By SLJ Staff

The American Library Association recorded 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since the organization began compiling the data more than 20 years ago.

SLJ is crowdsourcing interview questions for Reynolds, the 2023 winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award, to answer in a live Instagram event on Thursday, March 30 at 3 p.m. What do you want to ask him?

The fight against censorship attempts and book banning continues. Here are some of the latest stories from Florida, Utah, Virginia, Michigan, and Connecticut.

The American Library Association offers a special fund for librarians whose jobs have been threatened or lost because they have fought against censorship; 'Olivia' author Ian Falconer dies at 63; Ezra Jack Keats Awards announced; and more in this edition of News Bites.

Amid harmful library legislation across the country, the Illinois secretary of state proposed a law that would punish schools and libraries that ban books. Meanwhile, news from Virginia, Ohio, Utah, and Arizona is not as book-positive.

Announcing the decision to appeal, Jones said she is "committed to going the distance and fighting for my right to a fair trial against those who have sought to destroy my good name."

Governor Ron DeSantis accuses critics of creating a false narrative around school book removal in Florida; parents want books pulled in Maine; and news from South Carolina, Tennessee, and Iowa.

Laurie Halse Anderson is the 2023 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award laureate; People includes Carolyn Foote and Becky Calzada on its list of "Women Changing the World," and more in this edition of News Bites.

A roundup of recent book challenge efforts and news on the fight for intellectual freedom from Alaska, Pennsylvania, and Missouri.