Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I’ve been in full middle-managerial mode for the last couple weeks trying to finish up evaluations before the end of the month, and I know regular evaluations are important, but I will be so happy when these are finally done! I will have to celebrate somehow…maybe with a new book?
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
Biden’s FY 2023 budget includes a proposed increase in funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Here’s what you can do to help this budget increase get approved.
United for Libraries and the Office for Intellectual Freedom are presenting a webinar on First Amendment audits on May 11th. Unfortunately, most viewers will need to pay in order to attend.
Cool Library Updates
The Jefferson County Public Library opened its first “ghost library:” an unstaffed, automated library that can be accessed by anyone with a library card and a PIN.
Worth Reading
UCLA Library collections reveal the legacy of Miriam Matthews, California’s first Black librarian.
Meet South Africa’s seed librarian.
Digitization 101: Diversifying your presentation images.
Book Adaptations in the News
The Obamas’ production company, Higher Ground, has signed on to Netflix’s adaptation of Rumaan Alam’s Leave the World Behind.
These Utah high school students are turning Marissa Meyer’s YA novel, Heartless, into a musical for a school production!
Jon Batiste will make his feature acting debut in The Color Purple.
Lilliam Rivera’s YA novel, Never Look Back, is being adapted for film for Amazon.
Andy Serkis will be directing an animated adaptation of Animal Farm.
Hugh Laurie brings his favorite Agatha Christie novel to TV with the miniseries Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?
Casting updates for Downtown Owl and XO, Kitty.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Banned & Challenged Books
19 other states are eyeing similar LGBTQ school bills to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
We Need Diverse Books grants educators $70,000 to fight book bans.
The Texas Education Agency has developed a new “model local school board policy” for library content, based on Greg Abbott’s guidelines.
The graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank’s Diary will remain in the Keller ISD (TX) libraries.
How changes at the Llano County (TX) libraries have divided the community.
The Lafayette Parish Library will keep its DVD copy of Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, but will restrict checkout to patrons who are at least 17 years old.
Last week, I wrote about how the book It’s Okay to Be a Unicorn was under fire in the Buckeye Valley School District (OH). But here’s the full story: the author, Jason Tharp, was brought in for a visit to the school district, but the principal asked him not to read from that particular book. The reason? A parent saw a rainbow on the front of the book, assumed it contained LGBTQ content, complained without even opening the book, and the school caved.
Hundreds vote in the Hudson Library (OH) board elections, and thankfully the three elected board members appear to stand for inclusion and intellectual freedom.
Ohio public library advocates respond to book ban challenges.
Warren County (VA) residents are outraged over potential book banning in the public schools.
Missouri legislators debate a proposed Parents’ Bill of Rights, which would give parents oversight over school curriculum and could discourage educators from teaching certain subjects that parents consider “inappropriate.”
A teacher in southwest Missouri has been fired after parents accused her of using critical race theory in the classroom, which in this case equates to the teacher using the book Dear Martin in class.
According to the recent PEN America report, Florida has the third largest number of school book ban incidents. Only Texas and Pennsylvania had higher numbers.
Here are all of the 200+ books that have been banned in Florida, and what Miami booksellers have to say about it.
Florida has banned 54 math textbooks for “indoctrinating” students with critical race theory. Yes, seriously.
Polk County (FL) schools elect to keep Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and It’s Perfectly Normal in their libraries. They have also elected to keep Thirteen Reasons Why and Real Live Boyfriends.
Brevard County (FL) School Board is working on a draft policy that would make it easier to respond district-wide to objections to library materials.
Osceola County (FL) have pulled four books for review: Out of Darkness, Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl, All Boys Aren’t Blue, and Looking for Alaska.
Iredell-Statesville Schools (NC) will conduct an official review of less than a dozen books in response to a parental challenge of 75 titles. Worth noting: “The child of the parent who filed the challenge has not checked out any of the books on the list, VanVliet said. In fact, the child has only checked out one library book. Meanwhile, the books on the list challenged by the parent have been checked out 1,500 times by other students — and not one challenge has been filed by a parent.”
Kentucky legislators override the governor’s veto of Senate Bill 167, thereby giving local political leaders control of public libraries in the state.
Williamson County Schools (TN) will reinstate access to the Epic! digital library.
Antioch High School (IL) has returned Gender Queer to library shelves.
Parents complain to Ottawa High School (IL) officials that The Kite Runner is too vulgar to be used in the classroom.
All Boys Aren’t Blue remains in Salina Public School (KS) libraries after a second challenge.
The Claremore Public School Board (OK) discusses a preemptive library policy in the event that a parent challenges materials on library shelves or materials being used in the classroom.
Enid (OK) library administrators instituted a policy that would prohibit any type of display “promoting or focused on sexual activity.” Which means no LGBTQ displays, and apparently, no romance book clubs, and no programming related to sexual assault awareness.
The Ridgeland (MS) library is on track to receive its full funding from the city.
Central York School District in Pennsylvania has had the highest number of bans within a single district in the United States at a whopping 441 bans.
York County (PA) students help orchestrate the first national book read-in.
New Brighton School Board (PA) has no plans to remove Speak from its 9th grade curriculum.
Littlestown Area School District (PA) declines to remove any of the 35 challenged titles submitted by a single parent.
Cumberland Valley School District (PA) is reviewing three challenged books: l8r, g8r, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Precious.
“Educators are afraid,” says a New Jersey teacher who has been attacked for her Romeo and Juliet unit.
A petition to reverse the Wappingers Central School District’s (NJ) decision to ban Gender Queer gains traction.
Wayne Township (NJ) parents are fighting to ban books from school libraries, including Gender Queer.
Kent School District (WA) elected to remove Jack of Hearts (and other parts) from school libraries. The head librarian plans to appeal the decision.
Arizona bills could allow parents to sue educators over books, and more.
Teachers at a Catholic school in south London have voted to strike after a talk by Simon James Green, a gay YA author, was canceled.
ALA Director says book bans aim to “suppress social change.”
Circumnavigating prison censorship through poetry and pictures.
Censorship battles’ new frontier: your public library.
What comes after school boards ban your book.
Students counter censorship attempts with Banned Books clubs.
School librarians speak out against book bannings and censorship.
High school students share how book bans affect their lives.
The parents fighting for diverse books.
LGBTQIA+ titles got the worst of the latest wave of book censorship. Here are the 5 most commonly banned LGBTQ+ books of 2021.
Award News
Kali Wallace wins the 2022 Philip K. Dick Award for Dead Space.
Brandon Taylor wins the 2021 Story Prize for Filthy Animals.
Lauren Groff has won the 2022 Joyce Carol Oates Prize for Matrix.
The National Book Foundation announces its 2022 5 Under 35 honorees.
NYPL announced the 2022 finalists for the Young Lions Fiction Award.
The Walter Scott Prize shortlist for historical fiction has been announced.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
Searching for the notorious celebrity book stylist.
On the Riot
School library programming ideas for National Poetry Month.
What gets lost when archives aren’t funded.
Tips for authors visiting schools.
Who was Maya Angelou? Remembering a visionary.
How to create your own reading retreat.
The reading life of April Ludgate.
Have a banned book break with a cat photo! A couple months ago, Gilbert and Dini discovered that my husband’s pea coat made for a fantastic bed, and they spent all of their time napping on it. Note the enormous amounts of cat hair stuck to the fabric.
It’s the weekend!! Let’s all take a breather and regroup for next week, kay?
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.