Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
In Texas, 28 Harris County Public Libraries are designated 'sanctuaries' for banned books"The thing about books is that they are crucial not only as mirrors that reflect our own experiences but also as windows into the experiences of others. The library must provide those opportunities for all people," Melton said.
Explained
Guidelines in place for the HCPL system and its staff as book sanctuaries include:
Defending readers’ freedom to speak, think and read as they choose
Protecting library staff from harassment and intimidation
Collecting and protecting endangered books by making them available to the public
Fostering discussion about challenged and diverse books to promote understanding and mutual respect
Educating the public about current and past efforts to censor and ban books
Also of note
According to the HCPL news release, the book sanctuary resolution doesn't bar library users from asking the library to reconsider items on its shelves for review.
The library has longstanding policies and procedures that allow patrons to voice their concerns about the appropriateness of materials in its collections.
The resolution merely underscores that HCPL is duty-bound to safeguard all patron’s intellectual freedom and equitable access to information.
https://communityimpact.com/houston/b...
Elsewhere in Texas, very grim newsAppeals Court Gives Texas Book Ban Law The Green Light
A Trump-appointed judge previously ruled that Texas’ new law is probably unconstitutional. An appeals court says it can go ahead.
Texas’ “Restricting Explicit and Adult-Designated Educational Resources” (READER) Act requires booksellers to rate s---al content in all books sold to schools. Critics have decried the law as overbroad, unconstitutional, and designed to restrict access to books about gender and LGBTQ issues. Earlier this month, a federal judge sided with publishers who sued to stop the law. The judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the legislation, arguing that the law “likely violates the First Amendment by containing an unconstitutional prior restraint, compelled speech, and unconstitutional vagueness.”
Less than a week later, a three-judge panel from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overrode that injunction, with a one-sentence administrative order that will allow the READER Act to go into effect.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/texas-j...
Kenosha, Wisconsin• Some residents of the Kenosha Unified School District in Wisconsin argued for books to be banned from school libraries during a Tuesday night meeting.
“It is not easy to see what is in our school libraries as parents. Why?” said Bob Tierney. “I should know every book my children check out, and I should have to approve books like this. If you creeps have to keep books like this in our libraries, you need to let us have a chance to approve them or not approve of them.”
Several speakers chose to read selections from the books in an effort to point out their alleged p____ nature.
“I urge you to to put this on (a future) agenda and to please get some of these terrible books out of your libraries,” said Kenosha resident Karen Mahoney. “It’s not just LGBT (material), it’s anything that sexualizes children that we are against.”
Others, including Jodi Muerhoff, said the district shouldn’t limit the book selections for students.
“We heard passages read tonight from books about children who (view spoiler), and sadly, yes, there are kids in KUSD schools who have had that experience,” she said. “So to be able to pick up a book and process that experience is valuable and I appreciate the fact the district is thoughtful in their book selection.”
Others also said the district shouldn’t limit student choices, and said students should be encouraged to read things they like in an effort to create life-long readers.
“As we look at the issue of limiting possible book choices for our students, let’s remember the most important goal is to get students reading,” said Kenosha resident Jennifer Franco.
After nearly 20 speakers, the district’s 45 minute time limit for public comment expired. A motion was made to extend public comment time but, after discussion and amendment to allow comments at one minute each, it did not pass.
More than a dozen residents who signed up to share public comments did not make their way to the podium.
This Book Is Gay
Gender Queer: A Memoir
Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human
already removed
Flamer
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
approved
All Boys Aren't Blue
approved for HS
https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/ku...
WyomingSome ‘flabbergasted,’ others supportive of Laramie County school district book policy
Laramie County School District 1 trustees advanced a controversial book policy at their meeting Monday, sending it out for a 45-day public comment period before the board takes a final vote in November.
All trustees approved moving the draft policy to the comment period, where it will be displayed online and members of the public can send their thoughts about the policy to the board.
The proposed policy would pivot from LCSD1’s current opt-out policy, which allows parents and guardians to deny their children access to content they deem explicit.
The board has taken months to settle on a draft of the policy that would create four categories that range from no access to materials deemed sexually explicit to open access to all books, regardless of content.
The four policy options in the draft policy are as follows:
No access to explicit materials;
Parent-limited access to such materials (opt-in)
Open access to all library materials; and
No access to the library at all. The district currently has a single opt-out option, in which parents tell school officials which materials they don’t want their children to be able to check out.
The district currently has a single opt-out option, in which parents tell school officials which materials they don’t want their children to be able to check out.
Several people addressed the board on the matter from both sides, with those against the policy citing free speech and the strain this would put on educators, and those in favor of the policy citing the need to protect students from pornographic material in schools. Both sides called the other a minority.
“It seems we cannot take the necessary action to protect our children,” Patricia McCoy, a mother of four LCSD1 students, told the board. “They want you to think that parents are totally fine with smut in our schools. ... No, it isn’t calling for a book ban, either. There are already ratings for music, movies and video games. So why can we not have the same ratings systems for books?”
Another supporter of the policy, Jacob Wasserburger
Barb Cook, a former LCSD1 educator, had a different perspective. “For you to make a decision about certain books not being acceptable or available for every student in this district is as senseless as me saying, ‘I don’t want my child to have sugar, so no store should sell cookies or candy,’” Cook said. “That’s silly. Parents must make the best decision for their child, not you as a school board.”
Part of the policy includes a directive to school librarians and administrators to review a list of books recommended by the public as sexually explicit. Initially, the policy stipulated that only parents or guardians could recommend a book for review, but after trustees heard testimony from concerned citizens who didn’t have children in the district, the board passed an amendment allowing anyone to petition a book for review.
If a book is petitioned, staff from the school would review it and place it on a list. The district superintendent’s office ultimately gets the final say, but even books deemed appropriate by district staff would remain on the list.
The school board also passed an amendment that would allow petitioners to appeal the superintendent’s decision to the board. Trustee Rene Hinkle argued that if the board adopted this amendment, then they all must read the books they review.
Chairman Tim Bolin and vice chairperson Christy Klaassen both objected to this idea.
“Well, my comment to that would be we don’t have the superintendent required to read the book,” Bolin said. “We don’t have the (review) committee required to read the book. So putting that in just this part would be, I think, not appropriate, unless we would put it into every part of it.”
The draft policy moved to the comment period with seven amendments, all based on suggestions discussed by the board at its previous meeting.
Much of the board’s discussion was centered around the final amendment, which said that the superintendent’s office would set up a “process” for teachers to implement a child’s policy option into their classroom library.
Bolin called English Language Arts secondary curriculum coordinator Joe Evans to ask if school staff had begun categorizing all books in teachers’ classroom libraries. Evans said he was not instructed to do that, and that that would be a major drain on educators that are already stretched thin.
“Asking a teacher to take time away from the important work they’re doing with students to catalog every book in their classroom seems like an inordinate amount of work,” Evans told Bolin. “It seems like that would potentially have very real effects for student achievement.”
Bolin told him that, if directed, the cataloging process might take several years.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming has created a campaign around the LCSD1 book policy. Advocacy Director Antonio Serrano told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that he believes this is the start of the district chipping away at free speech and other rights.
https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/ne...
WyomingSome ‘flabbergasted,’ others supportive of Laramie County school district book policy
Laramie County School District 1 trustees advanced a controversial book policy at their meeting Monday, sending it out for a 45-day public comment period before the board takes a final vote in November.
All trustees approved moving the draft policy to the comment period, where it will be displayed online and members of the public can send their thoughts about the policy to the board.
The proposed policy would pivot from LCSD1’s current opt-out policy, which allows parents and guardians to deny their children access to content they deem explicit.
The board has taken months to settle on a draft of the policy that would create four categories that range from no access to materials deemed sexually explicit to open access to all books, regardless of content.
The four policy options in the draft policy are as follows:
No access to explicit materials;
Parent-limited access to such materials (opt-in)
Open access to all library materials; and
No access to the library at all. The district currently has a single opt-out option, in which parents tell school officials which materials they don’t want their children to be able to check out.
The district currently has a single opt-out option, in which parents tell school officials which materials they don’t want their children to be able to check out.
Several people addressed the board on the matter from both sides, with those against the policy citing free speech and the strain this would put on educators, and those in favor of the policy citing the need to protect students from pornographic material in schools. Both sides called the other a minority.
“It seems we cannot take the necessary action to protect our children,” Patricia McCoy, a mother of four LCSD1 students, told the board. “They want you to think that parents are totally fine with smut in our schools. ... No, it isn’t calling for a book ban, either. There are already ratings for music, movies and video games. So why can we not have the same ratings systems for books?”
