Public Libraries

Three Arkansas parents are suing, alleging that the relocation of LGBTQ+ books in the public library is unlawful censorship. Meanwhile, book ban battles continue in New York, Connecticut, Alaska, and Washington.

National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman's poem from President Joe Biden's inauguration has been restricted to older grades in one Florida school district; New Jersey legislators introduce law to prohibit book banning based on "partisan or doctrinal reasons”; and more in Censorship News.

What do you do when trustees pressure a library to cut summer programming due to book challenges? Pat Scales answers that question and more.  

Parents in Pickens County, SC, along with the NAACP, are suing the district and charging that the removal of Stamped is a violation of their children's First Amendment rights; a Nebraska high school librarian resigns in protest over a new book policy; book banners threaten publishers and public library funding; and more.

Organizations and conservative school boards that champion censorship attempts have broadened their messaging to target public library funding and professional conferences for school and public librarians.

Attempts to restrict access to digital materials have been led largely by conservative parent groups and political activists who claim they are protecting students from “obscene” materials.

Are you a public or school librarian who has experienced harassment at work? Share your story, anonymously if you wish, and be part of SLJ’s reporting. 

Battles over book banning continue at school board meetings and in state legislatures across the country. Now politicians are targeting publishers, too.

The judge's ruling is an early victory for residents who sued claiming that their Constitutional rights were violated by the book removals. Meanwhile, titles are removed from schools in Spotsylvania, VA, and legislation seeking to limit access and criminalize librarians advances in Arkansas and North Dakota.