Kara Yorio

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.

The ALA community was elated to be face-to-face again, talking about issues that matter to the industry. Comments made during a Unite Against Book Bans panel set off a Twitter firestorm that laid bare the emotion and complexities of the censorship discussion.

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

School librarians await the interpretation of three new laws that will impact what and how they teach as Florida Freedom to Read Project founders fight for books to stay on the shelves.

The Uvalde shooting reignited the debate to allow educators to carry weapons in school. The new law signed this week by Governor Mike DeWine makes educators and staff eligible to carry weapons on campus with much less training than previously required.