Another supporter of the policy, Jacob Wasserburger
Barb Cook, a former LCSD1 educator, had a different perspective. “For you to make a decision about certain books not being acceptable or available for every student in this district is as senseless as me saying, ‘I don’t want my child to have sugar, so no store should sell cookies or candy,’” Cook said. “That’s silly. Parents must make the best decision for their child, not you as a school board.”
Part of the policy includes a directive to school librarians and administrators to review a list of books recommended by the public as sexually explicit. Initially, the policy stipulated that only parents or guardians could recommend a book for review, but after trustees heard testimony from concerned citizens who didn’t have children in the district, the board passed an amendment allowing anyone to petition a book for review.
If a book is petitioned, staff from the school would review it and place it on a list. The district superintendent’s office ultimately gets the final say, but even books deemed appropriate by district staff would remain on the list.
The school board also passed an amendment that would allow petitioners to appeal the superintendent’s decision to the board. Trustee Rene Hinkle argued that if the board adopted this amendment, then they all must read the books they review.
Chairman Tim Bolin and vice chairperson Christy Klaassen both objected to this idea.
“Well, my comment to that would be we don’t have the superintendent required to read the book,” Bolin said. “We don’t have the (review) committee required to read the book. So putting that in just this part would be, I think, not appropriate, unless we would put it into every part of it.”
The draft policy moved to the comment period with seven amendments, all based on suggestions discussed by the board at its previous meeting.
Much of the board’s discussion was centered around the final amendment, which said that the superintendent’s office would set up a “process” for teachers to implement a child’s policy option into their classroom library.
Bolin called English Language Arts secondary curriculum coordinator Joe Evans to ask if school staff had begun categorizing all books in teachers’ classroom libraries. Evans said he was not instructed to do that, and that that would be a major drain on educators that are already stretched thin.
“Asking a teacher to take time away from the important work they’re doing with students to catalog every book in their classroom seems like an inordinate amount of work,” Evans told Bolin. “It seems like that would potentially have very real effects for student achievement.”
Bolin told him that, if directed, the cataloging process might take several years.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming has created a campaign around the LCSD1 book policy. Advocacy Director Antonio Serrano told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that he believes this is the start of the district chipping away at free speech and other rights.
https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/ne...
Some libraries are banning Banned Books Week, missing the point entirely.North Carolina - Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools banned Banned Books Week and has changed their mind?!
CMS Communications Chief Shayla Cannady sent mixed messages to schools about how to handle the observation.
Cannady sent a memo to principals Friday asking them to cancel all events and messages associated with Banned Books Week, adding that such activities could violate North Carolina's new parents' bill of rights.
A few hours later, after schools had dismissed, Cannady emailed principals saying it's up to them to decide how to handle it, adding that "it is not a violation or in any way associated with Parents Bill of Rights."
It was never clear how Banned Books Week events might violate Senate Bill 49, which was voted into law in August. The 12-page bill enumerates several requirements for public schools to encourage parent involvement, including creating processes for parents to review and challenge all textbooks, library books and instructional material.
CMS board member Jennifer De La Jara says she tried to call Superintendent Crystal Hill Friday after learning about the first message. It was not immediately clear whether other board members also raised questions or how the reversal played out.
https://www.wfae.org/education/2023-0...
While others proudly celebrate!Queens Public Library launches Banned Books Week celebrating freedom to read
Queens Public Library (QPL) will defend the freedom to read during Banned Books Week, Oct. 1-7, through a series of events and activities recognizing the stories, voices and titles threatened by censorship across the nation.
QPL will also raise public awareness through large graphics at the entrance of every location with the message, “All Books Are Welcome Here. Protect the Freedom to Read.”
“The recent increase in book challenges and bans — overwhelmingly targeting titles by or about people of color or members of the LGBTQ+ community — exemplifies dangerous attempts to whitewash history and silence marginalized voices, ultimately threatening our democracy,” QPL President and CEO Dennis Walcott said. “Queens Public Library stands firm in our commitment to protect the freedom to read, while ensuring open access to diverse viewpoints and ideas. All books are welcome here.”
Events schedule
https://qns.com/2023/09/queens-public...
And... the worst news of the dayA Minnesota man with a history of disputing facts about the Holocaust is running for school board in Roseville.
Vaughn Klingenberg is one of seven candidates running for one of the three open seats on the district's school board, according to candidate filings on the Minnesota Secretary of State website.
{let's not repeat his alternate conspiracy theories]
The initial reports focusing on Klingenberg's views on the Holocaust initially elicited a response from the Minnesota Parents Alliance – a parental rights group that is, among other things, opposed to the teaching of "critical race theory" – which urged voters on Twitter to "tune out this noise and vote for achievement-focused candidates."
The tweet has since been deleted.
Roseville Area Schools Superintendent Jenny Loeck said the district "strongly rejects any language or stance that denies the truth of the Holocaust and its devastating impact not only Jewish people but our world."
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-...
Mod
A Minnesota man with a history of disputing facts about the Holocaust is running for school board in Roseville.
Vaughn Klingenberg is one of seven candidates run..."
In my opinion, Holocaust deniers should not be able to run for ANY kind of office, and yes, that included school boards.
Missouri and IllinoisOn eve of Banned Books Week, St. Louis-area libraries become battlegrounds in culture wars
A list
and
In Missouri, a spokeswoman for the St. Charles City-County Library said branches would not have displays for Banned Books Week.
The ALA quotes Burton as saying “the ability to read and access books is a fundamental right and a necessity for life-long success. ... Public advocacy campaigns like Banned Books Week are essential to helping people understand the scope of book censorship and what they can do to fight it.”
At its June convention, one ALA panel summarized efforts to challenge books: “Research shows that the movement to ban books is pushed by advocacy groups, using inflammatory language such as ‘grooming’ ‘pedophile’ and ‘pornography’ publicly, and then submitting lists with hundreds of books for censorship. Many of these groups espouse ‘Christian nationalist political views,’ or declare a mission to reform public schools.”
In St. Charles County, parent Mandi Morris believes that attacks on that area’s library are often from people who haven’t read a book “but heard there was a dirty part.”
Although challenges against books “get so loud,” she said, she believes most people in St. Charles County don’t support book bans. She supports libraries and schools by attending meetings and by writing emails to teachers and librarians, letting them know she’s willing to advocate on their behalf.
A little free library box sits in her family’s front yard: “We’re trying to be advocates for book reading.”
“To me, it’s a good sign that more people want to keep track of what’s going on,” says Margie Wright, who has been involved for more than 30 years with a friends group supporting the Mississippi Valley Library District, which has a library in Fairmont City in addition to the larger one in Collinsville. The district serves about 33,000 residents.
At the September meeting, the retired reading instructor said she supports the new Illinois law that requires its state libraries to have policies against book banning. The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, says libraries can lose state funds if they ban books.
“People who object to things often haven’t read them,” Wright says. She experienced complaints when she was a school librarian before becoming a reading teacher. “We’re usually dealing with heresay and lack of knowledge.”
Another resident, Traci Vanek, says she’s “very happy that people are coming to the library board meetings. I’ve been (Facebook) posting for a while that the only way we’re going to keep this board in check is to come to the meetings.”
“I want to make sure we have a library that is inclusive for all,” she says.
For the September meeting, resident Cynthia Klein-Webb asked about reports she’d heard that rainbow “Libraries Transform” bookmarks had been removed. No trustee answered her question.
She also submitted a letter to the board expressing support for the library and its staff and her hope that the building will remain a “refuge” for all people. Klein-Webb said library trustees should understand ALA guidelines and shouldn’t highlight their specific “religious and political beliefs.”
Library director Kyla Waltermire said in an interview that she expected the library to have a display for Banned Books Week. But she acknowledged that her library does not actually own copies of some of the most challenged books: “Gender Queer,” “Not All Boys Are Blue” and “This Book Is Gay.” Another challenged book is recorded as lost, she said. In Illinois, libraries throughout the state share requested books not owned by a patron’s home library. But some observers believe having to request and wait for a book may deter teen readers.
In Collinsville, library board president Jeanne Lomax says she wants the library district to be “neutral.” She says it should not push any sort of “social, religious or political agenda.”
But she removed the rainbow “Libraries Transform” bookmarks because it was “a clear message they are pushing that LGBT agenda.”
“You don’t see any religious bookmarks,” she said.
The Libraries Transform bookmarks, based on a patron’s photograph, included sentences such as “Because books show us every color of the rainbow” and “Because hands-on learning builds stronger brains.”
