The Week in Libraries: May 31, 2024

Among the week's headlines: outgoing ALA president Emily Drabinksi hits the road ahead of the ALA Annual Conference; book bans in Tennessee are poised to get more complicated as a new statewide commission begins work; and the Louisiana state senate passes a bill giving politicians control over library boards.

New DPLA Campaign to Feature ‘Banned Book of the Week’

The effort will feature a banned book every Wednesday on DPLA’s social media accounts. Last year, the group launched its Banned Book Club, a program that uses GPS-based “geo-targeting” to enable readers to check out e-book versions of banned books via an e-reader app.

Former Louisiana Library Trustees Sue to Get Positions Back

Amid an ongoing battle over book banning, the ousted board members are suing St. Tammany Parish claiming they are victims of a “smear campaign that vilified them, and sought and achieved their ouster.”

Bill Protecting Libraries, Librarians Passes Illinois House, Heads for Senate

House Bill 4567 expands protections for libraries and library workers by making those threaten libraries with violence subject to the same enhanced penalties as individuals who threaten schools. The measure also creates a grant program to support improved library security.

Breaking Down Barriers to Library Circulation

The Week in Libraries: May 17, 2024

Among the week's headlines: ALA reports that library advocates stepped up for federal library funding; Alabama passes new rules for public libraries; and librarians in Montana pulled off an ice cold protest against the state library commission.

Librarians, Advocates Sue to Block Restrictive New Alabama Library Policies

The suit comes amid a months-long drama which saw allies of a right-wing group take over the library board and abruptly fire the library director. “This is about who should get to decide what books our kids get to read—parents or politicians,” said Angie Hayden of Read Freely Alabama, one of the lead plaintiffs, in a statement.

The Week in Libraries: May 10, 2024

Among the headlines this week: John Oliver weighs in on book bans and libraries (and so do his viewers); more library drama in Alabama; and how to prepare for Pride month.

The Week in Libraries: May 3, 2024

Advocacy efforts for federal library funding shift to the Senate, a librarian has joined the Democratic gubernatorial ticket in Utah, 'Library Journal' has named its 2024 class of Movers & Shakers, and more in this week's library news.

The Week in Libraries: April 26, 2024

Among the week's headlines: a deadline looms for federal library funding; the FCC votes to restore net neutrality rules; Maryland passes a law designed to discourage book bans; and why Alabama librarians are feeling exhausted.