Good morning, it's been a couple of weeks now -- is there any more information on the questions I asked? All are important questions to me but in particular the question about the donations going into an unrestricted fund is one I've now been asked. If someone donates through the Unite Against Book Bans site what assurance is there that their donation will be used on this campaign?
Thank you,
Eileen
-- Eileen M. Palmer Executive Director Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium NJLA Chapter Councilor to the ALA 27 Mayfield Ave. Edison, NJ 08837 (732) 750-2525 ext. 103 (732) 225-0910 (fax) empalmer@lmxac.org
On 4/5/2022 11:38 AM, Eileen Palmer via ALA Connect wrote:
0100017ffa60e6c0-dc08fb66-e31f-49b3-ac9a-46f45fdbeed8-000000@email.amazonses.com"> Thank you Peter. I did see President Wong's email yesterday and some other messages promoting this site. We certainly need as many resources as...
Re: Fwd: National Library Week kicks off with State of America's Libraries Report, annual 'Top 10 Most Challenged Books' list and a new campaign to fight book bans | | | Thank you Peter. I did see President Wong's email yesterday and some other messages promoting this site. We certainly need as many resources as possible on issues around censorship, intellectual freedom and, I think, academic freedom.
I'm sure I am not the only one who has joined several new coalitions over the last 6 months or so that have formed on state and national levels around issues of censorship and intellectual freedom (in addition to those I've been a member of over the years). But I am starting to get confused about what each of these different groups will be doing and how/if they will work together. And, to be honest, where to devote my not unlimited available funds.
Hopefully Council can get an update/report from ALA leadership or staff that addresses questions like:
- What is the specific mission and scope of United Against Book Bans? Is it a rebranding of current activities under the OIF and IFC or will it include additional activities, goals, actions, etc.?
- If the scope is broader than our current activities -- what funding has been allocated to support the broader scope?
- Does ALA have partners from the many coalitions it works with on these issues that are endorsing this effort?
- This site encourages donations but I see that the donations are to the 21st Century Fund which I believe is an unrestricted fund. Will we be tracking donations that come in via this site and allocating them to support IF or will they be unrestricted as the fund implies?
I look forward to learning more about this effort and sharing that information with my colleagues in NJ.
Eileen Palmer
------------------------------ Eileen M. Palmer Executive Director LMxAC Libraries of Middlesex NJLA Chapter Councilor empalmer@lmxac.org ------------------------------ | | Forward |
Original Message: Sent: Apr 04, 2022 02:58 PM | |
| |
Original Message:
Sent: 4/5/2022 11:39:00 AM
From: Eileen Palmer
Subject: RE: Fwd: National Library Week kicks off with State of America's Libraries Report, annual 'Top 10 Most Challenged Books' list and a new campaign to fight book bans
Thank you Peter. I did see President Wong's email yesterday and some other messages promoting this site. We certainly need as many resources as possible on issues around censorship, intellectual freedom and, I think, academic freedom.
I'm sure I am not the only one who has joined several new coalitions over the last 6 months or so that have formed on state and national levels around issues of censorship and intellectual freedom (in addition to those I've been a member of over the years). But I am starting to get confused about what each of these different groups will be doing and how/if they will work together. And, to be honest, where to devote my not unlimited available funds.
Hopefully Council can get an update/report from ALA leadership or staff that addresses questions like:
- What is the specific mission and scope of United Against Book Bans? Is it a rebranding of current activities under the OIF and IFC or will it include additional activities, goals, actions, etc.?
- If the scope is broader than our current activities -- what funding has been allocated to support the broader scope?
- Does ALA have partners from the many coalitions it works with on these issues that are endorsing this effort?
- This site encourages donations but I see that the donations are to the 21st Century Fund which I believe is an unrestricted fund. Will we be tracking donations that come in via this site and allocating them to support IF or will they be unrestricted as the fund implies?
I look forward to learning more about this effort and sharing that information with my colleagues in NJ.
Eileen Palmer
------------------------------
Eileen M. Palmer
Executive Director
LMxAC Libraries of Middlesex
NJLA Chapter Councilor
empalmer@lmxac.org------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: Apr 04, 2022 02:58 PM
From: Peter Coyl
Subject: Fwd: National Library Week kicks off with State of America's Libraries Report, annual 'Top 10 Most Challenged Books' list and a new campaign to fight book bans
Eileen:
More information is forthcoming from ALA President Patty Wong. Stay tuned!
Peter
Original Message:
Sent: 4/4/2022 1:42:00 PM
From: Eileen Palmer
Subject: RE: Fwd: National Library Week kicks off with State of America's Libraries Report, annual 'Top 10 Most Challenged Books' list and a new campaign to fight book bans
Thank you Peter. Could we please have some more information about unitedagainstbookbans.org? The information in the press release is very vague and the signup page does not have much more information. Is there a statement that describes the scope of this effort, its goals and its resources?