Her children are grown, but Lomax says some library books aren’t age appropriate and “normalize s_ual activity.”
“I think our children are losing their innocence at such an early age,” she says. “I don’t think it’s the library’s job to do Pride month,” she adds.
But she also says she doesn’t care what adults check out for their own kids. “I’m for free will.”
She has been supported at board meetings by some residents, although they were quieter in September than the advocates for diverse books.
But how does a library, which carries material for all patrons, remain “neutral”?
Lisa Gilbert, a lecturer in the education department at Washington University, teaches a “Gender and Education” class. She says “neutrality” is likely impossible: “The absence of a book is a political decision just like the presence of a book is a political decision.”
She also says “we cannot be neutral about the foundational values of our democracies.” As a diverse nation with citizens who have different viewpoints, the “freedom to explore our viewpoints together is fundamental to our democracy. If we don’t have that, our democracy is threatened.”
Classrooms and libraries help readers gain empathy for others and express their faith in students by having books about tough topics on their shelves, Gilbert says. It shows a “vote of confidence” in a young person, she says:
“It says we believe you can think about hard topics and come up with your own viewpoints on them. And that we are willing to sit by your side as you do that.”
https://www.stltoday.com/life-enterta...
Black history 'Underground Railroad' forms across US after DeSantis, others ban bookshttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Niece #1 (almost 15) says Heartstopper: Volume One series is the BEST and she already binge watched the Netflix series AND she's challenging teachers on teaching wrong information! 9th grade is Civics!
Three Questions for Jesse AndrewsMe and Earl and the Dying Girl 10th most banned book in the U.S.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/3...
*sigh* I've been to Nazarath. My mom is from that part of PA. I'm not surprised M4L is big there but the library director is 100% correct. They have the right to reserve the meeting room just as any other group has that right. If M4L protest at drag queen story hours, PFLAG has the right to protest the M4L event but I think they're making too much out of it. _________________________________________
Why a children’s story hour is drawing protesters at Nazareth’s library
Children are invited to come to the Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity to learn about the U.S. Constitution from Martha Washington’s perspective and role play as colonial-era characters.
The event sponsor is ... guess who?! M4L
This group and events sponsored by the group have no place in the Nazareth area, Gabriel-Ferretti said. “The pairing of Moms for Liberty and any library makes zero sense,” said Gabriel-Ferretti, who leads the pro-LGBTQ+ organization Nazareth Together. She plans to muster a crowd to picket the event.
Library board treasurer Len Fodera said Moms for Liberty has a right to use the meeting space the same as any other community organization. The library takes no position on the politics of the organization, he said.
“We cannot deny use of space to any organization because we, or members of the public, may disagree with (the group’s) ideas and positions,” Fodera said. “Moms for Liberty has met all criteria for the use of the meeting space. To deny them access could have a chilling effect on (other) organizations.”
If the local group shares the same anti-inclusion beliefs as the national group, it has no place in the Nazareth area, according to Jessica Dieck. She’s the secretary of the Nazareth / Lehigh Valley chapter of PFLAG. (In 2014, the organization changed its name from “Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays” to, simply, PFLAG.)
Dieck said it’s important for folks from marginalized communities to be able to read books with characters from marginalized communities. She fears Moms for Liberty wants to ban those types of books from libraries like the Nazareth library.
“Libraries are essential, especially in small towns where diversity, inclusion and acceptance aren’t prevalent,” Dieck said, adding, “Connections made through books give people the reassurance that they are normal, they are loved and they have value.”
Lydia Rose moved to Nazareth a few months ago. She’s a transgender woman who says she and her girlfriend, who is also transgender, were drawn to the quaint, small town. Still, they don’t feel completely at ease here.
Gabriel-Ferretti said Rose and other transgender individuals have a right to be comfortable in their own skin, to live and interact in the community the same as anyone else. Moms for Liberty doesn’t share that belief, she said. The library board ought to take a stand against groups that think that way, she said.
“This goes beyond politics. We’re talking about a public space where everyone should be welcome,” Gabriel-Ferretti said.
It’s not easy to find a public notice with information about the controversial story hour. Fodera confirmed it’s happening, although it’s not listed on the library’s website. Nor is it publicly listed on the Moms for Liberty of Northampton County Facebook page.
It’s listed on Rebecca Price Janney’s website. She’s the author who will moderate the program as part of her “history mystery tour.” She’s written many books through a Christian publishing house, including several books on Easton history.
Price Janney declined to share her opinion on LGBTQ+ rights.
When asked to address the story hour’s critics and to speak in support of her event, she said, “I have accepted an invitation to speak to children at the library in an exciting and interactive way about the birth of the United States Constitution, which provides for the rights of every American citizen.”
Rose knows she might be ridiculed but she plans to go to the protest anyway. She wants to show that she belongs in the Nazareth community.
Gabriel-Ferretti said it’s time for the library to change its policy. The library should prevent groups like Moms for Liberty from using the meeting room, she said.
“Our plan is to peacefully assemble, to demonstrate our opposition not only to Moms for Liberty, but to the library’s policy that fails to keep groups like Moms For Liberty from using its space,” she said.
https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news...
Former library director sues 3 members of Bennett familyFormer Campbell County Public Library System executive director Terri Lesley has sued a few members of the Bennett family in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming.
GILLETTE, Wyo. — Former Campbell County Public Library System executive director Terri Lesley has sued a few members of the Bennett family in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming.
Lesley, who worked for the library for 27 years and was director for 11 years, is suing Hugh, Susan and Kevin Bennett, who publicly accused her of engaging in illegal activities such as offering and disseminating obscene material to children at the library, according to the complaint. She says the Bennett family members violated the Ku Klux Klan Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1985.
“The danger wrought on Ms. Lesley, including threats to her physical safety and that of her colleagues, and the false allegations intended to deprive her of liberty, freedom, her livelihood, and good character were beyond distressing, they changed her life forever,” the complaint said. “Notwithstanding repeat warnings that Ms. Lesley was in the right for refusing to discriminate in government contracts or remove certain books from the library collection, the Bennetts continued headlong into their vicious smear campaign, knowing full well that their words were laced with falsity, but hoping to galvanize so much pressure on the Library District and Ms. Lesley that Ms. Lesley would engage in unlawful censorship. The Bennetts also hoped to get Ms. Lesley fired, which is ultimately what occurred.”
The library board fired Lesley in July.
Rathod Mohamedbhai, a Denver law firm, is representing Lesley in the complaint, which said that the First Amendment does not protect tortious conduct, which it said the Bennetts engaged in to silence, intimidate and harm those with differing views or identities.
According to the complaint, Lesley wants declaratory and injunctive relief; actual economic damages; compensatory damages for emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience and mental anguish; punitive damages for all claims; exemplary damages for all claims; prejudgment and post-judgment interest; a tax-offset; attorneys’ fees and costs; and any other relief that justice requires.
According to the complaint, Lesley has also filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the Campbell County Board of Commissioners, several commissioners, Campbell County Public Library System and Campbell County Public Library System’s individual directors. She has Constitutional complaints under 42 U.S.C. § 1985(3) for conspiracy motivated by class-based discriminatory animus and claims for the violation of her First Amendment rights pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, hostile work environment, associational and advocacy discrimination claims and retaliation claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She has to make the complaint to the commission, which she did Sept. 27, before she can bring the case to federal court.
https://county17.com/2023/09/29/forme...
Previously, in July, Lesley said that board chair Charles Butler and former board chair Sage Bear, who is now a member on the board, approached her the morning of July 27 and asked her to resign when she had understood that she was meeting with Butler to review the weeding process. She refused.
“They told me this was because I refused to move the books,” Lesley said. “They never told me which books they were referring to or why they should be removed.”
“As it turns out, the board’s lack of transparency regarding providing structure to the staff on what appears to be a flat refusal to follow its own policy regarding book challenges to provide structure to library staff is not accidental,” she said. “Mass Resistance has specifically outed the Campbell County Public Library Board and congratulated Liberty Counsel attorneys for this approach of removing books through the weeding process. They have suggested that other libraries around the country follow this procedure, which provides no avenue for challenge or for the public to in any respect, reasonably monitor, as a way of skirting First Amendment restrictions on moving these books.”
Lesley said she believes that since the board isn’t following its policy’s challenge procedure, the board is either afraid or has concerns that removing the books is a violation of the First Amendment.
