryan Walters is incredibly unpopular and for some reason, he keeps pushing his Christo-Fascist beliefs on public schools in spite of no one wanting them.https://www.yahoo.com/news/don-t-want...
I don’t want my kids hearing that’: Oklahoma parents look to opt out of new social studies content
Erica Watkins, ... joins members of Defense of Democracy Oklahoma, now called We’re Oklahoma Education, and LGBTQ+ advocates holding signs opposing state Superintendent Ryan Walters outside the Oklahoma State Department of Education building in Oklahoma City on April 25, 2024. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)
OKLAHOMA CITY — Frustrated with religious content and polarizing language added to Oklahoma academic standards, some parents say they plan to opt their children out of “ideologically charged” social studies lessons in public schools.
Families and liberal advocates across the state, relying on parental rights laws that Republicans championed, are drafting letters to exempt their children from new social studies content that conservative leaders enacted this year.
...
The “biggest glaring red flag” in the new social studies standards, Parker said, is language that casts doubt on the integrity of the 2020 presidential election. President Donald Trump has refused to concede defeat to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 race, despite courts across the country dismissing Trump’s lawsuits claiming election fraud.
Under the new standards, Oklahoma high school U.S. history classes will be required to have students “identify discrepancies” in the 2020 election results, including the “sudden halting of ballot-counting in select cities in key battleground states, the security risks of mail-in balloting, sudden batch dumps, an unforeseen record number of voters, and the unprecedented contradiction of ‘bellwether county’ trends.”
State Superintendent Ryan Walters quietly added these claims without acknowledging them until after the standards passed a vote by the Oklahoma State Board of Education. Half of the board later said they were unaware of the new content when they voted on it.
A lawsuit in Oklahoma County District Court is challenging whether the Education Department and the board followed proper procedures when approving the standards.
Parker said she contacted her home district, Tulsa Public Schools, to opt her children out of being taught about “election fraud that never happened.”
She also objected to Walters’ new requirements that Oklahoma schools incorporate Bible stories and Jesus’ teachings into their curriculum — an effort she views as Christian nationalism and religious indoctrination.
“It literally was one of the most painful experiences of my life growing up in Christianity, and so it’s the last thing that I want my daughters to learn about in school,” Parker said. “Of course, we discuss things, but it’s just that this isn’t about history and facts. It’s about pushing their faith on us, and that’s unacceptable. It’s un-American.”
Walters said he implemented the biblical content not to convert students to Christianity, but to ensure they understand the beliefs that inspired America’s core principles and that influenced the country’s founding fathers.
It’s “concerning that parents would opt their kids out of understanding American history,” Walters said Thursday, but it’s a choice they have a right to make.
“We want parents to have opt-outs,” Walters said. “We want parents to be able to make those decisions. I think that’s a bad decision on their part.”
Local organization We’re Oklahoma Education, or WOKE, is distributing sample opt-out letters through social media. Members of the group are known for regularly attending state Board of Education meetings and protesting Walters.
The organization has about 200 active volunteers in Oklahoma and 1,000 followers on its social media and email lists, director Erica Watkins said.
Many of them are parents frustrated with Walters’ far-right brand of politics and the “ideologically charged” content he inserted into Oklahoma’s academic standards, said Watkins, a mother of two students in Jenks Public Schools.
WOKE, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the label Republicans apply to left-leaning opponents, formed as a liberal counter to Moms for Liberty, a conservative national group also focused on education policy.
“If you believe parents know best, then that applies to all parents,” Watkins said. “And so that’s why we went ahead and used the channels that they put in place to push back against some of their more indoctrinating things that they’re putting into our schools.”
Watkins said her family isn’t religious, so she intends to exempt her children from new standards teaching the Bible.
She said the 2020 election language is also out of the question.
“I don’t want my kids hearing that,” Watkins said. “That’s propaganda, and I don’t think it’s appropriate to be taught in school.”
Stillwater Public Schools parent Saralynn Boren, a WOKE member, said the group first started drafting opt-out letters after Walters invited public schools to use “pro-America kids content” from the conservative media entity PragerU.
The letters also invite parents to opt out of conservative content from Hillsdale College, Turning Point USA and even from “any interaction” with Walters himself.
The group extended the letter template to add social studies standards on Judeo-Christian values, God, the Bible, the 2020 election and other topics. Watkins said they did so after the Republican majority in the state Legislature declined to take action on the academic standards.
A GOP-led attempt to disapprove the standards emerged in the state Senate, but the chamber’s Republican caucus decided to allow the new content to pass after having a closed-door meeting with Walters.
The Senate’s leader, President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said he is supportive of parents who are now choosing to opt out of the standards....
Oklahoma law guarantees parents the right to direct their minor children’s education and moral or religious training. Parents are allowed to withdraw their children from any learning material or activity on moral or religious grounds.
Boren, of Stillwater, said her past opt-out requests over PragerU were “well received” by her children’s district.
Stillwater district spokesperson Barry Fuxa said families always have had the right to choose an alternative assignment or learning material. He told Oklahoma Voice the district has not yet received any opt-out requests over new social studies standards.
...
Tulsa Public Schools also upholds parents’ rights to review instructional materials, both under state law and school board policy, the district said in a statement through its spokesperson, Luke Chitwood.
Tulsa will spend the 2025-26 school year selecting instructional materials that align with the new social studies standards and will implement the new content in 2026-27, Chitwood said. That selection process will involve teachers, parents and community members, he said.
More parental engagement in education is a positive thing, said Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City.
But Kirt said she’s concerned political divisions are becoming wider. The new academic standards, as well as other efforts supporting state-funded religious education, could be a wedge driving Oklahomans further apart.
“If we have separate schools for everybody who has different beliefs, we’re going to have some real challenges about living together and working together and having an economy together,” Kirt said. “So, I’m worried about how that’s going to turn out. But do I want my child learning inaccurate information in their classroom? No, I don’t.”
Mod
So will Donald Trump now ban the spelling bee or not allow anyone with a non WASP sounding name (or who was not born in the USA) to participate? And no, I do not think my question is unreasonable, as I am sure Donnie is probably livid that many of the best spellers in the United States do not have "English" names and keep winning those huge spelling bees (but I sure am totally smiling).
Manybooks wrote: "https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/29/us/spe...So will Donald Trump now ban the spelling bee or not allow anyone with a non WASP sounding name (or who was not born in the USA) to parti..."
He IS very jealous of brown people who can outdo him -- which is so many of them.
Mod
So will Donald Trump now ban the spelling bee or not allow anyone with a non WASP sounding name (or who was not born in..."
