and more.
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Publisher NewsFreedom to Read Advocates Notch a Legal Victory in Alaska
Freedom to read advocates in Alaska have settled a lawsuit against the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District in Alaska, which will pay $89,000 to resolve claims that it improperly removed dozens of books from school library shelves.
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Publisher News
PEN America Report Confirms School Book Bans Are Surging
The report, 'Banned in the USA: Beyond the Shelves,' confirms that 4,231 unique titles were targeted during the 2023-2024 school year, impacting 2,662 authors, 195 illustrators, and 31 translators.
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Libraries
Publishers, Advocates File New Complaint in Iowa Book Banning Case
Following an August 9 ruling by the Eighth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals, a coalition of publishers, authors, and advocates has filed a new complaint seeking to strike down the sweeping book ban provision in Iowa’s controversial law, SF 496.
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Publisher News
PEN America Finds New State Laws Are Supercharging School Book Bans
In the 2023-2024 school year, state legislation was "particularly critical in accelerating book bans," the report states, "making it easier to remove books from schools without due process, or in some cases, without any formal process whatsoever.”
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Editorials
A Letter from the Editor: The Freedom to Read Issue
With Banned Books Week just a week a way, librarians across the country remain under attack just for doing their jobs. 'PW' editorial director Jonathan Segura introduces our new issue, highlighting the vital work of those protecting our freedom to read.
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Publisher News
The Freedom to Read Issue: All Our Coverage
We dig into the scope and scale of the historic wave of censorship attempts occurring today in the United States and talk with those who are doing the vital work of fighting back. Welcome to our Freedom to Read issue.
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Publisher News
Freedom to Read Advocates Look to Expand Efforts Beyond the Courtroom
As a key lawsuit in Llano County is set to be heard by the full Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, freedom to read advocates consider their next moves.
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Profiles
Amanda Jones Will Not Be Silenced
The librarian, anti-censorship advocate, and debut author weighs in on the threat posed by book banners today.
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Libraries
The Battle Against Book Bans Rages On: PW Talks with Kelly Jensen
PW checks in with the 'Book Riot' writer, whose weekly Censorship News column tracks efforts to ban books in school and libraries.
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Libraries
The Resistance: Five People Standing Up to Book Banners
For many, defending the freedom to read has come at a steep cost. We recently talked with five librarians and educators who are standing up to the would-be censors.
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Libraries
Modern Day McCarthyists: The Fight Against Book Bans in Llano County
The Texas county, with a population about 3,000, has become an epicenter in the fight against book banning. Leila Green Little explains how the echoes of history are playing out in rural Texas—and in communities across the nation.
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Bookselling
How Booksellers Are Taking On Book Banners
Alongside educators and librarians, indie booksellers across the country are rising up to defend the freedom to read.
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Book News
Children’s Authors on the Real-World Cost of Book Banning
Authors discuss how having their work targeted by censors has directly affected their livelihood and their well-being.
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Publisher News
Defending ‘Gender Queer’ from Book Bans
An inside look at how the team behind the most challenged book in America fought censorship and won.
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Libraries
Amicus Briefs Filed Ahead of Key Fifth Circuit Freedom to Read Battle
With a hearing before the full Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans less than two weeks away, a host of amicus briefs were filed this week in a closely watched case over book banning in Llano County, Tex.
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Libraries
Little Free Library Partners with ALA, PEN America on Banned Books Map
Little Free Library has teamed up with the American Library Association and PEN America to develop an interactive map that indicates areas in which books are banned and pinpoints locations of its book-sharing boxes.
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Libraries
Judge Rules Llano Librarian’s Wrongful Termination Suit Can Proceed
A federal court found that Suzette Baker had plausibly asserted that she was fired for opposing orders to improperly pull books that overwhelmingly represented the LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
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Publisher News
Major Publishers, Authors Guild Sue Over New Florida Book Banning Law
The August 29 complaint over H.B. 1069 argues that the statute is vague and overbroad, and that it has led to the improper removal of hundreds of books from school and classroom libraries in the state.
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Industry News
IBPA and EveryLibrary Make a Play for the Freedom to Read
We Are Stronger Than Censorship is a new program aiming to supply diverse books to young readers, which has begun fundraising and bringing partners on board ahead of a September 9 launch.
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Libraries
Survey Finds Most Americans Unengaged with Book Banning Efforts in Public Schools
Conducted by the Knight Foundation, the public opinion survey is the most in-depth yet on efforts to ban books in schools, researchers say.