In June, the board approved, in a 3–2 vote, revisions to its collection development policy, culminating a line-by-line review of the document that began in January. They eliminated references to the American Library Association and the addition of a Policy for Protecting Children from Harmful, Sexually Explicit Material in Areas Designated for Minors.
https://county17.com/2023/07/28/photo...
Good newsBanned Books Week Con events taking place this week at Dane Co. Wisconsin libraries
https://www.beyondthepage.info/banned...
Decision to forgo Banned Books Week at ImagineIF (Montana) Libraries proves divisive
Trustee Jane Wheeler said she only learned that the decision to cancel the celebration, which highlights books banned or removed from libraries and schools, was being presented as a board-wide decision after it was reported on in the local media. She also said she believed the decision, made outside of a regular meeting, was inappropriate.
Wheeler also argued that trustees are barred from interfering with the day-to-day duties of the library director, per the organization’s manual.
Board Chair David Ingram previously told the Daily Inter Lake that the trustees’ move to forgo it this year arose out of a December 2021 decision to distance the county library system from the American Library Association. He said the board also believes the celebration is too divisive.
Trustee Doug Adams reiterated Ingram’s previous remarks in responding to Wheeler’s allegations. He said the decision against marking Banned Books Week stemmed from the board’s choice to leave the national library organization. The library observed it in 2022, which Adams said was because Library Director Ashley Cummins asked them to not remove the celebration for fear of community backlash.
Wheeler pressed her colleagues on who held the authority to decide whether a program was divisive. She also warned of the repercussions of acting without a board decision.
“I'm sorry that there's a difference in interpretation on this,” Wheeler said. “But again, we have to be so careful that the board speaks as one voice and does it intentionally. Just because I think we get ourselves into all sorts of problems.”
Several people both for and against the board’s decision to drop Banned Books Week spoke during the public comment period of the meeting.
Laurie Halfast of Bigfork said the rationale for forgoing the celebration remained unclear to her.
“If you don't want to support the Banned Books Week at the library, don't go back then,” Halfast said. “You know, it's that easy. It's no different than saying I'm against banning guns … Let everybody make their own decision.”
Jeff Ellingson of Kalispell said he appreciated the board deeming Banned Books Week as a divisive program.
“[It is] particularly focused on certain books that are, I think by our community standards, generally perceived as sexualizing in their discussions,” Ellingson said. “Banned Books Week has become so controversial that it's not appropriate for a publicly funded organization such as our library to promote it.”
Others echoed Ellingson’s sentiments about inappropriate content in books and the perceived politics of the American Library Association. Yet others chastised the board for its decision, accusing trustees of supporting censorship.
Despite the discussion, the board took no formal action on Banned Books Week.
ImagineIF Foundation Director Sara Busse said she wanted to read a prepared statement on behalf of the Foundation regarding the trustees’ Banned Books Week decision. She said her organization received pushback from residents, who confuse the roles of the Foundation and the board. She said the Foundation has to continually act as the public relations arm for the trustees, in order to “explain these political decisions that affect our vibrant library ecosystem and retain philanthropic participation.”
“We respectfully ask that the trustees revisit their role of transparent fiscal and policy oversight versus programmatic dictates and insertion into the day-to-day operations of ImagineIF,” Busse said. “This perspective will prove to be mutually beneficial to all who believe in the transformative power of community libraries.”
https://dailyinterlake.com/news/2023/...
Fighting back in FloridaBook bans are growing across Florida. So, a church and bookstore teamed up in protest
Iris Mogul yearned for a space in South Florida where she could indulge in discussions about the written word with like-minded people. That’s when the 16-year-old came up with a bright idea: start a group that meets at once a month at Books & Books in Coral Gables. The books they dissect in the meetings, however, have been banned.
“It was kind of like a double whammy because it’s like an act of resistance... and it’s a way to start a book club and talk to people,” said Mogul, a student a dual enrollment program at Florida International University.
Mogul was one of dozens of people who gathered to protest censorship at the bookstore Sunday afternoon. The crowd marched from the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ, where Pastor Laurie Hafner’s message to her congregation weaved together faith and the impact of book bans across the country. Books bans, Hafner said, are a threat to society — and spirituality — because they limit people’s ability to learn about “the diverse nature of God through other human beings.”
“It’s far too often about racism, misogyny, homophobia and classicism. It’s about concealing painful truths and the whitewashing of American history,” Hafner said during the service. “It is about denying our young people the God-given right to think critically, and in turn, to develop empathy.” In Florida, the freedom to read is under attack, said Mitchell Kaplan, the owner of Books & Books. That’s why Kaplan turned to the Coral Gables church, which calls itself “a sanctuary for banned books,” to kick off Banned Books Week.
“Reading is all about empathy,” Kaplan said. “It’s all about learning one’s history and the history of others. If you attempt to restrict that, what you’re doing is... whitewashing history in a way that doesn’t allow young people to really understand both the beauty of this democracy that we live in, as well as all of the things we need to do to make it even better.” Mayade Ersoff, a history teacher at Palmetto Middle School, said she joined the march so that her students — and future generations — have the opportunity to read the same books that she did. “New learners are going to learn lies about our history, and I refuse to do that,” Ersoff said. “I refuse to push lies on my students. That’s not what I was hired for. That’s not what teaching and learning is about.”
When Hedieh Sepehri noticed books were under attack, she decided to act even though her children are no longer in the public school system. She founded the coalition Families Against Banning Books to speak out for those who couldn’t. For Sepehri, book bans are about more than books or their messages. “It’s about rewriting history,” Sepehri said. “It’s about censorship. It’s about control. It’s about misogyny and sexism and racism.”
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/loca...
Fired Cobb (Georgia) teacher speaks at Decatur event to kick off Banned Book WeekKatie Rinderle encouraged the crowd of about 50 to read banned books.
“There is a small but loud and vocal minority pushing to restrict access to certain books and discussions in our classrooms, endangering the fundamental principle of our educational system and perpetuating harm to our students,” she said. “I speak from personal experience.”
She was one of several local speakers at the Sunday event to kick of National Banned Book Week. MoveOn, a liberal political action group, hosted the event to mobilize members of the community to stand against policies that allow for book banning and to hand out commonly banned or challenged books.
“Censorship is an affront to a free society,” Rinderle said, reading from prepared remarks. “My own experience highlights the urgent need to oppose extremist efforts on book removals and bans in education, while advocating for inclusivity and antibullying efforts.”
“Buy ‘My Shadow is Purple,’” she concluded, to cheers from the crowd.
Other speakers, including students from Cobb and Forsyth counties and Becky Albertalli, the author of the young adult novel that was adapted into the movie “Love, Simon,” also urged people to advocate against censorship and to read books that are challenged by a minority.
https://www.ajc.com/education/fired-c...
As libraries face ‘frightening’ situation, this new Kansas City event celebrates booksThe inaugural Heartland Book Festival next weekend is not the Kansas City Public Library’s response to the recent wave of book bans or the far-right Republicans in the Missouri state legislature who have looked to defund and demonize libraries. But … “I can’t say enough about how it’s perfect timing for everything libraries are facing now,” said Carrie Coogan, deputy director for public affairs and community engagement at the library. Coogan describes the current anti-library sentiment as “frightening.” “Libraries are under fire right now,” she said. “So, what started out five years ago as just wanting to increase the level of understanding and love for libraries and love for reading and writing has become really something that is more critically important in our society and in our city.”
Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/kc-city-gu...
Good newsArlington, Mass.
Statewide ‘read-ins’ highlight attempts to censor books in schools, libraries
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/10/0...
New bookstore featuring banned books opens in downtown Indianapolis
Loudmouth Books, located on East 16th Street in downtown Indianapolis, focuses on books that have been removed from schools and libraries.
https://www.wthr.com/article/news/loc...
Now the badS.C. State Library leaves national library group
Librarians are learning the S.C. State Library in August quietly notified the national trade association for libraries that the state was not renewing its membership because it felt the group was “tone deaf” on local book bans and other issues.
In an Aug. 21 letter not widely known in public until recent days, agency director Leesa M. Aiken wrote the American Library Association (ALA) that the state library was leaving, in part, because of the group’s “hyper-focus on groups of people at the exclusion of others [that] has been problematic for libraries and has hindered their ability to engage with all members of the communities and government representatives.”
One librarian, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, was shocked by Aiken’s letter: “The South Carolina State Library director’s action is a slap in the face to librarians and library patrons in South Carolina. Is the State Library operating with professional library standards in mind or are they caving to the whims of South Carolina’s elected officials?”