Unfortunately, as POTUS Trump has a lot of personal power and does not not really seem to care about human rights and justice.
IowaMason City residents speak out against requests to ban books from library
Thank you Kelly Jensen for breaking the paywall.
https://12ft.io/proxy
Standing-room-only crowd at the Mason City Public Library on Tuesday made it clear how they felt about recent requests to pull two books from the shelves that teach young people about their bodies and sexuality.
"I don't want Moms for Liberty deciding what my great-grandchildren will read," said Sharon Steckman of Mason City, a former state representative, to a round of applause from the nearly 40 people attending a library board meeting.
One of the items on the agenda for the meeting was book challenges from Mason City residents Connie Dianda and Kathleen Easley.
Dianda had submitted a form to the library asking that "Sex is a Funny Word," which is in the Middle Grade section, be removed, while Easley's form requested the removal of the Young Adult section book, "Let's Talk About It."
...
In a Facebook post, Steckman said Dianda and Easly used written statements from Moms for Liberty on the forms they submitted. Moms for Liberty is a conservative group that is behind efforts to ban a variety of books, including many with LGBTQ+ themes.
A third Mason City resident, Tim Stumo, did not submit a challenge form but did write a letter to the library board asking it to remove "Sex is a Funny Word" and "Let's Talk About It" from its youth or general collection.
His letter stated that the materials in the books "are not simply educational -- they are graphic, and they cross a line from information into sexualization."
Stumo also stated in his letter that if the board declined to act on the removal request, "I will consider it necessary to bring this matter to the attention of all relevant elected officials involved in the budgeting and oversight of our public libraries. I want you to know that I share this not to pressure you, but to convey the depth of concern that I and others in the community feel about the impact of these materials on our children."
Mason City Public Library Director Mary Markwalter explained to the audience at Monday's meeting that if someone challenges a book in the library's collection, they are given a packet of information and a form to fill out. When the completed forms are returned, the library director and staff do some research, which includes talking to board members and the public.
"Most everybody says, 'Don't check the book out if you don't like it,'" Markwalter said.
She noted she wrote letters to both Dianda and Easley stating that she is denying their requests. The letters also stated that they should contact her if they wished to appeal her decision to the library board.
The appeal was on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting, but Dianda and Easley weren't in attendance. The board did not take action on the matter.
Some people in the audience spoke about the book challenges during the time at the beginning of the meeting set aside from public comment. They all said they were against banning books from the library.
"This place is a sanctuary," said Katie Koehler of Mason City, who has three daughters who visited the library growing up and continue to do so. "As far as I am concerned, it is a very safe place. It is the parents' decision on what kids read."
Steckman brought along a statement from Mason City School Board member Megan Markos, who was unable to attend the meeting. Steckman read the statement to the board and the audience.
Markos wrote that teaching children the anatomical terms for their genitals shows they are neutral words not to be ashamed of, which helps them report sexual abuse if it happens to them and can even prevent it.
"Books that talk about abuse help children realize what abuse is," she said in her statement. "P--n is meant to titillate. Books with graphic stories are meant to make you question and think, and in the most tragic cases help you cope and make you feel like there is life beyond your abuse, that you are not alone, and someone has gone through what you have gone through."
Another Mason City resident, Roger Schlitter, said he and his family look for two things when we move to a new community: a church home and a library.
"My parents never told us what we could read or couldn't read," he said. "Anything that disrupts the ability to read for the public is just distasteful to me."
Chelsea Price, director of the Meservey Public Library, said libraries are "a cornerstone of democracy, education and intellectual freedom. One of our fundamental responsibilities as librarians is to ensure that people have access to a diverse range of ideas, perspectives and voices, even those that challenge or discomfort us."
When a book is removed from shelves because it contains controversial or challenging content, "we are not protecting the public," Price said. "We are limiting the right to think critically, to explore different experiences, and to make up their own minds. Librarians are one of the few remaining public spaces where people can encounter the whole spectrum of human thought and creativity without commercial or political gatekeeping. To me that is sacred."
If you recall, the poor Samuels Public Library in Virginia which is under threat for not removing a handful of LGBTQ+ themed books from the library...“We Are Here to Stay”: Samuels Library Staff, Board, and Supporters Rally Community at Public Forum
https://royalexaminer.com/we-are-here...
In a packed two-hour public forum, Samuels Public Library trustees, staff, volunteers, and community members gathered to voice their commitment to preserving the library and resisting what they described as an unjustified attempt by county officials to replace the institution with a private management company.
“We have built this library together as a community since 1799, donation by donation… volunteer hour by volunteer hour, and brick by brick,” said Board President Melody Hotek, setting the tone of defiance and unity early in the meeting. “We will not stand by while four supervisors, who appear to have a personal vendetta and a vocal minority representing just 1.25% of the population, try to assume a moral high ground for the rest of us.”
That opening statement met with murmurs and nods of agreement from the audience, was only the beginning of an emotionally charged evening centered on transparency, legality, community investment, and the future of public services in Warren County.
The central concern raised by speakers throughout the evening was the decision by the Warren County Board of Supervisors to end funding for Samuels Public Library on July 1, 2025, and to consider contracting Library Systems & Services (LS&S), a for-profit company, to take over public library services.
Hotek emphasized that Samuels is “not a vendor” but a “community institution” managed by a nonprofit board of local volunteers. She accused the county of working “in secret and with no input from the library and with no valid reason that anyone can understand.”
Trustee and incoming Friends of Samuels Library (FOSL) president Sydney Patton underscored the emotional and historic value of the library: “We have been here for 30 years as a love letter and a best friend to the library… We will not do that for another company.”
The forum detailed the extensive local support for the library, with over 16,000 active cardholders and thousands of volunteer hours logged annually. Multiple speakers stressed that this was not a political issue but a community one. “I am a practicing Catholic… I almost thought about leaving the church,” said one board member. “But I realized this isn’t about my faith—it’s about how people are choosing to wield power.”
Much of the meeting was spent clarifying misinformation about finances and the future of library assets.
Library Director Erin Rooney and other board members outlined how the nonprofit is governed, audited, and funded. “We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We have our own board. We own our assets. We have a 30-year lease. We’re not going anywhere,” Rooney stated.
...
Concerns about the library’s assets—books, furniture, technology—were a recurring point. “They’re ours,” Hotek repeated. “They’re insured by us. Bought by us. Donated to us. They’re on our audit records.”
