By Kara Yorio

Samuels, the former Katy (TX) ISD student who led the student protests against censorship, talks about the fight for intellectual freedom and what Banned Books Week means to them.

Amid threats and hate-fueled protests, performers and allies remain committed to the program.

The National Center for Education Statistics study of COVID's effect revealed a significant drop in reading and math scores for 9-year-olds. Lower-performing students saw the steepest decline.

Westerberg doesn't know if being outspoken in her advocacy for educators and school libraries factored into her dismissal, but the end result is the same: more Chicago kids without a certified school librarian in their building.

The Louisiana librarian is taking her harassers to court. 

Collier County, FL, has added a "parent advisory" notice to more than 100 books in school libraries, and more LGBTQIA+ titles are being removed from districts across the country in the latest Censorship Roundup.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is ready to go to court against school boards and districts taking books off the shelves, but they need high schoolers to lead the way.

Amid continued attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community, an ALA Annual panel of library leaders offered advice on how to create an inclusive and safe space for staff and patrons, as well as handle angry patrons or threats to the library and staff.

Overall, “joy and celebration” prevailed at the event, the first in-person ALA conference since 2020.