Late Friday, an ALA spokesman said the group met with Aiken on Sept. 28 for a “brief but fruitful discussion.”
“It is unfortunate that the State Library of South Carolina has decided not to renew its ALA membership,” a statement said. “Despite that decision, ALA remains committed to providing essential support, resources, and opportunities for every library and library worker in every state and territory across the nation to help them better serve their communities.”
Four days after Aiken’s letter went to the ALA, freshman state Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver disassociated the agency from a 50-year affiliation with the S.C. Association of School Librarians. Among the concerns: how the group spoke out against censorship in libraries.
According to a Sept. 13 story, libraries in red states are pulling out of the ALA because of its defense of challenged books.
Aiken’s letter included a focus on book bans, which are sweeping the nation as it has become more politically polarized: “Guidance which has been provided by ALA concerning book bans, and handling difficult situations locally have quite frankly been tone-deaf and show a lack of understanding of what is happening in the field. … ALA’s action [sic] appear to be activism for certain groups of people and not advocacy for libraries and all of the people they serve.”
In its Sept. 29 statement, the ALA noted that it was a member-driven organization with almost 50,000 members who adopted a “Library Bill of Rights” in 1939 partially out of a concern of suppression of information observed by governments in the 1930s. “Among those principles is, ‘A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background or views.”
Aiken’s criticism of the ALA extended to what she wrote were “inaccurate and slanted” depictions of South Carolina’s library funding: “For the last four years when I have presented my state budget, I have spent at least half of my time answering questions about the actions of ALA and have been unable to focus on my actual budget requests.”
Aiken did not respond to an inquiry on Sept. 29 for more information.
https://charlestoncitypaper.com/2023/...
Mod
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...
Manybooks wrote: "for the leader of the BC Conservatives to compare teaching gender and the like to the horrors that First Nations children had to endure at Residential Schools is not only absolutely vile and disgusting but should also result in consequences and repercussions for him.."Wow! The lies people tell themselves are astounding. No teachers are not telling kids they can cut off their body parts and change gender. No teachers are not showing kids pics of "multination" and NO pediatricians are NOT doing gender reassignment surgery on children! ESPECIALLY not without parental permission. Every single one of the picture books and the few MG books I have read about LGBTQ+ kids are about kids being kids. They may change their clothes, their hair, their name, their pronouns but that's the extent of it. No big deal. Nothing permanent.
And also, learning about gender identity helps kids figure out who they are. LGBTQIA+ people have always existed, just in fear and in the shadows. Don't these people want their kids to be happy and healthy and learn about all different types of people? Good grief! They need to get their heads out of their behinds and actually learn what their kids might be learning BEFORE they get hysterical and try to ban it.
They should ALSO be learning about Indian schools! My niece learned about the Indian Removal Act and Trail of Tears in 7th grade. She was horrified and fascinated at the same time. She's quite happy to feel guilty for being White.
Mod
Feeling a bit of guilt is not bad at all. I do not consider myself as someone German guilty of the Holocaust but I do feel that I have a responsibility to make sure individuals similar to Hitler do not gain power (and yes, that includes politicians like Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump etc.).
Manybooks wrote: "Feeling a bit of guilt is not bad at all. I do not consider myself as someone German guilty of the Holocaust but I do feel that I have a responsibility to make sure individuals similar to Hitler do not gain power (and yes, that includes politicians like Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump etc.)."Exactly. I don't feel responsible for what my ancestors may or may not have done in colonial times but I feel responsible for making sure history doesn't repeat itself. Niece won't be old enough to vote until 2027 but she's been thinking about it since she was 8!
Censorship Opponents Vow to Fight Right-Wing Assault This Banned Book WeekA coalition of publishers, teacher and librarian groups, and other advocates on Sunday kicked off this year's American Library Association's Banned Books Week by rallying behind the freedom to read amid an alarming surge in right-wing book bans across the United States.
"When we ban books, we're closing off readers to people, places, and perspectives," said the American Library Association. "But when we stand up for stories, we unleash the power that lies inside every book."
"This is a dangerous time for readers and the public servants who provide access to reading materials," ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom director Deborah Caldwell-Stone said in a statement. "Readers, particularly students, are losing access to critical information, and librarians and teachers are under attack for doing their jobs."
For this year's Banned Books Week, PEN America and We Believe led a joint statement signed by more than three dozen publishers and advocacy groups.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/ban...
Most Americans say they are less likely to support a candidate who stands for curriculum restrictions or book bans in 2024Four in five say K-12 public schools should teach students about cultures, identities, and perspectives that may be different from their own
https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/we-believ...
https://www.webelieveineducation.org/
'This is about freedom': U.S. lawmakers propose resolution on book bans
"We're standing strong for freedom in America today," said Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-District 8.
A group of lawmakers teamed up in Washington, D.C., to send a message: stop banning books. They called out book bans and banners, with Raskin leading the charge.
"The proper response to hating a book in a free society is, you don't read the book," Raskin said.
The group denounced book bans and pushed for passage of a House of Representatives resolution.
"This is about freedom, and it's about democracy," said Florida Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost.
"When children lose access to diverse books, they are denied the opportunity to build empathy toward others who might not look like them," advocate Ellen Oh said.
"They cannot defend the content in these books. I challenge any one of those parents to defend any piece of content that we have a problem with," Moms for Liberty Carroll County Chapter chair Kit Hart said.
Carroll County school officials pulled nearly 60 titles from library shelves while the books are reviewed in batches of five.
"Give me a break. That's how it starts — pulled for review and then never put back," said Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern.
"We all have to do everything in our power to encourage children across this country to read every single book that has been banned," said New York Democratic Rep. Jamal Bowman.
Raskin is the lead sponsor of the resolution. He said it was introduced Wednesday with 37 co-sponsors. His office is hoping for a passage, but acknowledged that it likely won't even come up for a vote with a Republican-led House.
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/lawmak...
Good for these young people!School culture wars push students to form banned book clubs, anti-censorship groups
https://abcnews.go.com/US/school-cult...
Nashville celebrates Banned Books WeekOne Nashville bookstore is stepping in support of First Amendment access to information by hosting the Banned Book Wagon on Tuesday: a partnership with PEN America, the Freedom to Read Foundation, the Little Free Library and Penguin Random House Publishing.
The wagon will make a stop on its maiden voyage at The Bookstore in East Nashville and give out 500 free copies of 12 commonly-banned books. Titles like "The Kite Runner," "The Handmaid’s Tale" and "The Bluest Eye," along information about censorship, will be given out to customers while supplies last.
The book wagon will be open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at The Bookshop, located at 1043 W. Eastland Ave, with the shop closing at its normal 7 p.m.
When the wagon runs out of books, it will pack up and head off to its next destination — New Orleans — dropping banned books in Little Free Libraries along the way.
“We at The Bookshop are firm believers in the freedom to read, and have taken a public stance against banned books and challenges throughout the years,” said Joelle Herr, owner of The Bookshop. “Last year for example, when 'Maus' was banned by a rural county here in Tennessee, we shared the information with our customers and our followers and actually held a fundraiser for the Freedom to Read Foundation. We just believe that book bans and book challenges are a slippery slope. It's a dangerous thing. And of course, we want to fight it as best we can.”
The Bookshop is a small oasis for readers in East Nashville — at only 550 square feet, the store holds a limited but carefully curated selection of books for readers. This, Herr said, is why supporting access to banned books for the community is so important.
“All of our books are chosen very carefully . They're all very well written, researched and thoughtfully considered,” she said. “So we’ll be having a book drive component during the event as well. The books offered for free on the wagon will also be for sale in the store. We are going to encourage our customers to purchase one or more to be donated, and we are selecting three different local nonprofits to donate those books too. If customers purchase three banned books for donations to local nonprofits, they will get a free anti-banned books tote bag.”
Carly Gorga, director of brand marketing at Penguin Random House, described the event as just one piece of "doing everything they can" in the face of the rising threat of banned books.
“People who are orchestrating book bans think they’re protecting our children when in reality, they’re narrowing their minds and their worldviews,” she said. “Young people, in particular, need access to a wide range of ideas and perspectives to connect and coexist with one another and be productive members of society. Books build bridges. They open our minds and make our lives better. Why would you deprive kids of this opportunity?”
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news...
8 Activists Share the Banned Books That Changed Their LivesBan bigotry not books.
This is the rallying cry of Gen Z students and teachers who are standing up against book bans and curriculum censorship laws across the United States.
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/banne...
'Footloose' screenwriter says movie's book-burning scene was 'rewriting the status quo.' Nearly 4 decades later, he's 'still waiting for the climate to change.’https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/f...