The board provided a financial comparison between continuing with Samuels versus moving to LS&S. In the current fiscal year, Samuels requested $1.024 million in county funding—equal to LS&S’s proposed bid. But Samuels also committed to raising an additional $245,000 from private fundraising and had already invested $121,000 in collection development this year, plus another $126,000 in operations from state aid.
“They’re not saving the county any money,” Eileen Grady said. “In fact, it will cost more to start from scratch—millions of dollars to replace our collection, technology, and staff.”
Eileen Grady acknowledged that even without county support, the library has enough in its reserve and emergency donor fund—over $500,000—to continue operations in the short term. “Give yourselves applause,” she said to the crowd. “That’s all you.”
Audience members echoed frustration and confusion about the county’s motivations and lack of transparency. “We’ve had no contact from the board in over a year,” one trustee said. “We had to sit at a public hearing to find out they didn’t renew our agreement.”
“I’m from Florida,” said a newer resident, visibly emotional. “I came here for this community. But if this is how our local government treats its best institutions, I’m wondering what’s happening in our schools, our hospital, our fire departments.”
Several attendees urged more direct political action. One local candidate, Hugh Henry, spoke during the Q&A session and described the county’s current political state as “a power grab.” He encouraged voters to participate in the upcoming June 17th primary, describing it as “the real election” for key seats on the Board of Supervisors.
Throughout the evening, library staff and board members continuously returned to the real impact of the library: the patrons, volunteers, and children it serves.
...
The meeting ended with applause, gratitude, and a call for continued support, engagement, and, most importantly—hope.
“Come July 1,” Hotek told the crowd, “come renew your library card.”
One parent? This person is nutso.A parent in the Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District (NY) is seeking to have 27 books removed from the schools.
Ken-Ton now will let parents challenge the content of library books. Officials said school-level staff will assess each book and could, based on that review, remove the title from circulation.
https://buffalonews.com/news/local/ed...
North CarolinaSchool board in Wake County, North Carolina, approves Freedom to Read grants. Critics say they promote p___.
https://www.union-bulletin.com/news/n...
A grant that would help Wake County schools [NC] promote Banned Books Week is drawing complaints from some conservatives that it’s actually meant to get s--ually inappropriate books in the hands of students.
The Wake County school board voted 5-2 this week to allow individual schools to apply for grants of up to $1,000 from The Freedom to Read Foundation. According to the foundation, the grants will “support activities that raise awareness of intellectual freedom and prevent censorship.”
“Honestly, I can’t think of a better time or a more important place for a grant like this to matter,” Margaret Bilodeau, a Wake County parent, told the school board in public comments before the vote. “Let’s be real. There’s an organized ongoing effort underway in Wake County to remove books from schools.”
One of the stated uses of the grants is to promote activities during Banned Books Week, an annual event that brings attention to book challenges in schools and libraries. The American Library Association founded the Freedom to Read Foundation, although both are separate organizations.
“The grant in consent (agenda) today was for Freedom to Read Foundation, which also speaks about the intent for professional development for our librarians to work around book banning,” said school board member Cheryl Caulfield. “I want to be clear that no one is trying to ban books.
“It is important to clarify that there is a difference between banning books and parents wanting to see more appropriate books in the school setting that their young children are exposed to.”
Caulfield and board member Wing Ng voted against the grant. Caulfield and Ng have voted against other grants, including ones applying for money for LGBTQ projects and to purchase diverse books for schools.
Caulfield, who has announced she will run for state Senate in 2026, was praised by the Wake County Republican Party. In a post Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter, the Wake GOP said Caulfield was speaking out against books that “ contain e---c adult content & gender confusing themes.”
The fight over the grant comes amid a raging debate in North Carolina and nationally about whether school libraries contain books that are too s--ually explicit for students.
Some of the questioned books contain scenes about characters having s-x. Many of the targeted books feature LGBTQ+ themes and characters.
One of the frequently targeted books is “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George M. Johnson. The memoir talks about Johnson’s experiences growing up gay and Black and includes scenes involving (view spoiler)
“I’m not going to deny that in some points of the book there was s---l content,” Harper Rossi, a Wake high school student, told the school board. “However, I feel that when read in the context of the book, it’s more than reasonable for high schoolers.
“Taking out-of-context quotes or images from a text does not show that the book has no value in our school libraries. I urge you to fight back against these attempts at censoring our media because otherwise we lose books which provide real value to our students.”
But Edith Jones, a Wake County resident, told the board on Tuesday it needs to “repent and change” for exposing students to “demonic, dark books.”
“You don’t love them because of the decisions you have made that allow them to read these books in the schools to learn from transgenderism,” Jones said. “You know what? You’re going to be held accountable. You’re going to be held accountable, and God sent me to tell you that you will be held accountable.”
Approximately 50 people attended a protest outside the Wake County school board meeting in Cary on April 5, 2022 to protest what they say is the distribution of obscene books in school libraries.
In April, the state House passed legislation that would prohibit school libraries from having books that include “descriptions or visual depictions of s--ual activity or (are) pervasively vulgar.”
The “Promoting Wholesome Content for Students” bill creates a process where 10 or more letters complaining about a book in a school library would trigger a local review that could lead to it being removed. The objections can come from parents, teachers and residents of the county where the school is located.
House Bill 636 also would allow the public to sue schools for having school library books that they feel are harmful to minors. People can seek damages of up to $5,000 per violation of the bill.
The Senate has not yet acted on the bill.
Wake school board chair Chris Heagarty complained it is “not the American way” to allow a handful of non-parents to get a book removed over the wishes of the majority at a school.
“Any proposal where a handful of people can come in for whatever reason and remove resources from thousands of students, that’s problematic,” Heagarty said at Tuesday’s school board meeting. “That’s a slippery slope and I would hope that we would not go there.”
But Joseph Deaton, a Wake County resident, told the board that there wouldn’t be a need for the legislation if Wake didn’t place “p---graphic books” in schools.
“Whether or not HB636 becomes law, the board should do the decent thing and remove p----graphic books,” Deaton said. “You shouldn’t accept any grants from that American Library Association foundation either.”
According to Wake, Rolesville High School had expressed interest in applying for the Freedom to Read grant. But Wake says other district schools could apply as well.
“Please vote no on the Freedom to Read grant,” said Janet Peterson of the Pavement Education Project, which tracks what it says are obscene books found in North Carolina schools. “Find funding for literature elsewhere. It’s got to be out there.”
