H.R. 2616, another tool for censorship

Among worrying legislation at the federal level, H.R. 2616 recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. It’s troubling enough that, under certain circumstances, schools would be forced to “out” trans students to their parents, but I’m concerned about Section 3’s prohibition against “teaching or advancing gender ideology.”

Don’t comply with censorship in advance

In his recently published short book of essays, Mac Barnett emphasized the importance of children finding their experiences and emotions reflected in the stories they read. His observation was made against a backdrop of ever-increasing attempts to remove books from libraries that disproportionately target books by authors of color and authors who are LGBTQIA+.

H.R. 7661: Truly disturbing and frightening!

As a follow-up to the essay I posted earlier, here is a brief video I uploaded today about H.R. 7661. Introduced in late February by U.S. Rep. Mary E. Miller, H.R. 7661 defines “sexually oriented material” to include any material that involves “gender dysphoria or transgenderism.”

Federal bill equates trans identity with sexually explicit material

One of the core tenets that I embrace as a librarian serving young people is that readers need stories about people who are both like and who are unlike them. A diverse library collection should ideally encompass many facets: including race, sex, gender identity, differing abilities, who a person is attracted to, and more.

Is censorship a ‘necessary evil’?

As part of my studies on the subjects of banned books and censorship, I was asked to consider whether or not censorship was a “necessary evil” in a library or classroom. In answering this question, I think we need to differentiate between selecting materials based on professional standards, and purposefully choosing not to purchase a book because we’re afraid of backlash.

Preemptive challenges in libraries

Librarians are under siege right now, in a way that is unprecedented. 2022 was already a year that shattered censorship records, but data released recently by the American Library Association showed that, during 2023, book bans continued to rise, nationwide (Unite Against Book Bans, 2023).

Books (and libraries) are for everyone!

To commemorate Banned Books Week in 2023: Books and libraries are for everyone, but not every book will appeal to every reader, nor should anyone expect it to. People can decide for themselves which books they want to read, and parents can decide for their own children, which books are appropriate – but they don’t get to make that decision for everyone else’s children too.

Book challenges continue to increase during 2023

Banned Books Week takes place in 2023 from Oct. 1 to 7, and the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom has released preliminary data for challenges to books during 2023.

Template to warn school boards about censorship attempts

“Most school boards are not paying attention to what is happening at other school boards across the country,” and this inattentiveness is allowing slow takeovers by groups “working to destroy public education across the country.” In the Sept. 1 edition of Literary Activism (a publication of Book Riot), writer Kelly Jensen offers a template to alert school boards to “bad” or “crisis actors” in their communities. Groups resisting censorship “have a tremendous opportunity” to give board members a “fair warning of what’s happening,” while getting their names into the public record to aid networking with like-minded individuals. https://literaryactivism.substack.com/p/how-to-alert-your-school-board-to

Author urging supporters to book library meeting rooms

At Book Riot, writer Kelly Jensen is warning public libraries: author Kirk Cameron and publisher Brave Books are asking supporters to book space at public libraries to hold readings from children’s “books of virtue” across the country on Aug. 5.

Iowa legislation would put challenged books on state-wide ‘removal list’

Under legislation being proposed in Iowa, a book removed from a classroom or library in any Iowa school district would be placed on a state “removal list,” and “all of Iowa’s 326 other districts” would also have to deny students access to the book, unless parents give approval. Via the Gazette: Meet an Iowa City librarian fighting to protect readers’ ability to choose books for themselves.
https://www.thegazette.com/k/iowa-city-librarian-fighting-for-a-place-even-for-books-that-hurt-my-feelings/

LJ Librarian(s) of the Year : Books Unbanned at BPL

Library Journal has announced its 2023 Librarian(s) of the year: the “Books Unbanned” team at Brooklyn Public Library, which offers “free ebook access to teens and young adults nationwide, defying rising book challenges across the country.”

To apply for a free BPL ecard, all that young people ages 13 to 21 need to do is “send a note via email to BooksUnbanned@bklynlibrary.org or through the library’s teen-run Instagram account, @bklynfuture, describing the censorship challenges they are experiencing and why they feel libraries should have diverse collections.”

Can public support quell harassment of librarians?

As I create my “ideal” collection development policy for LIS 5250, one of the things that resonates with me is, what kind of support can be “built into” the policy for a librarian who is facing attempts to remove books from the library?

‘Teachable’ aspects of book censorship attempt

Among this week’s assigned readings for LIS 5250, I read an account by Kristin Pekoll, concerning a challenge in 2016 against This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, at Henning Public School in Henning, Minnesota. As highlighted by Pekoll, the challenge brought against This One Summer had several aspects that made it a teachable situation. It concerned a book for older readers in a one-building schoolhouse that accommodated preschool through 12th grade.

Diverse library collections are personal for me

As someone who identifies as both neurodiverse and queer, having access to a diversity of ideas is intensely personal for me, as well as a professional value. During my research for week 10 in LIS 5250, I encountered an op-ed by Erin Iverson, a 16-year-old student at Walla Walla High School in Walla Walla, Washington:

“Representation is vital to everyone. Being able to see yourself in someone and relate to their feelings and experiences helps quell the feelings of isolation and loneliness that accompany many students through their middle and high school years. This is especially true for minority students for whom representation is already in short supply” (Iverson, 2022).

‘Gender Queer’ by Maia Kobabe

I was interested in reading Gender Queer primarily because it sounded interesting. As a character in eir memoir, the author seemed like someone I could relate to.

Briefly, according to a description by the publisher, Kobabe started eir graphic novel as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be asexual and nonbinary. I relate to being nonbinary, but also describe myself as gender-nonconforming. Other terms that I like to apply to myself are “gender creative” and “gender expansive.” I cultivate traits in myself that seem authentic to me, without regard for whether society considers them “male” or “female.”

This graphic novel has also been frequently targeted through book challenges and as someone who envisions herself as a youth librarian, I wanted to acquaint myself with the book and its contents.

E-books in libraries

In my readings for Week 4 in LIS 5250, I focused on electronic books, or e-books, in libraries.

SOC 2: ‘Cancel culture’ in children’s and Young Adult publishing

At Santa Rosa Junior College, for Spring 2020, I am taking Sociology 2, Modern Social Problems. For this class, I am exploring the question: How does “cancel culture” affect efforts toward greater diversity in children’s and Young Adult publishing? Today, I submitted an annotated bibliography.

At CDC: ban on words, or rhetorical technique?

There are “no banned words” at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a series of Tweets by CDC director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald.

Banned Books Week: 2016’s ‘Top 10’

Each year, the last week in September is observed as Banned Books Week, an annual expression of support for “the freedom to seek and express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.”