The New York Public Library's Teen Banned Book Club offers free nationwide digital access to banned and challenged YA books.In recognition of Banned Books Week, the New York Public Library is launching “Books for All: Protect the Freedom to Read,” a campaign that will run until the end of June. This will be the longest running anti-censorship campaign in NYPL history, and it’s in reaction to an “unprecedented” rise in censorship across the country, especially targeting young adult books.
The campaign includes a Teen Banned Book Club, where anyone 13 and up across the country can download the featured book for free using the SimplyE app.
NYPL will also be hosting a National Teen Writing Contest with the theme “Freedom to Read.” The winner will receive $500, and 10 runners up will receive $250 each. Submissions are open now, and the deadline is December 22nd. You can learn more at the NYPL website.
https://literaryactivism.substack.com...
Mod
So yes and I am super excited and happy! The NDP won a solid majority in Manitoba and voters have trounced the Conservatives very much deservedly. Love the fact that voters (except in some rural ridings) have solidly rejected Social Conservatism, book banning and the like. And indeed, the new premier of Manitoba is First Nations, which is a historic first (and that Kinnew did not acknowledge the CONservative attack ads regarding his ethnicity and past shows just how much superior the Manitoba NDP is to the Manitoba Conservatives and their supporters).
Mod
I wonder if Michael Connelly will now also have his books banned simply because he is speaking out against book banning.
And honestly since over sixty percent of Americans are against book bans, their voices should (in an actual democracy) count more (but that will likely never be the case in Fascist sates like Florida and Texas).
Manybooks wrote: "I wonder if Michael Connelly will now also have his books banned simply because he is speaking out against book banning.Yes probably. The censors have nothing better to do than research the authors and nitpick about something they object to in order to bring down the ban hammer. MORE people support the right to read - people on both sides of the political divide- than not. This is not uniquely a problem in the U.S. or North America. Other first world English speaking nations have "parental rights" activists and of course in authoritarian countries like China and Turkey, (and Florida and Texas) the government officially censors books.
I have GOOD news today for you all though as Banned Books Week continues.
LeVar Burton ‘Stand up, resist’: LeVar Burton on Banned Books Week as conservative book bans reach record peak
https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/wat...
John Green talks to Indy fans about banned books access and other things close to his heart
Following his recent brush with book banning in his home state, Indianapolis author John Green spoke about his works, the state of America's libraries and writing for young adults during a conversation at the Indianapolis Central Library.
During his talk Monday night, Green — joined by State Senator Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, who moderated the discussion — rehashed a recent book controversy just north in Hamilton County, and discussed other themes related to book access and his career.
After discovering his book had been removed from the Hamilton East Public Library shelves, Green involved himself in an ongoing fight in the library system over what books were appropriate for children and teens. Green posted on X, sent a letter to the board and sought conversations with Fishers leadership.
Backlash from the public bolstered by Green led the board to pause the policy to reexamine its implementation and purpose.
https://www.indystar.com/story/news/l...
Great news for Samuels Library in Front Royal, VirginiaSamuels library in Va. has funding restored with LGBTQ policies unchanged
Despite an organized campaign for much of the year to overwhelm the library’s staff with requests to remove some 141 books, virtually all of them related to LGBTQ themes, Samuels Library has never been more popular. Its visitors are up 15 percent and the number of donors up 25 percent from 2022.
Robert Hupman, a farmer and chairman of the Warren County Republican Committee, posted a statement on Facebook calling for an end to the campaign against the library. “Let’s stop this nonsense from being dragged out any longer,” Hupman wrote, adding that he applauded the library for standing up to the supervisors because, “as a Republican, I do not believe in government overreach of any kind at any time ... I believe the library has been more than accommodating."
The board of supervisors, he said, “should agree with the terms Samuel’s library sets up.”
Less than a month later, the board largely did.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-...
In a community in my region, good newsAttleboro (Mass.) lawmaker introduces legislation to prevent book bans, parents push for more oversight on library books
Attleboro Representative Jim Hawkins introduced legislation that would prevent book bans in public schools and libraries across the state.
The legislation reads a librarian should "adopt the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights that indicates materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval."
Hawkins says book bans are an attempt to erase history and marginalize LGBTQ+, minority and ethnic groups.
"It damages their visibility in our society and our need to include them in our society. There's a historical right to expression that we can't change. Anything that any minority is trying to oppose on the rest of us is really censorship and that's not who we are," Hawkins explained.
Censor of the day: Parent Jessica Pion says her son was able to check out "The Kite Runner" at Coelho Middle School. The novel is about the experience of an Afghan refugee set in the 970s and '80s.
"There are some children who do not have safe homes. There are some children who do not have supportive families to help guide them through the trauma they may have experienced," Pion explained.
Pion and a group of parents are now pushing for the school committee to implement a policy on screening books available in school libraries.
"All we ask is that people use their intelligence and look at the material available to our students and use some discernment to decide what's safe for our students and what's not," Pion explained.
A relative of Attleboro student Julie Rigby added, "Books are not banned if they're available somewhere else, like a public library. We're asking for these books to not be in the school libraries. Movies have been rated since 1968. Why can't books be rated?"
Attleboro school handbooks include a policy that allows parents or guardians to opt their child out of certain books in the library. The policy reads: "Parents/Guardians who wish to restrict the access of their student to specific titles through the school library should contact the School Librarian."
At a school committee earlier this year, members said they are not banning any books and no books have been removed from the school libraries.
Meanwhile, Rep. Hawkins' bill was referred to the House Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development.
https://turnto10.com/news/crisis-in-t...
Protestors at the ImagineIF Libraries (Montana) seek to draw attention to Banned Books Week following board decision to forgo celebrating Banned Books Week.
Valeri McGarvey said Monday’s protest was loosely organized by herself and other community members concerned about the board’s decision. She’s been outspoken against other stances the board has taken in recent years, including book challenges brought by trustees before they were appointed to the board.
“I thought it was really ironic, especially calling it divisive, when they also tried to remove books from the collection — it just didn't make sense to me,” McGarvey said. “But I thought, you know, the community deserves to have a conversation about this; the community deserves to gather in any other way in celebration of the right to read.”
Bruce Bartlett held up a copy of “Ulysses” by James Joyce, a book that was banned in the United States during the 1920s and ʼ30s. He described the ImagineIF trustees’ decision to forgo Banned Books Week as verging on censorship.
“That's very troublesome. I'm a retired lawyer and the First Amendment was made the first amendment for a reason, Bartlett said. “I think it's terribly important that people have a panoply of choices when it comes to reading. And I don't see how they're hurt by those choices existing.”
Bartlett also held a sign featuring a political cartoon with a depiction of a “morality police” who removes the letters L, G, B, T and Q from the alphabet in a library setting. He said this is a nod to books featuring LGBTQ+ characters being some of the most challenged in recent years.
I have friends that are members of the LGBTQ community and I think more and more Americans are realizing now that they have relatives and friends that are [LGBTQ] and let them exercise their freedom. If they want to read things that you find offensive, how's that going to hurt you? If you can prove to me that it's actually hurting you, then we can talk,” Bartlett said.
Diane Taylor-Menke held a copy of “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie, which ranked No. 8 of the 13 most challenged books in 2022, according to the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom. She also held a copy of the Bible, which has been on the most challenged books list in the past.
“It just shows the range that something offends everybody, you know, like she's holding ‘Charlotte's Web.’ What could you object to about ‘Charlotte's Web?’ Somebody did, but does that mean nobody should read it?” Taylor-Menke said.
She said pushing away the celebration of Banned Books Week drew more attention to its goals.
In addition to Monday’s protest, McGarvey said they called on other supporters to share their thoughts with Flathead County commissioners at their meeting on Tuesday morning. On Thursday, the group will be celebrating Banned Books Week and local librarians at Bias Brewing.
McGarvey said they asked supporters to go to their local branch on Friday to check out a book and thank a librarian. On Oct. 11, she said the group will participate in a “read-in” similar to a “sit-in” with participants reading library books.
https://dailyinterlake.com/news/2023/...
Hunstville library director: Relocation of LGBTQ books was a miscommunicationDirector Cindy Hewitt said the directive got lost in translation like a game of “Telephone.”
Last week, APR reported that Huntsville-Madison County Public Library staff had been directed by Executive Director Cindy Hewitt to relocate LGBTQ+ children’s books and reconsider the classification of many LGBTQ young adult books.