But Bilodeau, the parent, said schools can use the grant to fund things like hosting student-led events, community discussions and family reading nights. She urged the district to actively seek out similar grants that she said will promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
“This grant isn’t about politics,” Bilodeau said. “It’s about protecting our students’ rights to think, question and grow. It gives us the opportunity to highlight stories that challenge us, that reflect our students’ lives and help them feel seen and understood in a world that doesn’t always make space for who they are.”
FloridaEscambia County Schools want to make the book "review" (i.e. banning) process go quicker.
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/...
Escambia school board wants to speed up the process of reviewing challenged library books
Fetsko says if a challenged book has been reviewed and banned in another Florida public school district, it should be removed from Escambia public schools
Board members feel ECPS has spent too much time reviewing challenged books
Possible methods of speeding up the book challenge review process may be discussed in a June workshop.
Expediting the book challenge review process may be on the agenda for the Escambia County Schools Board’s June workshop.
After hearing from community members about the current review process at the May 20 meeting, board member Kevin Adams said Escambia County Public Schools need to improve the lengthy process.
“We know what this improper content is doing to kids … higher suicide rates, higher self-harm, more mental health issues. We should not be in the s-x business. I’m going to add the letter h to it. We shouldn’t be in anybody’s s-x business,” Adams said.
...
Escambia County also led the charge with more than 1,600 books removed as of December 2023, according to The Florida Freedom to Read Project, which published a list of books removed from Escambia County Public Schools' library shelves.
ECPS board members also hope to avoid what recently occurred in Hillsborough County Public Schools where hundreds of books were taken out of circulation after a letter from two state officials ramped up pressure on district officials.
...
Several Escambia County board members said they also had received or read the Uthmeier and Diaz letters.
“We better get serious about this. You won’t be fired. You won’t be fired. That one back there won’t be fired but the governor will remove each one of us if we don’t get our act together,” Adams said as he randomly pointed to district administrators at the meeting.
“I don’t know what is going on with this thing, but we’ve got to cease and end it.”
Adams said he emailed Escambia Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard about the letters.
“It can’t go on for another four years. It’s simple. If it’s got p---graphic material, you can’t use no loophole. Look at the samples they provided you in here, the attorney general. He has a new office called the Parental Rights office. Now that set of lawsuits, it’ll work its own way out,” Adams said, adding board members need to take action at the next board workshop.
“They told Hillsborough to move or they’re taking legal action against the board members. That letter went to the board members.”
Other board members agreed that the book challenge review process is taking too long.
“If there are books that have been removed, have gone through a process somewhere else in the state and have been determined to meet the standard for removal, it is a no-brainer to say, they need to be gone from here also,” board member Paul Fetsko said.
“If indeed, there are 200 and something books that can be gone tomorrow, then let’s get them the heck out of Escambia County. There’s no reason to go through with this. The length of time that’s it taking for the committees to go through, maybe we do need to look at a different process.”
Tom Harrell said the book challenge review process is one that is very touchy because of the federal lawsuits.
“But after reading the attorney general’s letter and after listening to input from our community, the bottom line is this, there’s stuff out there in our schools that does not need to be there – that’s the bottom line,” he said. “We need to move forward with this – it’s (20)22, 23, 24 and now, we’re into 25. Let’s get on with the business of educating boys and girls and less with these side issues and things.”
Carissa Bergosh said the school board needs to “go ahead and do what is right for kids, do what is right for our families.”
Vicki Baggett, a Northview High School language arts teacher, who has filed hundreds of book challenges in the school district, was among eight community members speaking about the book challenge process during board meeting’s public forum. [Gee what a surprise! Since most of the challenges come from HER!]
...
Baggett said Uthmeier, in his letter, quoted passages from three books – “What Girls Are Made Of,” “Beautiful” and “Breathless.” Books, she said, she has already submitted for removal from Escambia County schools.
“Our district is in the hot seat. I promise you the new attorney general and commissioner of education are monitoring what we are and are not doing. Why haven’t we already removed every book that has been removed from other counties in our state?” she said.
The district's book challenge review spreadsheet currently has around 235 unresolved challenges. The district has resolved about 25: two books have been retained, nine have been removed and 14 have been restricted to specific grade levels.
“If we make the smart move, we would have only 88 books to be looked at. And of those 88, around 90% have extreme s--ual passages,” Baggett added.
Escambia County is currently embroiled in a pair of federal lawsuits related to book removals, with the plaintiffs in one suit – including parents of schoolchildren, authors, the publishing company Penguin Random House and the free-speech group PEN America – contending that the district is violating their First Amendment rights.
Kelly Jensen summarizes a terrifying situation in Texas:"One of the many book ban bills being heard in Texas this session is Senate Bill 13. Parents have been nonstop in pushing back, including showing up to demonstrate against the bill on Memorial Day–a holiday on which an important hearing on the bill was held. Convenient. The bill has passed out of the House as of writing, but the fight isn’t over (and where/how this bill will be squared with the Texas Reader Act, currently still in the court system, is a question mark)."
https://www.kvue.com/article/news/pol...
SB 13 is aimed at giving more control to parents and school boards over what materials will be allowed in libraries.
Outside of the Texas Capitol's House chamber on Memorial Day, a crowd filled the halls and staircase to read in protest.
That's because beyond the doors of the chamber, a bill that would possibly remove their books from school libraries was up for debate.
Senate Bill 13 is aimed at allowing parents and school board to have more power over what books are picked in school libraries. It would also allow school districts to create a school library advisory council, which would be largely made up of parents who would recommend what books should be added or removed.
The goal of the bill, according to sponsor Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado), is to give parents transparency over the materials children are reading and to remove the ones that have "profane," "indecent" or "s--ually explicit" content.
The House debated several amendments on Monday, one of which was proposed by Buckley and would allow certain books to be an exception so long as it is part of a class requirement.
Lawmakers clashed over clarification on whether classics such as "Romeo and Juliet" and "Catcher in the Rye" would be thrown out due to their content.
Cory Putmanoaks is a parent of two teenagers and was one of many who sat among the crowd. Her reading choice was "1984" by George Orwell, which she said eerily mirrors today's society.
She said reading a book such as "1984" should not be a choice chartered by a government body, but librarians who typically catalog the selection.
"We're fighting for kids access to books," Putmanoaks said.
It was a statement Austin ISD parent Frank Strong echoed.
"It's genuinely disturbing, and it's making it harder for parents, it's making it harder for teachers to bring the world to our kids," Strong said.
SB 13 already made it out of the Senate. If passed in the House, there will be one more final vote.
TexasNew juvenile, teen cards coming to Corpus Christi Public Libraries
https://www.caller.com/story/news/loc...
