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LibrariesThe Week in Libraries: July 14, 2023
Among the week's headlines: The Montana State Library Commission pulls out of the ALA; Republican North Carolina lawmakers introduce a 'frightening' new parental rights bill; and a sprawling exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library celebrates the life and work of Jay-Z.
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Publisher News
Lawsuit Challenges Montana's Sweeping New Ban on Drag Performances
In a July 7 filing, the plaintiffs, including a local bookseller, said that the new law is "motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ animus” and imposes an “unconstitutional content and viewpoint-based restriction” on free speech.
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Libraries
The Week in Libraries: July 7, 2023
Among the week's headlines: Emily Amick (@emilyinyourphone) on why books bans are about more than books; why a new Texas law is a nightmare for publishers and book vendors; and the Queens Public Library celebrates 50 years of hip hop with a new library card.
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Libraries
The Week in Libraries: June 30, 2023
Among the week's headlines: a resurgent ALA Annual Conference closes in Chicago; a Georgia teacher is fired for reading an inclusive book to her students; how libraries are catering to remote workers; and New York City libraries are spared from budget cuts.
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Publisher News
New Press Urges Appeals Court to Uphold Block on Florida’s Stop W.O.K.E. Act
In a filing this week, lawyers for The New Press argued that the controversial Florida law, a centerpiece of governor Ron DeSantis's legislative agenda, “wears its prejudice on its sleeve.”
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Industry News
ALA 2023: Gorman and Robinson Tell Librarians, 'It's Okay to Be Sad'
ALA 2023 wrapped up Tuesday with an uplifting keynote featuring poet Amanda Gorman and children's book illustrator Christian Robinson, who discussed how people can harness their grief to effect change in the world.
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Libraries
ALA 2023: Experts and Allies Supply Librarians with Information and Tools to Fight Censorship
The professional program at the 2023 ALA Annual Conference was packed with information to help librarians and advocates battle book bans and other challenges to the freedom to read.
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Libraries
ALA 2023: Judy Blume Offers a Rousing Defense of the Freedom to Read
Keynoting a resurgent ALA Annual Conference, the author talked about her experiences with book banning in the 1980s and thanked librarians for their ardent defense of banned books.
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Libraries
ALA, AAP Reaffirm Landmark Freedom to Read Statement on 70th Anniversary
First adopted in 1953, the reaffirmation this week comes amid an unprecedented surge in book challenges and legislative attacks on the freedom to read.
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Libraries
The Week in Libraries: June 23, 2023
Among the week's headlines: The ALA Annual Conference kicks off in Chicago with a rally in defense of the freedom to read; EveryLibrary issues a sobering report on state legislation threatening libraries; and how one Missouri library is grappling with a new state rule governing allegedly 'inappropriate' library materials.
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Libraries
Freedom Fighters: Ibram X. Kendi Kicks Off ALA 2023 with a Powerful Message to Librarians
The ALA’s first-ever Rally for the Right to Read featured librarians and advocates speaking of the need to fight censorship and a keynote from author Ibram X. Kendi, who praised librarians as modern-day freedom fighters.
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Libraries
The Week in Libraries: June 16, 2023
Among the week's headlines: Illinois governor JB Pritzker signs a law to discourage book bans; Texas governor Greg Abbott signs a law that will encourage book bans; a school board in Missouri may use a new state law to ban Art Spiegelman's 'Maus'; and Zain Khalid wins the NYPL's Young Lions Fiction Award.
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Libraries
Illinois Governor Signs Landmark Law to Discourage Book Bans in Libraries
The new law, signed by Illinois governor JB Pritzker on June 12, conditions state grant funding for libraries on adopting the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights or a written policy that would enshrine the freedom to read.
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Libraries
The Week in Libraries: Archive 2023
An annual archive of PW's library column "The Week in Libraries," updated weekly.
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Libraries
The Week in Libraries: June 9, 2023
Among the week's headlines: the Fifth Circuit hears a closely-watched book banning case; Louisiana passes a 'harmful to minors' law for library books; legal action over a flawed New York City library design; and California expands its partnership with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.
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Libraries
ALA 2023: Judy Blume, Amanda Gorman to Headline 2023 ALA Annual Conference
Great speakers and a strong slate of educational programming await the library community at the 2023 ALA Annual Conference, set for June 22–27 in Chicago.
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Libraries
ALA 2023: Program Picks for Dealing with Book Bans
This year’s conference features an especially strong lineup of programs responding to the ongoing nationwide surge in book bans and legislative challenges to the freedom to read.
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Libraries
ALA 2023: Behind the Book Bans
PW talks to author and iSchool professor Emily Knox about how book banning has changed in just a few short years—and, perhaps most importantly, why it’s changed.
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Libraries
ALA 2023: Chicago Public Library Celebrates 150th Anniversary
One of the highlights for those attending the 2023 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago will be the Chicago Public Library’s 150th anniversary festivities, which will kick off with a citywide celebration on June 10 and continue throughout the rest of 2023.
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Libraries
White House Announces New Position to Combat Book Bans
In honor of Pride Month, the White House has announced a set of actions designed to protect LGBTQIA+ communities, including the appointment of a new coordinator within the Department of Education to facilitate a response to the rising number of book bans at the state level.
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