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Appeals Court Temporarily Stays Injunction Blocking Texas Book Rating Law
The temporary hold, which is not based on the merits of the case, puts Judge Alan D. Albright's preliminary injunction on ice while the Fifth Circuit considers the state's bid to stay the injunction.
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The Week in Libraries: September 22, 2023
Among the week's headlines: a judge in Washington rejects a bid by book banners to force a vote on closing the local library; a Colorado librarian who was wrongly fired after refusing to censor LGBTQ programming is awarded $250,000; Alabama's state librarian defends the ALA; and LeVar Burton will serve as honorary chair for Banned Books Week.
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New PEN America Report Finds 33% Jump in School Book Bans
"Amid a growing climate of censorship, school book bans continue to spread through coordinated campaigns by a vocal minority of groups and individual actors and, increasingly, as a result of pressure from state legislation," the report finds.
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New ALA Data Shows Book Challenges Still Surging
Ahead of Banned Books Week, the ALA reported 695 attempts to censor library materials between January 1 and August 31, 2023, and 1,915 unique titles challenged—a 20% jump over last year.
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The Week in Libraries: September 15, 2023
Among the week's headlines: a politically charged hearing on book bans in the U.S. Senate; Illinois libraries face another wave of bomb threats; an internal report reveals the strain library workers at the Oakland Public Library are feeling; and a brilliant essay explores how today's right wing attacks on libraries echo from a dark chapter in our history.
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Texas Judge Hears Arguments Over Scope of HB 900 Injunction
At a hearing, judge Alan D. Albright appeared open to allowing parts of Texas's book rating law take effect, while attorneys for the plaintiffs insisted the law is unconstitutional and should be blocked in its entirety.
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ALA Seeks Member Input on Freedom to Read Statement Revision
In the midst of a historic rise in book bans, the American Library Association has announced a series of "listening sessions" which could lead to the first revision of the landmark Freedom to Read statement since 2004.
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The Week in Libraries: September 8, 2023
Among the week's headlines: Alabama Governor Kay Ivey questions the work of public libraries in her state; the political attacks on the ALA continue; the Senate finally confirms a fifth FCC commissioner, breaking a years-long partisan deadlock; and paying tribute to the first Black librarian in the school district of Philadelphia.
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EBSCO Helps Librarians Build Spanish Collections
The academic database platform's NoveList's Core Collection offers librarians a database of 7,000 Spanish-language titles.
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Ruling Imminent on Motion to Dismiss Texas Book Rating Law
A second day of arguments was heard in federal court in Austin over a motion by a consortium of booksellers and book business organizations to block HB 900, Texas's controversial new book rating law.
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The Week in Libraries: August 25, 2023
Among the week's headlines: bomb threats are made against librarians in Illinois and Oklahoma; Texas leaves the ALA, with Wyoming headed that way, too; and Washington State Librarian Sara Jones offers a powerful defense of librarians.
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New PEN America Report Documents Surge in ‘Educational Intimidation’ Bills
A new wave of legislation is leading to censorship in schools and libraries by creating a climate of fear and uncertainty for educators.
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Judge Sets Second Hearing on Motion to Block Texas Book Rating Law
In the initial round of oral arguments over whether to block Texas's controversial book rating law, federal judge Alan D. Albright primarily challenged the state's position, and said he would issue a ruling before the law's September 1 effective date.
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The Week in Libraries: August 11, 2023
Among the week's headlines: librarians, educators, and publishers grapple with new state book banning laws; bestselling author John Green responds to having his books pulled from library shelves; a proposed judgment has been filed in the Internet Archive copyright case; and PEN America publishes a report on self-censorship in the publishing industry.
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As New Law Looms, Follett Asks Publishers to Help ‘Rate’ Their Own Books for Sale in Texas
With a lawsuit pending to block a controversial new "book rating" law from taking effect in Texas, publishers and industry groups are balking at a request from the nation's largest school distributor to help rate their own titles for sale in the state.
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The Week in Libraries: August 4, 2023
Among the week's headlines: a major victory for freedom to read advocates in Arkansas; a motion to block Texas's new 'book rating' law gets a speedy hearing date; the Michigan Library Association recruits advocates for its freedom to read initiative; and a look at the Brooklyn Public Library's teen council.
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Federal Judge Blocks Parts of Arkansas ‘Harmful to Minors’ Law
Judge Timothy L. Brooks's 49-page opinion and order concluded that the law would "permit, if not encourage, library committees and local governmental bodies to make censorship decisions based on content or viewpoint," thus violating the First Amendment.
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The Week in Libraries: July 28, 2023
Among the week's headlines: a coalition of booksellers and publishing industry groups sue Texas over the state's new book rating law; a judge in Arkansas is set to rule on a motion to block that state's 'harmful to minors' law from taking effect; and a Houston school district's plan to replace its libraries with 'discipline centers' draws criticism from city leaders.
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The Week in Libraries: July 21, 2023
Among the week's headlines: Barack Obama offers his support to librarians; Missouri's Jay Ashcroft is now taking aim at ALA; a Utah poll finds voters oppose book banning; and the protest at U.C. Berkeley's anthropology library has ended.
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DPLA Launches ‘Geo-targeted’ Banned Book Club via Palace E-book App
The new program utilizes GPS-based “geo-targeting” to show readers the books that have been banned in their area, making e-book versions available to borrow digitally.
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