Under an updated policy, new youth library card options will be available starting June 2 at all six Corpus Christi library branches.
In early March, Corpus Christi Public Libraries updated its collection development policy to exclude some types of material in the juvenile section and what will be a new teen section.
The change came after discussions among the Library Board that spanned more than a year, and have often drawn criticism, over what kind of content should be deemed inappropriate for minors.
The new options are the Juvenile Card, intended for ages zero to 12, and the Teen Card, which will allow access to a collection designed for ages 13 through 17.
The juvenile collection includes board books, picture books, easy reading books, juvenile chapter books, juvenile nonfiction and juvenile media.
Each card limits cardholders to checking out materials only from designated sections. The current youth library card, which allows minors to borrow material from any area of the library, will remain an available option.
To prevent access to young adult and adult material for Juvenile and Teen cards, eBooks and eAudiobooks via CloudLibrary will be restricted, as the library cannot customize access for individual users of the service.
Permissions and restrictions with each card
Youth Library Card
The card is available for ages zero through 17 and can check out any available material in the library. Cardholders can access digital resources; access CloudLibrary for eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines; use self-checkout stations; and log into library computers to access the internet. The only restriction with the Youth Library Card is the account must remain in good standing to ensure continued access.
Juvenile Library Card
The card is available for ages zero through 12 and can only check out juvenile material. Cardholders can use the self-checkout stations. Restrictions are as follows: Users cannot access CloudLibrary for eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines; parents/guardians are not permitted to use the card to check out non-juvenile materials for themselves; users cannot access library computers with internet; and the account must remain in good standing to ensure continued access.
Teen Library Card
The card is available for ages 13 through 17 and can only check out juvenile and teen material. Cardholders can use self-checkout stations. Restrictions are as follows: Users cannot access CloudLibrary for eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines; parents/guardians are not permitted to use the card to check out non-juvenile materials for themselves; users cannot access library computers with internet; and the account must remain in good standing to ensure continued access.
All permissions and restrictions are subject to change, according to the Corpus Christi Public Libraries.
As Pride Month quickly approaches, expect more of this caving in to hysteria.Indiana
Patrons object to local library's Pride month plans with taxpayer money
https://12ft.io/proxy
A local library has planned an LGBTQ Pride Month event that doesn’t sit right with some patrons.
Charles Trupe and Kristina Holden of Zionsville think Pride events normalize lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) lifestyles and are partially responsible for an increase in youth who identify as such.
[Yes, that's the POINT! To help people figure out who they are, be comfortable with who they are and for others to learn and learn to accept those who are LGBTQ+.]
And they think Zionsville’s Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library programs support the LGBTQ agenda.
Hussey-Mayfield has scheduled a program called Pride Speed Dating with a Book for June 11.
...
The Hussey-Mayfield Pride event was advertised on the library’s online calendar for ages 13-18 and for adults, as of Monday. On Thursday, the age range had changed to only adults.
The event description reads, “In celebration of Pride Month, discover the world of LGBTQIA+ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual] lit[erature]…”
Hussey-Mayfield Director Kristin Shelley said Thursday the event was intended for adults only, and a librarian may have corrected an error online, if it was at first opened to 13-year-olds and older.
Shelley said speed dating with a book is just that, a date with books – not with people.
“It’s a time to talk to staff about some of the books they’ve read and liked and a time of just being exposed to an array of books, characters, themes, or LGBTQ authors,” Shelley said.
“One of our core values is having the library open to all, so that everyone who walks through our doors sees themselves in some form or fashion. And we aren’t questioning who walks in through our doors. They should see themselves in displays, materials, and programs.”
Last year the library sponsored a Pride party for sixth-graders through college students, Trupe said. The invitation read, in part, “Whether you are gay, trans, an ally, or anything under the rainbow, you are welcome.”
Shelley said the library did have a party for teens through college aged patrons, providing cupcakes and showing the movie “Love Simon,” a gay teenage romance rated PG13.
Department heads with master’s degrees in library science develop programs for Hussey-Mayfield on topics that are beneficial to the entire community, Shelley said, adding, “They base them on what’s popular and trending, and I don’t put many restrictions on what kind of programs we do. But I do ask them to be intentional about ages or grades.”
Likewise, Lebanon Public Library department heads schedule programs based on public interest, Director Beau Cunnyngham said. Lebanon has no pride events on the calendar, because “June is the beginning of summer reading, and it’s all hands on deck for that,” he said.
“I have never felt the need to put limitations on my program directors,” Cunnyngham said. “They come up with programming to appeal to a wide range of people. I fully respect libraries attempting to get people into the door with a variety of programming.”
Trupe and Holden reminded Boone County Council members and commissioners this month that they appoint some members to the library board and asked them to select conservative members in the future.
“Taxpayer dollars should not be used to promote the LGBTQ agenda,” Trupe told them. “We need a strong library board that says ‘no’ to the library director when she proposes something like this.”
Trupe also objected to a display celebrating Transgender Visibility Day in March. The display was in the adult section, but within view of children, he said. One book cover had a photo of a boy wearing a girl’s cheerleading uniform, he said.
“Professional librarians choose displays that people have asked about, or that are relevant to the date or month,” Shelley said, citing as an example, a recent display on romance that showed men and women on the covers.
“We really want this to be a welcoming and open space to all.”
Lebanon’s collection also includes materials that appeal to the LGBTQ community and its needs and interests.
“Our materials cover a wide range of topics,” Cunnyngham said. “We buy books based on regional and national popularity. There are few limits.
"If it’s published by a children’s publishing house, we buy it and put it in the collection. We’re not going to censor that. It’s an age-old practice among libraries.”
But both libraries have a formal complaint process for the public to object to materials.
Both have committees that review any complaints and a library board will then make a final decision. Cunnyngham remembers only eight or fewer complaints since he took the helm in Lebanon in 2015 and said no books were banned after review.
Shelley said that only a few people in Zionsville have complained about LGBTQ events and materials.
“The flip-side,” she said, “is that I got far more supportive emails, like four times as many,” for last year’s event."
Yay Manchester! The Manchester, New Hampshire, school board is asking the governor not to sign the bill allowing rampant book banning in schools statewide.
https://manchester.inklink.news/schoo...
In a 10-2 vote, the Manchester Board of School Committee (BOSC) voted to send a letter to New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte asking her to veto a bill that could ban books considered “obscene or harmful to minors” from schools.
The bill, HB 324, would change state law to add definitions of materials considered “obscene or harmful to minors” and establishes a complaint process to enforce for individuals to request that such materials be removed from schools.
