Welcome to Check Your Shelf. As I am writing this newsletter before Thanksgiving, I’d like to give a few library-related things I’m thankful for. I’m thankful to have a fantastic new director who is committed to not only solving problems in an expedient manner but also fighting to give our entire staff proper pay after decades of being listed as one of the lowest-paying libraries in the area. I’m thankful that I was given an opportunity earlier this month to share my unfiltered concerns about pay and staffing with the entire library board and that we seem to be moving toward positive changes. I’m thankful that we have a community of people who are proactive about supporting our staff and our library. We had people send wonderful letters of support during Banned Books Week, and a couple people sought out our director to thank her personally for speaking out about the importance of intellectual freedom and the library being a welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community.
There has been a tremendous amount of stress and change at my library in this last year, but I believe we’re fighting toward a positive future, and we’re working to fix the systemic problems that have led us to this point. (And I’m thankful that I am no longer the interim director!)
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
NYC Mayor Eric Adams announces budget cuts to all public library systems in the city, meaning that most libraries will need to end their Sunday library hours.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Free Library has resumed Saturday hours at some branches.
The British Library confirmed that it was the target of a recent ransomware attack.
Cool Library Updates
How book nerds and a dancing accountant made the library cool. (This is about the Milwaukee Public Library.)
Worth Reading
More Americans report getting their news from TikTok.
Stories of solo librarianship.
Book Adaptations in the News
Netflix is finalizing the details for Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia.
Shadow and Bone has been canceled after two seasons with Netflix, and the Six of Crows spinoff has been canceled.
Censorship News
School and public librarians describe on-the-job harassment.
Where are the book sanctuaries?
These are the right-wing ideologues taking over Texas school boards.
Texas is pushing some textbook publishers to remove or alter material that portrays the fossil fuel industry in a negative light.
(Paywalled) Hillsborough County (FL) removed a Little Free Library with a rainbow on the side because people threw a hissy fit. I would also like to point out that the book banners’ line about “kids can still get these books elsewhere” is bullshit because here was a way for kids to find access to books outside of their school library, and now it’s been removed.
Hernando County School District (FL) will decide the fate of six challenged books. “All six have been challenged in other parts of the state and the country, though staff members of Moms for Liberty have said in the past that they are not seeking to ban books but remove students’ access to them in the schools. They still can get the books in question at Amazon, bookstores, and public libraries, Moms for Liberty officials said.” See the above news item from Hillsborough County, and say with me now…This. Is. Bullshit.
Though Santa Rosa (FL) book ban clashes continue, few parents are actually limiting their children’s access to library books.
Plant High School (FL) will retain Blankets, following the recommendation from the reconsideration panel. Way to Plant, Ann! (High fives to anyone who got that Arrested Development reference.)
Schools in Freehold, New Jersey, removed digital access to the book Flor Fights Back, a children’s book about the Stonewall Riots. Parents complained about the LGBTQ+ content, and the superintendent had it removed without forming a reconsideration committee.
The Pine-Richland School District (PA) has opted to continue with their current book policy until the next school board takes over. Unfortunately, the next board has three new trustees who made removing books an explicit part of their campaigns.
The Quarryville Public Library (PA) saw a large crowd of attendees at its first board meeting since the township cut its annual $1000 donation to the library over the presence of LGBTQ materials. This is also the same library where Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir pledged to cover the $1000 donation because of the importance of having LGBTQ books accessible to the community. From the article: “‘We’re simply collecting them,’ [district consultant Ed] Miller said after the meeting. ‘When we collect them, we’re acknowledging that there are individuals in those communities who have an interest in that topic.’”
Spotsylvania County (VA) school board is holding off on implementing a new policy that would essentially remove books whenever a parent complained. However, signs point to the incoming board being unlikely to move the policy further.
Johnston County Board of Education (NC) has officially banned all materials on gender identity from the district’s elementary schools.
A new proposal that would give the South Carolina Board of Education control over the materials held in individual school libraries is gaining momentum.