Hewitt told APR Monday that the directive had been lost in translation, comparing the situation to a game of “telephone” in which her directive to review books that could face challenges became understood as a request to move all LGBTQ+ children’s books immediately to the adult section.
“When you make a statement to the top-level group and it gets translated down to 124 employees, it doesn’t always translate well,” Hewitt said. “There was some miscommunication in the process and what we were doing that got misinterpreted by staff and got everybody upset. When I understood what was going on on the branch level—and we had people come to our board meeting and express concern on both sides of the issue, by the way—we stopped what we were doing. We said ‘Let’s stop, let’s take a pause, let’s figure out what that next step is here because we’re not handling this well.’ And we stopped.”
Hewitt said her directive was triggered by a meeting of the Alabama Public Library Service board the week earlier in which the board agreed to allow parents to flag books they deem inappropriate to be collated into a statewide list.
“I found that very concerning because I didn’t feel like the libraries should be held to an outside list, but that we should be able to curate our collection with our professional ability,” Hewitt said. “So I went to management staff and talked to the board and said ‘We need to look at our collection and make our own decisions on what should or could be moved prior to somebody coming at us with a list.'”
While the APLS board did unanimously agree to create a system for parents to flag books they find inappropriate as a statewide resource for libraries, the list wouldn’t be binding on libraries for their collection policies.
In its two recent stories on the situation involving re-cataloging LGBTQ+ books within the Huntsville library system, APR has referred to a list provided by sources within the library they say that staff was told to go by–they say that staff was directed explicitly that the listed children’s books were to be moved without question, and that that direction was confirmed when staff asked for clarification.
But Hewitt said she never directed staff to work off of any specific list or relocate any books en masse; rather Hewitt told APR she simply asked staff to review the books they had that were most likely to be challenged.
“In this meeting, I never told staff they were tied to or limited to any specific list,” Hewitt said. “I did tell them there were already some lists we had been looking at of the challenged books that they could use and asked them and encouraged them to use their own lists, using all he keywords that might bring up these subjects.”
Hewitt said her focus was on explicit books, as that is what challengers “seem to be tuned into,” but acknowledges that the list in question is based largely on LGBTQ+ content. Hewitt told APR that list had been previously generated after claims that the collection was unbalanced so the library could see how LGBTQ+ content compared to the rest of the curation, and had ultimately led to management deciding that the collection is not unbalanced.
But that list in fact was used at some branches, particularly the North Huntsville branch, to move LGBTQ+ books en masse, as evidenced by screenshots of the catalog before Hewitt ordered a pause on the project, and from actual in-library photos taken that show the books moved from their original locations.
[sure, sure it did, when she stated she owed it to her church to be responsible for which books are in the library, was that a miscommunication?]
“Because some of the books on there—or a good many of them, actually—were on that challenged list, it got pulled into this whole ‘look at your collection’ experience,” Hewitt said. “That was the list that some branches used more than others and it shouldn’t have been; that’s the miscommunication part. I called it like that game ‘telephone’ where you start with one conversation and it ends up being another farther down the list. I think that’s what happened here.”
Hewitt said she takes responsibility for the miscommunication, telling APR she had tried to stay out of the discussions of where individual content should be located. She said that once she realized what had happened and received concerns from staff, she paused the process and began investigating to rectify the situation.
“My intention has always been to protect the collection,” Hewitt said.
Hewitt told APR that concern particularly bothered her, as the church “has never told me what to do in my job.”
“I have never considered them to hold that role in my life,” Hewitt said.
Hewitt said all of this started due to the recent politicization of libraries, which have escaped much political fervor over the past five decades. The library has already been in the news once before due to a spat with Moms for Liberty as they attempted to host a “Brave Books” event featuring Kirk Cameron that quickly ballooned from an expected capacity of 30 to 300.
Hewitt said her library has been “pinpointed” on a state level as having books that should be moved, and this review was to get out ahead of the evolving situation.
https://www.alreporter.com/2023/10/03...
More from AlabamaAlabama sent ‘woke’ pre-K books that cost thousands of dollars to a dump
Gov. Kay Ivey disavowed a teaching manual from the National Association for the Education of Young Children in April 2023.
After Alabama’s governor ousted a top state official over a “woke” pre-K training manual, officials dumped dozens of the books, totaling thousands of dollars, in the trash.
Just a year ago, officials spent $37,950 to buy 230 book registrations of the fourth edition of NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practices manual.
The books, a common teacher development tool, are not meant to be read as curriculum, but are supposed to help early childhood educators hone their skills in the classroom. Some passages of the manual’s fourth edition encouraged educators to consider their own biases and the social and cultural backgrounds of their students.
NAEYC is a leading national preschool group that accredits hundreds of high-quality early childcare facilities. ADECE Secretary Barbara Cooper left office amid legislative pressure. was also a member of the group’s governing board, praised the new manual in a review, stating that it “fully supports our practice in the field of early learning and care.”
But months later, a complaint from a lawmaker forced a complete cleanout of the books – and Cooper’s sudden departure.
Emails show that during the legislative session in April, the Governor’s office received a document, created by Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellvillle, that highlighted passages from the book referencing systemic racism, white privilege and LGTBQ families.
Kiel said he created the document after receiving a complaint from an educator.
“I have been told by multiple education groups that ‘divisive concepts’ are not in our schools, yet the material I read was offensive to me and the majority of the people I represent,” Kiel said at the time.
On April 13, Liz Filmore, the governor’s chief of staff, shared a copy of the document with Cooper, asking her to review the materials. Filmore called the complaint “obviously concerning!”
In a memo released a day later, Cooper disavowed the books, calling them “unacceptable” and asking staffers to promptly return the materials to their supervisors.
Then on April 21, a week later, Ivey abruptly announced Cooper’s resignation.
“The education of Alabama’s children is my top priority as governor, and there is absolutely no room to distract or take away from this mission,” the governor wrote. “Let me be crystal clear: Woke concepts that have zero to do with a proper education and that are divisive at the core have no place in Alabama classrooms at any age level, let alone with our youngest learners. We want our children to be focused on the fundamentals, such as reading and math.”
Ivey later told reporters that the two had “mutually agreed” to part ways after a conversation about the “direction” the department was going in.
But the extent of the fallout from Cooper’s ousting – including what actually happened to all of the tens of thousands of dollars worth of manuals and other NAEYC products – is unclear.
https://www.al.com/educationlab/2023/...
https://www.al.com/educationlab/2023/...
Kanawha County Textbook War: The History of a 1970s Fight Over Books in Schoolshttps://www.teenvogue.com/story/kanaw...
Three questions for Todd Parrhttps://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/3...
Carl Hiassen Banned Books, And Censorship In Schools
https://www.npr.org/2023/10/03/119890...
LeVar Burton Banned Books Week honorary chair discusses importance of access
In a recent email interview with American Libraries, Burton reflected on his career and advocacy for young readers, the ongoing threat to intellectual freedom, and what gives him hope amid adversity.
https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org...
Kids share their thoughts about banned books with NPR
https://www.npr.org/2023/10/04/120327...
Now the bad news...Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey buys into the rhetoric and lies about what books are in the library. Yes that is censorship. Who decides?
Gov. Ivey requests changes to Alabama library rules; $6.6 million state money ‘contingent’ on policies
Gov. Kay Ivey responded Wednesday morning to Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) director Nancy Pack’s letter about concerns over children’s exposure to “inappropriate content” with proposed amendments to the APLS rules.
Ivey said the APLS should, at a minimum:
“Make state aid for local libraries contingent on the adoption of sensible policies to facilitate greater parental supervision of their children.”
Ivey said the $6.6 million the legislature appropriates to the APLS to distribute to local public libraries is contingent on “submission of written policies covering physical location (and relocation) of material deemed inappropriate for children or youth.” Library staff should seek approval for recommended or displayed materials. Ivey said this will “create a welcoming library environment.”
“Require all expenditures of public funds to the American Library Association be approved by the relevant governing authority in an open, public meeting.” Ivey said she’s “entirely sympathetic to calls to disaffiliate our Alabama libraries from the ALA.” She said there should be a balance between the advantages the ALA provides and what are the group’s “clear shortcomings.”
“Reaffirm local libraries’ ability to respond to parental concerns about explicit or other inappropriate materials.”
Ivey said the APLS “should amend its rules to clarify that exercising discretion about the location or promotion of age-inappropriate library materials does not constitute a ‘denial of service’ on the basis of ‘age’ in violation of existing Library Service rules.”
Ivey said before the board amends its rules, the APLS should send a memo to local libraries “clarifying their ability to respond to parental concerns about sexually explicit or otherwise inappropriate material.” Ivey said, “limiting children’s access to inappropriate content is not impermissible ‘censorship.’”