Ward 2 BOSC Member Dr. Sean Parr brought the request to send the letter forward from the BOSC Education Legislation Committee, stating that definitions within the bill are vague. Parr also said that the law would be unnecessary in Manchester given that several Manchester School District policies already address materials that parents may find objectionable in a process he believes holds far more clarity.
The lack of clarity was the primary concern for BOSC At-Large Member Peter Argeropoulos, who also serves as a school administrator in Nashua. In the past, Argeropoulos said comparably vague bills became law, leading educators such as himself to try and figure out their implementation in real-world applications, making him wonder if legislators are taking enough time to talk with educators before proposing legislation.
BOSC Vice Chair Jim O’Connell also expressed his frustration, preferring that the state legislature had spent time on improving academic outcomes and other educational improvements instead of discussion on the bill.
He disagreed with the assessment of Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais that the proposed letter to Ayotte was not constructive, stating that the bill was “an answer in search of a problem” and should be opposed.
“This is politics and it doesn’t belong in schools,” said O’Connell.
Ruais and Manchester School District Superintendent Dr. Jenn Chmiel said that they have only heard a handful of complaints related to the topics discussed in HB 324. Ward 9 BOSC Member Bob Baines said that he had never received any comparable complaints during his time as a principal at Manchester West High School in the 1990s or as Mayor of Manchester in the 2000s.
Baines’ primary concern with the bill was the state’s attempt to wrest away local control from local elected officials.
“Why do we need the state government telling us what to do?” he said.
The only votes in opposition to sending the letter came from Ruais and Ward 10 BOSC Member Joy Senecal, who felt that parents should be consulted before any board action on this matter is taken.
The New Hampshire House of Representatives voted 183-148 to adopt the 9-8 “ought-to-pass” recommendation of the House Education Committee. T...
In the State Senate, the “ought-to-pass” recommendation from the Senate Education Committee was adopted 15-8 on party lines with Kevin Avard (R-Nashua) absent.
Alabama where the rules are clear as mud on purposeAlabama Library Association ‘concerned but also confused’ by new APLS content policies
https://alabamareflector.com/2025/05/...
The Alabama Library Association said in a May 16 letter that it was “concerned but also confused” by new Alabama Public Library Service policies on s--ually explicit content and what it called ill-treatment of directors and staff of local libraries at a meeting earlier this month.
The organization said it was notably concerned by “the lack of discussion about how the board will codify this new definition into the APLS administrative state code,” referring to a letter that APLS Board Chair John Wahl sent to local libraries to further clarify definitions related to s--ually explicit materials after the board approved the update during a meeting on May 8.
“That is just one of many questions we have about this memo, and we hope to learn the answers in the coming days,” the letter said.
Wahl said in an interview Tuesday that several local libraries approached the APLS asking for additional clarification regarding the definition.
“We wanted to be very clear with what we felt our definition was so local libraries would have the information they needed to comply with state code,” he said. “I can’t imagine why anyone would be upset with having more information.”
The organization also criticized how some members of the APLS board responded to statements made by local library staff, characterizing the comments that were made to library directors, librarians and supporters of libraries as “discourteous and dismissive.”
A part of ALLA’s statement referred to a letter that Wahl sent May 12 to inform local libraries that board members approved an update to its policies that further defines “s--ually explicit” content.
These include books or materials that include descriptions of (view spoiler)
“This definition is based on existing state and federal guidelines and is intended to serve as a clear and practical reference as you address this matter in your libraries,” Wahl stated in his letter to local library directors.
The correspondence stemmed from actions that board members took at the May 8 meeting to further explain the meaning of s--ually explicit materials after the board fielded comments about how vaguely the term was defined in the policies.
The ALLA executive council also recommended that APLS withdraw Wahl’s memo.
“If the APLS is to pursue further policy requirements of Alabama libraries, follow established legal procedure for amending the Administrative Code, with appropriate public comment opportunities and thorough consideration of the constitutionality of both memos,” ALLA said in its statement.
The organization also wants APLS to issue an apology to local library staff and directors as well as host a session to field comments from public librarians.
Wahl said that board members were respectful to speakers and said multiple times how much he and the other board members cared about local libraries, going so far as to secure funding that the state stands to lose from the federal government.
“There has to be dialogue, and if someone presents information that is factually incorrect, that leaves out entirely, one side of the narrative, it is entirely appropriate for the Board to address that immediately,” Wahl said.
Wahl proposed an update to the policy based on a different section of state statute that also includes adult bookstores. The policy update was authorized more than a year after members of the APLS board issued directives to local libraries to adopt regulations to further restrict minors from having access to some library materials.
A May 2024 update of the code required libraries to relocate materials within their circulation that have obscenity, are s--ually explicit, or ones deemed inappropriate for minors.
Obscenity is a legal term and is further defined in state statute. Wahl and other board members said they believe the term “s--ually explicit” needed additional clarification. The APLS board did not update what the term “inappropriate” during the May 8 meeting.
Also in Alabama- the local bigots are out and loud.There are only a HANDFUL of trans books even available for libraries to purchase!
https://www.alreporter.com/2025/05/28...
NewsClean Up Alabama leader wants “trans stuff” out of all libraries
Clean Up Alabama’s leader, Hannah Rees, clarified her intent, stating that “trans stuff” should be removed entirely from all libraries — not just moved.
In the debate over library content for the past two years, part of the argument has been over phrasing.
When anti-censorship groups like Read Freely Alabama have thrown out the term “book banners,” the other side has often bristled and claimed their intent is solely to move books out of sections for minors and into the adult section.
APR has obtained screenshots of recent Facebook comments from Clean Up Alabama founder and director Hannah Rees that clarify her intent to see all library books dealing with “gender ideology” removed completely from libraries.
“I get frustrated when people say move the books also,” Rees commented on a post she made in the “Faith Family Freedom Coalition of Baldwin County” Facebook group. “We need to stick with remove and not back down no matter how much pressure and how many times we are called book banners. That is water off the back and the nicest thing I’ve been called.”
Rees made the comment in response to Stephanie Williams, the woman primarily responsible for challenging books at the Foley Public Library in 2023. Williams said in the comment that “our side has compromised by arguing we just want you to move it. I don’t agree.”
The main post from Rees shared a far-right website article detailing the most recent meeting of the Alabama Public Library Service board meeting, including APLS board member Amy Minton’s introduction of a document that would define all materials promoting gender ideology as “inappropriate” under APLS code.
That document cites an executive order from President Donald Trump declaring that no federal funding should be used to promote gender ideology, among other federal and state laws.