Eileen Palmer
------------------------------
Eileen M. Palmer
Executive Director
LMxAC Libraries of Middlesex
NJLA Chapter Councilor
empalmer@lmxac.orgOriginal Message:
Sent: Apr 04, 2022 12:08 PM
From: Peter Coyl
Subject: Fwd: National Library Week kicks off with State of America's Libraries Report, annual 'Top 10 Most Challenged Books' list and a new campaign to fight book bans
Colleagues:
I am pleased to share the following information from the Office For Intellectual Freedom as National Library Week kicks off.
The top 10 challenged books form 2021 are showcased, 50% of which are books related to the LGBTQ+ experience, and a large portion of the books are by non-white authors. OIF has fielded over 700 challenges in the past year.
I encourage you to sign up for the Unite Against Book Bans efforts as we seek to keep information and books available to all.
Peter
Peter D. Coyl, MLIS (he/him)
Library Director & CEO | Sacramento Public Library
ALA Councilor | Intellectual Freedom Round Table
Member | ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee
Vice President & Trustee | Freedom to Read Foundation
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From:
Kristin Pekoll via ALA Connect <Mail@connectedcommunity.org>Date: Mon, Apr 4, 2022 at 8:37 AM
Subject: Intellectual Freedom Committee Community : National Library Week kicks off with State of America's Libraries Report, annual 'Top 10 Most Challenged Books' list and a new campaign to fight book bans
To: <
peterdcoyl@gmail.com>
National Library Week kicks off with State of America's Libraries Report, annual 'Top 10 Most Challenged Books' list and a new campaign to fight book bans | | | Press Release: www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2022/04/... State of America's Libraries Report 2022 Promotional Tools: www.ala.org/news/... Retweet: twitter.com/ALALibrary/status/1511002156429680646 National Library Week kicks off with State of America's Libraries Report, annual 'Top 10 Most Challenged Books' list and a new campaign to fight book bans Book challenges top 700 – the most since 2000 CHICAGO -The American Library Association (ALA) kicks off National Library Week with the release of its State of America's Libraries Report, highlighting the challenges U.S. libraries faced in the second year of the pandemic – as well as the ways they innovated to meet the needs of their communities. Library staff in every state faced an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 729 challenges to library, school and university materials and services in 2021, resulting in more than 1,597 individual book challenges or removals. Most targeted books were by or about Black or LGBTQIA+ persons. "The 729 challenges tracked by ALA represent the highest number of attempted book bans since we began compiling these lists 20 years ago," said ALA President Patricia "Patty" Wong. "We support individual parents' choices concerning their child's reading and believe that parents should not have those choices dictated by others. Young people need to have access to a variety of books from which they can learn about different perspectives. So, despite this organized effort to ban books, libraries remain ready to do what we always have: make knowledge and ideas available so people are free to choose what to read." Below are the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021: - "Gender Queer," by Maia Kobabe
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images. - "Lawn Boy," by Jonathan Evison
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit. - "All Boys Aren't Blue," by George M. Johnson
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit. - "Out of Darkness," by Ashley Hope Perez
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit. - "The Hate U Give," by Angie Thomas
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, violence, and because it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda. - "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and use of a derogatory term. - "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," by Jesse Andrews
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women. - "The Bluest Eye," by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit. - "This Book is Gay," by Juno Dawson
Reasons: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content. - "Beyond Magenta," by Susan Kuklin
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit. Recent polling shows that seven in 10 voters oppose efforts to remove books from public libraries, including majorities of voters across party lines. Three-quarters of parents of public-school children (74%) express a high degree of confidence in school librarians to make good decisions about which books to make available to children, and when asked about specific types of books that have been a focus of local debates, large majorities say for each that they should be available in school libraries on an age-appropriate basis. The new poll is the first to approach the issue of book bans through the lenses of public and school libraries. It also found near-universal high regard for librarians and recognition of the critical role that public and school libraries play in their communities. In response to the uptick in book challenges and other efforts to suppress access to information, ALA will launch Unite Against Book Bans, a national initiative focused on empowering readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship. More information is available at uniteagainstbookbans.org. Kristin Kristin Pekoll, CAE Assistant Director Office for Intellectual Freedom ALAAmericanLibraryAssociation 225 N Michigan Ave, Suite 1300, Chicago, IL 60601 312.280.4221 Beyond Banned Books: Defending Intellectual Freedom throughout Your Library By Kristin Pekoll – Available Now at the ALA Store | | Forward |
| |