Ivey still lacks confidence "that our libraries are most effectively fulfilling their mission. “In my previous letter to you, I described the core problem as the exposure of children and youth to inappropriate materials without adequate means of parental supervision. Unfortunately, your response does not persuade me that Alabama libraries have policies in place to strike the right balance in responding to this problem.”
Ivey said the nearly 30 local library policies Pack submitted “generally fail to support parents hoping to protect their children from inappropriate content.”
In the statement, Ivey said children may view library titles uninhibited and that only one policy “includes a process that could result in a ‘change in location or reading level’ of a challenged book. Indeed, one library policy apparently prohibits library staff even from labeling books based on age level.”
“To be clear, I agree that parents bear ultimate responsibility for supervising their children’s reading material,” Ivy continues in the statement. “But the question here goes beyond that: What can libraries do to support parents in helping their children avoid harmful materials?” She said “invoking parental responsibility” alone “sends the wrong message, that libraries are not a place for families or children” and children are allowed to “wander freely in a children’s section.”
Ivey said she had “serious misgivings about the American Library Association (ALA) and its influence over Alabama libraries.” She said the “Library Bill of Rights” doesn’t require minors’ library records to be confidential. Still, Pack didn’t “offer any further defense of the ALA Bill of Rights.” Ivey said the ALA wants children to have access to “all library content, no questions asked.”
Ivey ended the statement by saying she doesn’t believe books should be “‘banned’ from libraries based on unpopular opinions or content. Libraries should be a place for exploring a wide variety of viewpoints and ideas. At the same time, however, libraries must not be a place to expose children to inappropriate content without the knowledge and consent of their parents. Libraries should listen to parents when it comes to what content is openly available in children’s sections of libraries.”
https://www.al.com/news/2023/10/gov-i...
THIS is not right either. Just because they do it doesn't mean you should. As Michelle Obama says, "When they aim low, we go high."'People are threatening me, my wife and my children,' Sunol school board prez claims after banning flags
https://www.ktvu.com/news/sunol-schoo...
North Carolina State education board says it won’t hear appeals on school book challengesThe State Board of Education will not hear appeals about local school book challenges under a new draft policy introduced Wednesday to carry out the Parents’ Bill of Rights law. The new state law creates a process where parents can request a “parental concern hearing” with the state board over a school district or charter school’s implementation of the Parents’ Bill of Rights. But book challenges, though, are not among the 11 reasons listed under in the draft for requesting a concern hearing. The state board is scheduled to give final approval to the new policy in November. “We’re already getting requests to appeal books in the library and things like that,” Allison Schafer, the state’s board attorney, said at Wednesday’s meeting. “That’s not in this list. That is something you have a process for at the local level that goes to the local board.”
Read more at: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/loc...
OK I give them this one as inappropriate for the age group though I do remember reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings as junior high summer reading assignment. Inappropriate reading assignment ends up in HISD 8th-grade classrooms
A school handout meant to be distributed to eighth-grade students as a reading assignment has Houston ISD teachers sounding an alarm.
ABC13 is told this isn't the only mistake to make it to the classroom, but it is one of the more troubling.
The text is a portion of "Gather Together In My Name" by Maya Angelou. The excerpt, meant for eighth graders, is being questioned as it depicts a scene between a man and a woman in a hotel room.
"How are you going to justify this to a parent?" Corina Ortiz, with the Houston Federation of Teachers Union, asked.
Ortiz said while this is an egregious example of errors making their way to the classroom, there have been countless factual and content errors being caught by teachers.
"We have teachers that have called and said of the curriculum that they sent me for this week is wrong. I have to go back and make adjustments and make it correct so that way when I put it on my board, it's going to come out looking like it's professional and it's correct," Ortiz said.
Ortiz said teachers are now having to spend precious time reviewing, correcting, and rewriting materials so students get accurate and appropriate resources.
"It goes into the night. It's not a day anymore, it goes into the night," Ortiz said.
Ortiz blames errors like this on HISD Superintendent Mike Miles' decision to make cuts in the curriculum department and says the federation has offered their help in this area.
"We have offered help from our (American) Federation of Teachers Union. We have offered to bring in specialists to come in and help and assist with curriculum, assist with anything we can, and the answer was a matter of fact, 'No,'" Ortiz said
https://abc13.com/hisd-superintendent...
Florida againBecoming an Askable Parent a book for ADULTS
Ronald Holstein brought the guide "Be an Askable Parent" to the attention of the Pasco County Schools school board Tuesday. He told board members the guide was featured as a resource for parents on the district's website and suggested ways to approach "typical" situations with children concerning sex and sexuality.
Holstein told the school board Tuesday that he finds the content "extremely inappropriate."
"I'm sorry, but I don't remember ever having a conversation with any of my 3-year-olds where that was appropriate," he said. "And if this is the adaptable form that we're teaching our children off of, I think the wording could be a little bit more appropriate."
Holstein also raised concerns over the guide's list of "stages of sexual development" that children aged 4 to 8 may experience. [yes this is normal]
"I don't feel this is safe," Holstein said. "I'm sorry, that's just the way I feel."
Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) reached out to Pascoe County Schools to confirm use of the guide. A spokesperson for the district told CITC that "after researching your request, we discovered that this document mentioned is in a part of our website that was archived some time ago."
"The document was provided to Pasco County Schools and intended for parent guidance. The document was never introduced in the classroom," the spokesperson told CITC. "The document has been removed from the site to avoid any further confusion."
https://weartv.com/news/local/guide-o...
Book bans are surging — and taking an emotional toll on many authorshttps://www.cnn.com/2023/10/04/style/...
Kyle Lukoff no royalties for Call Me Max
Torrey Maldonado
“There are authors and illustrators who think, if this is going to be blocked, maybe I should do something else, or maybe I should create something else,” Maldonado said. “Book banning threatens to stamp out people’s fire.”
“It’s taken so much work to begin to shift publishing to be more representative of who people are,” Magnusson said. “That work has been severely attacked here.”
Samira Ahmed said she knows several authors who’ve been “doxxed, threatened and called horrific slurs” by critics who challenge their work.
“People who specifically create a career to write for young people, they’re spending so much time thinking about their audience — ‘What did I not have to read when I was a young person?’” Magnusson said. “Children’s authors, especially, spend so much time connecting to their inner child, that to be called ‘pedophiles,’ ‘sexual deviants,’ sent hate mail — that has a psychological and emotional impact that is pretty profound.”
Ahmed said it’s a “slap in the face to see my work categorized as profane or obscene” when she writes specifically for young people.
It’s exhausting, too, for authors who didn’t plan to fight book bans regularly. Lukoff said his first high-profile bans occurred in early 2021, in Austin and Salt Lake City, when book bans first started to accelerate. The volume of bans has “only gotten worse,” he said, and it’s started to define his work.
“It is so unrelenting,” he said. “I’m not surprised that my books have been banned; I’m surprised this has become a much larger, inescapable political movement.”
Book bans are not new, noted Maldonado. They’re a political tool of domination, he said, to silence certain voices and points of view, particularly when those points of view come from a person of color or someone who identifies as LGBTQ.
“It’s not just our work being condemned, it’s us, personally, it’s our identities,” Ahmed said. “The very real goal of book bans is to erase identities from the shelves — a campaign led by fear and hate — under the guise of ‘parental rights.’”
And the reaction to book bans could see publishers take a major step back in terms of supporting inclusive literature, Magnusson said.
“It’s taken so much work to begin to shift publishing to be more representative of who people are,” Magnusson said. “That work has been severely attacked here.”
Ultimately, those who lose the most when a book is banned are the authors who write for children and the children who may never have a chance to read those works in their schools or local libraries, said Ahmed.
“There have been thousands of challenges across America, and what that actually means is that young people are being denied the opportunity and access to these books,” she said.
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)
More...
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)
More...
The topic of book banning was once again the topic of discussion during public comment, even though it wasn’t on the board’s agenda.
“The idea of the First Amendment is pretty simple, if you don’t like something, then you don’t need to read the book in the first place,” one resident said. “Prohibiting the expression of an idea because society finds it to be disagreeable or offensive goes against the wills of the founding fathers.”
“But, as you know, these are the type of books that are at Horry County Schools that we are concerned about and that we would like to see removed from the shelves that are inappropriate for young people to read,” a Moms of Liberty member said. “They do not teach appropriate things.”
https://www.wbtw.com/news/grand-stran...