“But also I think Amy is saying that … any book that specifically violates Trump’s EOs must be removed from the library altogether,” Rees commented. “If it cannot be promoted in the military or anywhere in the government (which is all adults) then it should not be promoted in our libraries. He did not mean children, he meant everyone.”
Some supporters of removing books from the library, whether under the pretense that they are s----ally explicit or because they include LGBTQ+ content, say that it is still not “banning books” because citizens can still purchase the books elsewhere. Rees made a similar statement in the Facebook group thread.
“The most important key in this is it should not be purchased with our tax dollars period,” Rees said. “If a parent wants to expose their kid to WOKE and trans ideology they can do it on their own DIME.”
Rees pushed that APLS needs to define inappropriate because “leftist librarians” have struggled even to move “s--ually explicit” materials, much less “trans stuff.”
“The slightly more understandable confusion has been what inappropriate is,” Rees wrote in a comment. “We conservatives knew the line clearly on this, but our leftist librarians refused to say that anything that wasn’t straight p---n was inappropriate. So this will not only help understand the policy as it is currently written concerning inappropriate but it takes it a step further on the trans stuff. It is saying get it out of the library, full stop.”
ArizonaWhere a handful of angry parents fail to understand what their kids ACTUALLY want to learn. A bunch of old, White, dead dudes from 250 years ago isn't relevant to their lives, or so they think. Names and dates and battles are so boring!
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Parents and law enforcement furious that district approved new textbooks covering Black Lives Matter protests, George Floyd's death
Topics include the Black Lives Matter protests, George Floyd and NFL players kneeling.
https://www.12news.com/article/news/e...
“This isn’t education it’s indoctrination,” said one woman against the proposal.
Many who spoke out against the material called it anti-police and divisive. Believing the content is slanted to make officers look bad to students.
“Black Lives Matter, I don’t want my son learning about that," one parent said. "There’s nothing nonviolent about it. It was a lot of destruction.”
During the meeting board members said they received letters from law enforcement associations and agencies like the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office encouraging them to vote no on the approval of these texts. Jim Hill the president of the Maricopa County Community Colleges Police Officer's Association also spoke out against it and said it's nothing more than anti-police propaganda,
“It portrays us in a negative view," Hill said.
While he's not opposed to students learning these topics, but worries there is not enough context in the lessons that will provide students the full scope of these situations. He questioned if Floyd's criminal history will be mentioned and how many officers were injured during the protests.
"They talk about only the things that inflame people, not here's what we've done, here’s where we are with policing,” Hill said.
While the majority of speakers during the meeting were against the textbook, a few said it's necessary history for kids to learn.
“Now more than ever, it is vital to provide students with a comprehensive education rooted in fairness and trust,” one supporter said.
“Is it messy? Yes. Is it uncomfortable? Yes. You may not like the fact George Floyd is brought up but Derek Chauvin is serving time for murder so if you have a problem with that being discussed... then I don't know what to tell you," another woman said.
When the discussion turned to the governing board, two members said they were against it. Board member Amy Carney called it "activist curriculum" and is worried it will lead to more families pulling their kids from the district. Board member Carine Werner agreed.
”I’m going to stand with our law enforcement," Werner said.
For the other three members in support, Dr. Matthew Pittinsky agreed that politics should not play a role in education. He added they followed all board and state guidelines and while some disagree, they serve a diverse community. Dr. Pittinsky also mentioned that in all the emails he received from the community about this, the majority said they were okay with these topics.
Governing board Vice President Mike Sharkey said they trust in educators providing context to the content to give students an objective view of the topics that will be discussed.
In a 3-2 vote, the material was approved.
Sarah Jessica Parker details her fears of book-banning, likens libraries to ‘sanctuaries of possibility’https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/29/entert...
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Linda McMahon makes me sick. Go back to Scotland, Linda!!
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This makes me so happy. Next time, I hope they rip the masks of these federal TERRORISTS, find out their addresses etc. and start a campaign of harassment against them and theirs.
Here's the Literary Activism news this week from BookRiot editor Kelly Jensen:The situation with IMLS explained. It's frustrating when they say "Contact your representatives" because THEY KNOW! They're on it already. I may be out of a job/profession next year and out of health insurance too.
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The 2026 Federal Budget Proposal Shutters The Institute for Museum and Library Services
https://bookriot.com/the-2026-federal...
The Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has been the subject of federal administration gutting since mid-March. Among the casualties are the bulk of its small staff, the bulk of its budget, and the bulk of its services and purpose. When new acting director Keith Sonderling was installed in March, it became clear that the administration saw the IMLS as an arm for whitewashed American propaganda, including an opportunity to ramp up efforts in support of America’s 250th celebration next year.
It did not take long for two major lawsuits to be filed against the administration and its actions in dismantling IMLS. The first, Rhode Island vs. Trump, saw 21 state attorneys general sue the administration. Judge John J. McConnell ruled in favor of the state attorneys general mid-May. It is of little surprise that the defendants have appealed the decision. The second lawsuit, ALA vs. Sonderling, has also seen good news so far in the courts–Judge Richard J. Leon granted a temporary restraining order in the case.
The sum total of these two decisions as of writing are that the administration cannot do further damage to the IMLS. In the case of Rhode Island, IMLS staff placed on administrative leave are allowed to begin returning to work. States in the class–that is, Rhode Island, New York, Hawaii, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin–will see the grants terminated in their states reinstated. The Trump administration issued a status report on May 20 with where and how they’re meeting the obligation of the court decision so far.
Amid the court battle over the future of the IMLS, Trump issued a budget proposal for 2026 that would make any of the legal decisions moot: the IMLS would simply be defunded.
Much of this was seen in generalities until now. Late last week, the details of what this might look like have emerged. Recall that the IMLS budget comprises under 0.005% of the overall federal budget at about $313 million dollars as of this fiscal year. For fiscal year 2026, the budget would be slashed to a mere six million dollars.
The Budget proposes to eliminate funding for several independent agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), as part of the Administration’s plan to move the Nation towards fiscal responsibility and to redefine the proper role of the Federal Government. The Budget requests $6,000,000 to conduct an orderly closeout of IMLS beginning in 2026.
The IMLS would no longer distribute grants to states that are then used to help fund public library and museum services. The institution would simply be shuttered, rendering the only federal agency dedicated to public libraries extinct.
