Public Libraries

The author of the most challenged book in the country praises librarians and calls on people to support them; Alabama governor questions whether public libraries are family-friendly; South Carolina Board of Education severs ties with South Carolina Association of School Librarians; and more.

Tips for engaging young kids with these works, which can build visual literacy and foster social-emotional skills, plus a video demonstration. 

Books were removed in Texas, Florida, and Tennessee, but libraries in Colorado and Maine retained challenged titles. Plus, Rutherford County, TN, may change library cards to keep limit access for minors, and updates on the lawsuit over And Tango Makes Three and a fight in Iowa over Friday Night Lights.

The anniversary of women gaining the right to vote is a good time to revisit resources and offer titles that teach not only about the suffrage movement, but the women who continued the fight for equal pay, education, and more.

From reading people's thoughts to appearing as reincarnated humans, these cat characters have strong appeal. 

In Saline County, AR, a judge can now hire and fire the county’s public librarians; authors discuss having their books pulled from shelves; Illinois libraries face bomb threats; and more. 

Suggest these age-appropriate titles to those wanting to learn more about the Manhattan Project and the devastating legacy of the bomb it produced.

Booktalks are brief, in this case uber-brief, pitches to “sell” young readers on a given title. We invite readers to give it a shot, submit a stellar video booktalk for potential publication on SLJ.com and our social channels.

An Iowa school district asked ChatGPT to find books in its collection that had sexual content, Fort Worth ISD closes libraries for inventory after board removes three titles, "Heartstopper" books pulled in Mississippi, and John Green's 'Fault in Our Stars' may return to YA section in Indiana.