ALA Council

 
April 22, 2022 - Collated by OIF Staff and News Editor on the Intellectual Freedom Blog

Highlights

• American Library Association Director says book bans aim to 'suppress social change' | WTTW
• New Banned Books Week materials and more debut in spring/summer ALA Graphics catalog
• IFRT awards 2022 Hodges Award to two Tennessee Organizations
• GNCRT seeks information about censorship of comics in schools and libraries

Censorship

• Censorship battles' new frontier: Your public library | Washington Post
• How Ron DeSantis could wind up dictating your kids' textbooks | Time
  • Florida rejects math books with 'references' to critical race theory | Washington Post
  • Florida schools grapple with questions after state rejects historic number of math books | Palm Beach Post
• Central Bucks students say district killed production of musical 'Rent' | Philadelphia Inquirer
• Salem-Keizer denies request to ban anti-racism book 'Stamped (for Kids)' | Salem Statesman Journal
• Some N.J. schools under siege from those trying to get books on race, LGBTQ+ pulled from shelves | NJ.com
• Library book selection discussion continues | Webster-Kirkwood Times (MO)
• Canyon ISD discusses new TEA guidelines for evaluating, removing books in school libraries | Amarillo Globe-News (TX)
• McKinney mayor pushes back against efforts to ban books | Spectrum News 1 (TX)
• 58 books removed from Walton County School's libraries causes controversy | WJHG (FL)
  • Outlander and Normal People among 58 books 'banned' by Florida's Walton County | National
• School board debates the use of 'detrimental' book in new middle school class | Suffolk News-Herald
• Oklahoma library cancels adult romance book club after board bans sexual content | The Week
• Shawnee Heights among Kansas school districts divided on debate to ban 'inappropriate' library books | Topeka Capital-Journal
• Florida school district removes Call Me Max and I Am Jazz from libraries | National Coalition Against Censorship
• Judging a book by its cover: School board declines to approve controversial social studies textbook | Williamsburg Yorktown Daily (VA)
• School board approves 4 of 11 math textbooks after DeSantis' crackdown on critical race theory | Gainesville Sun (FL)
• Library board must vote again on some items, revise bylaws to comply with state Open Meetings law | Acadiana Advocate (LA)
• Lafayette library won't remove Hollywood sexual liaisons DVD, will require ID to borrow it | Daily Advertiser (LA)
• 'Everywhere Babies,' a picture book celebrating infants, just got banned | Washington Post
• After some parents raise concerns, Madison County Schools places books in 'restricted circulation' Mississippi Today
• ACLU demands Houston-area school districts to stop removing books and apologize to students | Houston Chronicle
• Controversial book under review | Suffolk County News (NY)

Privacy & Cybersecurity

More privacy news is available at the Voices for Privacy blog.

First Amendment, Free Speech, & Civil Liberties

• ACLU lawyer on the fight against Kentucky's new anti-abortion law | NPR
• Shawnee State pays professor $400,000 in First Amendment case | Highland County Press

Academic Freedom & Campus Speech

• After 'Drag Queen Story Hour,' OSU president says 'We will use this occasion to consider our policies' | OCPA (OK)
• Florida governor signs bill requiring colleges and universities to change accreditors | Insight into Diversity

Legislation

• Missouri Legislative Black Caucus blasts effort to censor Black History | KPVI News
• 4 states moved to restrict abortion access this week | WDJT
• Local library directors concerned over new Kentucky bill | WCHS
• Kansas gov. Laura Kelly rejects 'parents bill of rights' amid school curriculum debate | Topeka Capital-Journal
• Missouri house passes bill on race, parents' roles in school | KY3/AP

Net Neutrality & Broadband Access

• Midterm politicking comes for Biden's stalled tech nominee | Politico
• U.S. appeals court will not reconsider California net neutrality ruling | Reuters

Social Media

• Former Reddit CEO says if Elon Musk takes over Twitter he's 'in for a world of pain' and will be 'forced to censor things' due to difficulty of enforcing free speech | Business Insider

Information Literacy & Disinformation

• Three Russians charged in alleged disinformation scheme that targeted U.S. lawmakers | NBC News
• How Russian media uses Fox News to make its case | New York Times
• For Russian diplomats, disinformation is part of the job | KOB4

International News

• Why did Durham's school board remove this Indigenous children's book from its libraries? | Toronto Star
• Web3 tech helps banned books on piracy site Library Genesis slip through the Great Firewall's cracks, but for how long? | South China Morning Post
• 'Systematic censorship' of Palestinian content on social media alarms many | Jordan Times
• Biff, Chip and Kipper book accused online of 'racist' depiction of the Middle East | Middle East Eye
• China internet censors scramble as lockdown frustration sparks 'creative' wave of dissent | Guardian

Around the Web

• Alexandria superintendent weighs in on CRT debate, calls for ending policing in schools | WJLA (VA)
• Students rally in response to Fairfax schools superintendent selection process | WDVM (VA)
• Two high school students who fought a book ban and won are featured at Penn TEDx conference | Philadelphia Inquirer
• Michigan Democrat blasts GOP 'groomer' slurs and school censorship efforts in powerful speech: 'We will not let hate win' | Independent
• Public libraries unwittingly offered 'hate' books through a private service | WGBH
• Far-right campaigns targeting anti-racist education aren't as grassroots as they appear | Prism Reports
• Florida Gov. DeSantis wants Disney to face his 'censorship' law | Protocol
• Ron DeSantis has taken Trump's playbook -- and made it much more dangerous | NBC News

ALA News

• New ALA endowment honoring Satia Marshall Orange to benefit Spectrum Scholarship Program
• Comedian, actress, and author Tiffany Haddish will present at the 2022 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition in Washington, D.C.
• Deborah Doyle elected 2023-2024 United for Libraries president
• Libraries, museums, archives celebrate Preservation Week, April 24-30
• Sonia Alcántara-Antoine named PLA 2023-2024 president
• Call Number podcast from American Libraries returns with new episodes and new host
• Jonda C. McNair elected ALSC vice-president/president-elect

eLearning

• Preparing for Your First (or Next) Job webinar to be held April 27
• United for Libraries Learning Live on May 10 to focus on 'Libraries Build Business'
• Project Management in Libraries
• Tools for Locating Primary Sources in Archives and Online
• Design and Marketing for Libraries Webinar
• More eLearning opportunites

Publishing

• Save 50% on more than 400 products during the ALA Store Spring Sale

Awards & Grants

• ALA Announces 2022 L. Ray Patterson Award Winner James G. Neal
• Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada receives 2022 Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award
• Woodside High School receives AASL Inspire Special Event Grant
• North Davidson Middle School receives AASL Inspire Special Event Grant
• Mayo High School for Math, Science, and Technology receives AASL Inspire Special Event Grant
• Mayde Creek High School receives AASL Inspire Special Event Grant
• Madison Area Memorial High School receives AASL Inspire Special Event Grant
• Apply to host the 2023 Children's Literature Lecture with Bryan Collier
• "Asian American History IS American History" receives AASL Roald Dahl's Miss Honey Social Justice Award
• Dr. Kenneth A. Yamashita receives the 2022 Joseph W. Lippincott Award

More ALA News

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