Public Libraries

Saturday is Freedom to Read Day of Action; New Jersey State Library receives IMLS grant for information literacy initiative; Scholastic reveals next "The Hunger Games" cover; and more in News Bites.

After a challenge, Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Linda Coombs was moved to fiction at the Montgomery County (TX) libraries; Kokila won't back down from its mission to empower children and publish diverse titles; and more news.

Penguin Random House has a lobbyist; NYU studies impact of book bans; South Carolina district removes Assassination Classroom; and more.

The new California law prohibits public libraries from banning books based on "race, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, or political affiliation of a book’s subject, author, or intended audience"; New Jersey legislators move "Freedom to Read Act" forward; and more. 

Documents show the high cost of book challenges and legal battles over censorship in Utah and Florida school districts; challenged books stay on shelves in Watertown, NY, and Buncombe County, NC; and more.

Banned Books Week 2024 is about raising awareness and taking action. Here are some events, resources, and ways to get involved in the fight against censorship.

And Tango Makes Three is one of three dozen books that will be back on school shelves in Nassau County, FL, thanks to a settlement of a lawsuit against the district. Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed against a Texas public library is headed to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

With rampant book banning in the U.S., the ILA has updated its guide, Advocating for Children's Right to Read, with action items for stakeholders, from teachers and school and public librarians, to administrators and policy makers.

The censorship-related legal battles continue as Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Club, Harper Collins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, The Authors Guild, Julia Alvarez, John Green, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jodi Picoult, and Angie Thomas sue Florida; and the Department of Justice files a brief in support of the lawsuit against the Cobb County (GA) School District.