Censorship

In a big victory in the fight for intellectual freedom and access to books in school libraries, the majority of candidates backed by pro-censorship organizations like Moms for Liberty lost their school board races in Texas on Saturday.

The Republican governor of North Dakota said no to legislation he called redundant and misguided; Texas legislators want to dictate where books are in bookstores; students and librarians continue to fight book bans across the country.

Book access and other restrictions on libraries and library values remain top of mind for readers. So too, practical posts toward serving library patrons, with creative ideas for staging a crime investigation to teach research skills and preserving family recipes getting the most views on SLJ.com.

The bare breast of Roman goddess Virtus on the Virginia state flag means kids in Lamar, TX, can't access lessons about Virginia on PebbleGo Next; Oklahoma teacher who gave kids QR code for Brooklyn Public Library's Banned Books collection loses defamation suit; and a military mom explains why her children are part of the lawsuit against Department of Defense schools.

Twelve students are suing the Department of Education Activity—the federal school system that runs schools for children of U.S. military members—and the Secretary of Defense for the removal of books from school libraries; Mississippi has removed race and gender databases accessed by public schools and libraries; and more.

Readers responded to our coverage of a North Carolina bill, which could bring criminal charges against librarians over "material that is harmful to minors"—and much more. 

PEN America, the National Education Association, and student advocacy organization SEAT are among those who have filed amicus briefs in support of the school district in the upcoming Supreme Court case; Harry Lerner has died; applications open for Banned Books Week programming grants; and more.

The American Library Association released its data on 2024 censorship attempts, but don't let the lower numbers fool you. The strategy may have changed, but the organized efforts to remove books from shelves remains.

In the latest censorship legislation tracker, North Carolina moves to charge librarians with a Class 1 misdemeanor, and a Florida bill seeks to make it easier to remove books and punish schools, while Nevada and Colorado legislators take steps to protect collections.