An annual archive of PW column The Week in Libraries, updated weekly.
The Week in Libraries: March 17, 2023: Federal library funding hangs in the balance as the 2024 budget process ramps up; Arkansas passes a controversial bill aimed at restricting libraries; a Michigan prosecutor threatens to charge a local library director for refusing to pull Maia Kobabe's 'Gender Queer' from the collection; and the Copyright Office weighs in again on AI authored works.
The Week in Libraries: March 10, 2023: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis claims book banning is a media hoax; Illinois goes on the offense to protect the freedom to read; and a new poll suggests that the Right's 'war on woke' might not be an effective political strategy
The Week in Libraries: March 3, 2023: A look at libraries some three years after the Covid-19 pandemic began; how the right wing culture war playing out in many communities has led to some librarians living in fear; the St. Paul Public Library's 'Read Brave' program enters its 10th year; and Connecticut revises its proposed library e-book bill.
The Week in Libraries: February 24, 2023: Amid criticism, Puffin revises its plan to soften some of the language in Roald Dahl's classic works; North Dakota passes a new law that would ban sexually explicit materials in public libraries; and Library Futures releases a policy paper on digital ownership.
The Week in Libraries: February 17, 2023: PEN America reports that 'educational censorship' bills are continuing to spread nationwide; the Utah Library Association delivers a powerful statement on censorship; and registration is now open for the 2023 ALA Annual Conference, set for June 22-27 in Chicago.
The Week in Libraries: February 10, 2023: The Colorado Civil Rights Division rules that a librarian who objected to censorship efforts in her library was illegally terminated; more on the College Board's questionable interactions with Florida officials; ‘Library Journal’ releases its annual budget survey report; and Hawaii introduces a new library e-book bill.
The Week in Libraries: February 3, 2023: The ALA's first in-person LibLearnX is in the books; Book bans (and Florida) stay in the news; and the Urban Library Council releases a white paper addressing food insecurity in our communities.
The Week in Libraries: January 27, 2023: The American Library Association gets a massive grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to address key issues in libraries; Florida librarians and educators struggle with pernicious new 'parental rights' laws; and two more states introduce new library e-book bills.
The Week in Libraries: January 20, 2023: Eight states so far have new bills in 2023 seeking to expose librarians and educators to criminal prosecution for obscenity violations; why a bestselling author with a new kids' book was barred from speaking at a Texas school; and the first new state e-book bill of 2023 is introduced.
The Week in Libraries: January 13, 2023: A new study looks at the chilling effect of book bans on new book purchases; author George M. Johnson reflects on being targeted by book banners; new state bills are again targeting the freedom to read; and a look at the early numbers from the newly operational Copyright Claims Board.
The Week in Libraries: January 6, 2023: LJ names its librarians of the year; more on that "book rating" bill in Texas; and the growth of Library TikTok.
