"Not only does reviewing large numbers of books take away from the work librarians usually do, but in states like Texas where public-sector employees like teachers are prohibited from collective bargaining, librarians are not paid overtime for the work, according to Foote."
#BookBans are just another tactic in the far right's "flood the zone with shit" strategy. It's also tied to their goal of dismantling public institutions.
(Making a few quick notes to expound upon later.)
We were at "Freedom to Read 2024: The Right to Respect with John Ibbitson" talk hosted by OPL last night (https://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/freedom-read-2024-right-respect-john-ibbitson)
He gave an excellent talk. I liked his use as a term "Respect". Respect to the reader or writer in the sense of respecting readers ability to contextualize and respect to the writer by not bowdlerizing or censoring.
He did use the problematic (Oliver Wendell Holmes) "Marketplace of ideas". I liked how Jason Stanley phrased it, but to paraphrase marketplace of ideas only works when people are rational. Bernays has something to say about that. Ibbitson suggested we needed more history education in school. I would counter with we need more critical thinking taught in schools. Unless critical thinking is taught alongside history we will be doomed to repeat.
This benefit sticker supports our Banned Books Back! campaign to return books banned by Duval County Public Schools to kids! All proceeds go to cover postage, packaging materials, printing, and related campaign costs.
Printed by Off Color Decals on high-quality vinyl with eco-solvent inks, this kiss-cut sticker features an adorable antifascist possum illustration by Des. The removable 3" sticker is waterproof and safe for outdoor use. It is also scratch and UV fade resistant for up to 5 years of extreme cuteification of your car, laptop, or water bottle!
We just passed the halfway point of our fundraising goal for Banned Books Back! Moms for Liberty, eat your hearts out! 😏
To recap, our collective received a serendipitous donation of children's books that had been removed from Florida schools as part of an ongoing effort to censor titles depicting queer joy, civil rights history, immigrant stories, and more. Right now, our collective is harboring dozens of boxes of these "dangerous" titles — but not for long. Later this month, we'll be calling on our local community to help package bundles and send these Banned Books... Back!
Thank you so much to the folks who have boosted this effort, including but not limited to Autostraddle, The Washington Post, LGBTQ Nation, so many rad bookseller buddies, and the 270+ folks who've donated. 💓
We've been sitting on something exciting... and we're finally ready to share! In 2023, our focus was on building a new home for Firestorm. Well, our next big project will launch in January, reaching far beyond our local community: with your support, we're going to send thousands of books pulled from schools and classrooms in Duval County, Florida, back to the kids they were intended for!
It's kind of a wild story! Last winter our co-op was unexpectedly entrusted with 22,500 books for grades K-5 that would otherwise have been destroyed. More than half feature queer characters or history, and many revolve around Indigenous, Black, Brown, and Asian protagonists. That's 11,000 pounds of titles that right-wing politicians and small-minded school administrators conspired to keep out of the hands of young folks in one of Florida's most racially diverse counties.
We love giving away free books, but this project is a little complex because we're committed to getting as many of the books as possible to kids in Florida, and Duval County in particular. Packaging and delivering thousands of titles across state lines will take serious resources, so today we're launching a crowdfunding campaign to support the effort. Will you help us?
After being fired for opposing book censorship, three librarians have filed workplace discrimination claims with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Ohio humans, besides voting YES on Issues 1 and 2, we also need to stop the so-called “Moms for Liberty” hate group from infiltrating our school boards. Below is a list of extremist school board candidates
African American books have been disproportionately targeted for a variety of
reasons,which means these books need to be read
Start your own libraries at home.Dont wait until some nobody tells you what you can and can't read
Here's a link to the Books Unbanned program at the Seattle Public Library with detailed information about it, and a quick and easy application for young people 13 to 26 anywhere in the US to get access to the thousands of ebooks and audiobooks at SPL.
The Seattle Public Library's blog has an update on the library's Books Unbanned program with information about the number of young people who have signed up and their quotes about the program.
"Amid all the skirmishes over individual book titles and challenge policies, it's easy to miss the toll it's taking on librarians, kids, and the country.
Jones's case may be more extreme than most, but countless other librarians around the nation who are also feeling the heat are also quitting in droves, leaving libraries short-staffed.
It's all driving up the human, civic, and financial costs embroiled in the battle over books."
"The takeaway here is simple. Books don’t get banned when districts have a well-written policy, when they follow the policy, and when those who make the final decisions read the book." Kelly Jensen
"Why Are Schools in Maine Keeping GENDER QUEER on Shelves, Despite Challenges? A Case Study in What Makes a Difference"
Kelly Jensen digs into multiple challenges in Maine and the answer is surprisingly obvious: "The takeaway here is simple. Books don’t get banned when districts have a well-written policy, when they follow the policy, and when those who make the final decisions read the book."