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  • 1.  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

    Posted Apr 04, 2022 12:08 PM
    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>


    Press Release: www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2022/04/... State of America's Libraries Report 2022 Promotional Tools: www.ala.org/news/... ... -posted to the "Intellectual Freedom Committee Community" community
    American Library Association

    Intellectual Freedom Committee Community

    Post New Message
    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
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    Apr 4, 2022 10:38 AM
    Kristin Pekoll

    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:
     

    1. "Gender Queer," by Maia Kobabe
      Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images.
    1. "Lawn Boy," by Jonathan Evison
      Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.
    1. "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.
    1. "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.
    1. "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.
    1. "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.
    1. "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," by Jesse Andrews
      Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women.   
    1. "The Bluest Eye," by Toni Morrison
      Reasons: Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit.  
    1. "This Book is Gay," by Juno Dawson
      Reasons: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content.
    1. "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  



     
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  • 2.  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

    Posted Apr 04, 2022 12:42 PM
    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.org
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  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

    Posted Apr 04, 2022 02:59 PM
    Eileen:

    More information is forthcoming from ALA President Patty Wong.  Stay tuned!

    Peter





  • 4.  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

    Posted Apr 05, 2022 10:39 AM
    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
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  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

    Posted Apr 19, 2022 07:55 AM

    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...
    American Library Association

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    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
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    Apr 5, 2022 10:39 AM
    Eileen Palmer
    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  




     
    You are subscribed to "ALA Council" as empalmer@lmxac.org. To change your subscriptions, go to My Subscriptions. To unsubscribe from this community discussion, go to Unsubscribe.



    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.org

    Original 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>


    Press Release: www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2022/04/... State of America's Libraries Report 2022 Promotional Tools: www.ala.org/news/... ... -posted to the "Intellectual Freedom Committee Community" community
    American Library Association

    Intellectual Freedom Committee Community

    Post New Message
    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
    Email a reply to the discussion Send a private message via email
    Apr 4, 2022 10:38 AM
    Kristin Pekoll

    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:
     

    1. "Gender Queer," by Maia Kobabe
      Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images.
    1. "Lawn Boy," by Jonathan Evison
      Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.
    1. "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.
    1. "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.
    1. "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.
    1. "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.
    1. "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," by Jesse Andrews
      Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women.   
    1. "The Bluest Eye," by Toni Morrison
      Reasons: Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit.  
    1. "This Book is Gay," by Juno Dawson
      Reasons: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content.
    1. "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  



     
    You are subscribed to "Intellectual Freedom Committee Community" as peterdcoyl@gmail.com. To change your subscriptions, go to My Subscriptions. To unsubscribe from this community discussion, go to Unsubscribe.





  • 6.  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

    Posted Apr 20, 2022 10:53 AM

    This message is being sent on behalf of Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Director, ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom and Megan Murray Cusick, Deputy Director of State Advocacy, ALA's Public Policy and Advocacy Office

    Hello, Eileen.

    Thanks for your feedback and questions. 

    Unite Against Book Bans is a national, grassroots initiative designed to defeat the well-funded, organized national censorship campaign that is being waged against our colleagues in our public schools and libraries.

    While ALA's tools and resources will continue to serve library professionals and veteran library advocates, Unite Against Book Bans will equip and empower members of the public to speak out against and take action to defeat censorship in their own communities and states.

    What differentiates Unite Against Book Bans from other efforts underway?

    • The campaign is research-driven, developed based on understandings gathered from voters and parents across demographic groups, geographic boundaries, and the political spectrum.
    • The campaign is singularly focused on attempts to censor materials through challenges, policy changes, and legislation. This enables us to connect with groups that may differ with us on other issues but agree with our position that book bans harm communities.
    • As the national voice for libraries, ALA has been speaking out against censorship for decades; and tracking censorship data, providing direct support to library workers, advancing thought leadership, and building subject matter expertise on protecting users' intellectual freedom and access to information for the entire library ecosystem. 
    • In addition to serving the needs of our members, ALA has longstanding relationships with allied organizations that want to work with us.
    • This is a big tent campaign that will leverage the work and strength of partners-in education, humanities, publishing, civil liberties, civil rights, etc.-as well as support some of the fantastic work being done at the state and local level. 

    We hear your concerns and we've heard from others, as well. We're in the process of changing the donation option from a contribution to the ALA general fund to a donation specifically for this campaign. The work being done to defeat censorship cuts across ALA, but we understand the desire for contributions to be very clearly earmarked for this campaign.

    We welcome your continued feedback.

    Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Director, ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom

    Megan Murray Cusick, Deputy Director of State Advocacy, ALA's Public Policy and Advocacy Office



    ------------------------------
    Marsha P. Burgess
    Council Secretariat
    American Library Association
    mburgess@ala.org
    (312) 280-3204
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  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

    Posted Apr 20, 2022 12:45 PM

    Thanks you, Deborah and Marsha for sharing this information with us.

    Sara D.

     

    Sara Dallas

    Director

    Southern Adirondack Library System

    22 Whitney Place

    Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

     

    518-584-7300 ext 205

    518-859-0742 (cell)

    www.sals.edu

     

     

    Freedom to Read Foundation Executive Board Member

    ALA Committee on Legislation

    ALA Councilor At Large

    LeRoy Merritt Foundation – Board of Trustees

    Capital District Library Council – Board of Directors

    Albany Public Library (NY) – Board of Trustees

    ALA Core Values Task Force – Chair

    ALA Executive Board Member – July 2022-June 2025

     

     

     

    If you believe you have received this message in error or do not wish to receive this information via email, please reply to this message.
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