#school libraries

All their examples of sexually explicit material is related to queer stories.

You can see their press release on the topic here.

Albertans have the opportunity to provide feedback until June 6, 2025 via a survey that can be found here.

If you're Albertan, please tell them that this idea is horrendous and that you do not stand behind them on this.

If you're not Albertan, please signal boost this so Albertans who haven't heard about this can have their say.

Some points worth making that you can use:

Book banning takes away parent choice of what their kids are allowed to read by restricting the books available to kids. It should be the job of the parent, not the government, to decide what a kid can read.

Instead of banning books, parents should talk to their kids (and if they want, the kids' librarian) about what they believe is appropriate vs inappropriate for their specific child/children. It's their job to monitor what their kids are reading, not the government's job.

Librarians are trained professionals who literally attend semester-long classes on how to choose books to purchase for their library. Are they saying that their training/professional judgement can't be trusted? If so, what are they employed for?

Thanks in advance,

via the Arkansas Advocate

it’s official: in Arkansas, library staff may now be charged with a Class D felony for providing books to their communities that are deemed “obscene”.

in Florida, school librarians and teachers can be criminally charged for checking out books to kids that dare to touch on LGBTQ topics & gender identity, thanks to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

book censorship in the US is at such an all-time high, book sanctuaries are popping up all over the country.

library staff aren’t physically safe, either. just over the past couple months, threats against libraries and their staff resulted in the temporary closure of “five public library systems due to bomb and shooting threats," ALA. active shooter trainings have become the new norm for me.

the censorship myself and my colleagues have been watching unfold over the last several years has felt like watching a slow-motion car crash.

but this bill? this feels like a death knell for my profession.

via Teen Vogue

when I was a confused queer kid growing up in an ultra-religious household, the library was my refuge. when I asked hard questions, librarians listened and gave me the tools I needed to answer them. in many ways, libraries saved my life. it's why I became a librarian.

I can't believe I'm living in times where future generations of kids may not have access to the same refuge I did, but it's happening.

if you live in the US and you care about protecting open, equitable access to information, please check out the American Library Association for anti-censorship resources in your state, info on contacting your representatives, etc.

you can also report censorship you see in your community and ALA will investigate (1-800-545-2433, ext. 4266; [email protected]).

I know this isn't my usual content, but libraries are standing on the edge of a horrifying precipice- one we can't escape on our own.

libraries are free society's canary in the coal mine, and all the alarms are singing. when libraries fall, nations usually aren't far behind.

I am truly fucking horrified.

A graphic novel of Nineteen Eighty Four is on the list.

Good Omens.

Soul Music.

Fucking Michelle Obama. What the actual fuck.