The 2025 fiscal year ends on September 20, 2025, which means whatever decision is made for the 2026 budget begins October 1 of this year. If the IMLS is slashed as much as proposed, whatever happens in either lawsuit is pretty unimportant–there will be no budget to disburse grants and no budget to pay for staff. This is why we’ll continue to see Trump and his administration appeal any court decisions over the next several weeks and months. If they can pass the budget, then whatever judgments are made against their actions won’t matter. The IMLS will be gone by the fall of this year.
There’s also another factor at play in the future of the IMLS. Congress needs to reauthorize the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018 by September 30. Its 6-year authorization cycle ends at the end of this fiscal year. Only Congress can reauthorize this Act, and if they don’t, the IMLS will no longer be active. So even if the budget for the IMLS is somehow reinstated, if Congress doesn’t act, the agency will no longer have any obligations.
... . While it will harm public libraries, shutting down the IMLS will have an outsized impact on Native libraries, prison libraries, and other institutions serving and supporting our most marginalized populations.
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https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/03/us/bou...
This week's roundup of censorship news from BookRiotHow The ACLU Is Responding to Book Bans in US Military Schools:
https://bookriot.com/aclu-dodea-lawsuit/
As we have seen, PEN America’s latest report looks at how Florida has been the blueprint state for censorship over the last several years.https://pen.org/report/the-blueprint-...
Lil Miss Hot Mess Wants Kids To Bring Out Their Best Selves And Have The Best Timehttps://pen.org/lil-miss-hot-mess-wan...
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Alberta is full of ignoramuses and bigots (certainly at the government level and in many rural areas as well). I am ashamed of having grown up there, sigh. And why is sexual activity somehow worse than graphic violence?? And it is sadly not surprising that Alberta is also the only Canadian province where something like one in five "persons" not only support Donald Trump but also kind of want to be part of the USA (and have also threatened all those of us who voted for Mark Carney and the Liberals in the recent federal election).
AlaskaMatanuska-Susitna Borough Library Board proposing a new policy where an advisory board would be set up to decide on whether or not new books could be added to the collection.
https://ktna.org/2025/05/new-borough-...
A new library policy for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, introduced earlier this month, calls on an advisory board to review new materials for all of the borough’s five public libraries. But other library officials question the purpose of the change.
Borough Community Development Director Jillian Morrissey introduced the new policy — which she said would go into effect in August — at a library board meeting earlier this month. She said the new procedure is meant to promote “transparency” and claimed it’s becoming more commonplace for advisory committees to provide input on public libraries’ collections.
But other library officials said the change is unusual. Currently, librarians follow an internal review process for purchasing books based on community needs and requests, following an existing borough policy for collections development.
David Cox is the chair of the Alaska Library Association’s Collection Development Roundtable, which aims to improve library resources for Alaskan libraries. He said advisory boards typically look at the big picture, not specific materials.
“They’re looking at vision,” he said, “But getting into that nitty-gritty, daily sort of activity is a sort of thing that a board hires staff to do.”
He added that librarians already follow a collection plan when reviewing new materials, and doubling those efforts through another, separate board would take up more time and money.
“You’re already employing someone to be really diving in and doing some of this process of looking for and selecting based on your community’s already existing collection development policy,” he said. “Adding a step to look at it where somebody repeats all of that sort of analysis, just seems incredibly inefficient.”
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The borough’s five libraries add anywhere from 400-600 new materials to their collections in a given month, according to local librarians. Considering that the library board only meets nine months out of the year, library board member Mary Fischer voiced concerns about providing thoughtful analysis on so much material.
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They don't quit in Florida.Pasco Public Libraries changing their card access levels for those under 18 and using Common Sense Media to make professional decisions over materials in the collection. It's literally a librarian's JOB to choose the books from professional review sources. While Common Sense is great if you want to know if a movie is appropriate for your family or a kid's review of a book they liked, it is not professional.
https://bsky.app/profile/flfreedomrea...
This parenting section is wacked! They want to put books about:
brain and body (neurodiversity and physical bodies)
disease or illness (mental, physical, substance abuse, addiction and hospitalization/recovering from hospitalization.)
Family types (any non-traditional family including divorce and grandparents or other relatives raising a child)
Grief (trauma, death of a pet or loved one, recover from loss or trauma)
Maturing (growing up, getting rid of blankies, binkies, self-discover, self-acceptance and acceptance of others, LGBTQ+ /gender identity issues)
New Baby (pregnancy, infants, babies) does this include books like Everywhere Babies?!
New Places (moving, new school)
Politics/political figures/movements, "partisanship", political "opinion", political history (includes parodies and satire A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo but probably NOT Marlon Bundo's Day in the Life of the Vice President. Does this include books about the Civil Rights movement? Voting Rights Act? Women's suffrage?)
Potty
socialization (bullying, anger, abuse, fighting incl. I'll Fix Anthony?)
um and somehow DK Handbooks: Insects, Spiders and Other Terrestrial Arthropods fits in there somewhere? Someone objected to it for some reason unknown to me.
https://bsky.app/profile/flfreedomrea...
Wyoming - Campbell County Public Library board member going to the state legislature in favor of new laws that would ban books. Library board member calls for obscenity legislation targeting children’s books
Campbell County Public Library board member Chelsie Collier testified in front of the Wyoming's Joint Judiciary Committee last week asking...
PAYWALLED
https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/ne...
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Out of the Blue (other topics)The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink (other topics)
My Rainbow (other topics)
Butt or Face? Volume 3: Super Gross Butts (other topics)
The Day the Books Disappeared (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Sarah J. Maas (other topics)
Ellen Hopkins (other topics)
Jodi Picoult (other topics)
Scott Stuart (other topics)
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https://www.wisn.com/article/menomone...
Menominee Falls residents outraged over library budget cuts for police funding
The Menomonee Falls Village Board unanimously voted to reallocate $300,000 from the library budget to the police department, sparking resident outrage over potential library job and resource cuts.
he Menomonee Falls Village Board's unanimous decision to reallocate $300,000 from the library budget to the police department in 2026 has sparked outrage among residents concerned about potential job and resource cuts at the library.
Chaos erupted Monday night following the board meeting, with residents expressing their dissatisfaction.
"It is not the library's fault that the village board have mismanaged and do not have the money for the police," Arlene Foti said.
The board explained the decision as a reallocation of funds due to a library budget surplus last year.
"We definitely believe that the library is a great asset for the village," said Jeremy Walz, village board president. "We are allowing the police department to use those funds as they see necessary."
The impacts of the funding cuts on the library remain unclear, with Walz noting the library board will have to make decisions based on the new budget.
"The library board and staff has a chance to build their budget based on the funds they have been allocated by the village board," Walz said.