The superintendent of the Cobb County School District (GA) has asked the Georgia General Assembly to consider developing a book rating system akin to movie ratings to determine what’s appropriate to have on library shelves.
The Alabama Public Library Service Board voted unanimously to delay a vote to disassociate from ALA.
Three members of the Prattville Library Board (AL) have left their positions amidst a large number of book challenges.
Patty Hector, the Saline County (AR) library director who was fired earlier this year after the county judge was given power over library matters, is now running for a position on that same court.
“Journalists Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa, authors of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book His Name Is George Floyd, are still unclear why they were told they couldn’t read from their book or talk about systemic racism to a room full of high school students in Memphis.” The school district has denied that any restrictions were placed on the authors.
Carmel Clay School Board members (IN) clash over proposed updates to the school’s book reconsideration policy.
The Hamilton East Public Library (IN) director is leaving her position, thanks to the Library board’s policy of moving teen books that have been deemed not “age appropriate.” Honestly, so many library employees are simply unable to do their damn jobs with all of this nonsense.
Wisconsin Democrats propose a new state law to help limit book bans. “Under the draft bill, anyone complaining to a school district or public library about books must reside in the school district or community served by the library, submit written statements showing they’ve read the book entirely and detailing the reasons for their complaint, and include signatures of at least 5% of the residents in the school district or the community served by the library.” (Emphasis mine.) I really, really like this last bit because when I was dealing with a book challenge during my first month as interim director last year, the person making the challenge told me that if he had been able to show the contested picture book to everyone in the community, they would have been appalled. Everyone in HIS circle was appalled, but we have a very strong community of library supporters, and if he had had to go around collecting signatures in order to submit his request, I think his efforts would have lost some steam.
A surge of book removal requests is turning Nebraska libraries into cultural battlegrounds.
Plattsmouth Public Schools (NE) reviewed 52 challenged books and voted to remove Triangles by Ellen Hopkins.
Omaha Public Schools will retain All Boys Aren’t Blue and Tricks.
The St. Mary’s Public Library (KS) director talks about how she had to compromise intellectual freedom by removing all of the LGBTQ children’s books in order to renew the library’s lease. This isn’t a position I’d wish on anyone, and I can’t pretend to know what it’s like to face that decision, but I firmly believe that catering to bigots is a very slippery slope, and they won’t hesitate to hold the library’s leasing situation hostage again. How many times will this library have to “compromise?” The decision also communicates that LGBTQ folks aren’t considered a true part of the community and do not have a safe space at that library, so who is the library actually serving? The word “compromise” is doing double duty here because I see a lot of things that are being compromised.
Meanwhile, the St. Marys mayor, who was previously involved in an attempt to ban LGBTQ books from the public library, lost his bid for school board. Womp womp.
“Garfield County [CO] commissioners released a statement on Monday, saying it legally must leave the decision of proposed graphic novel restrictions to the Garfield County Libraries Board of Trustees.”
“A local organization’s request to pull a sexual assault survivor’s memoir from the shelves of Union High School’s [OK] library received a chilly reception from several Union parents at Monday night’s school board meeting.” This is in regard to Lucky by Alice Sebold.
The Moms for Liberty Oklahoma chapter is pushing to remove Scholastic Book Fairs from all Oklahoma schools.
Utah legislators are considering a proposal that would make it easier to ban books.
West Ada School District (ID) initially voted to retain Nowhere Girls, but then the decision was appealed, and the trustees changed their votes.
The ACLU of Alaska, six parents, and two students have filed a lawsuit against the Mat-Su School District for removing 56 books that the plaintiffs say were improperly banned.
Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor provides guidance to librarians regarding “obscene materials,” specifically emphasizing “the responsibility of librarians and educators in ensuring their collections do not violate” local, state, or federal laws and implying that there will be legal consequences for teachers and librarians who do not comply.
Ontario’s Waterloo Catholic District School Board has restricted access to 4 LGBTQ+ books by shelving them in the “Pro” (“Professional”) section. Pro shelves “at board schools are used primarily by teachers, though students will have access to the titles provided they first consult a teacher who will provide them with the “Catholic context” for the titles.”
Books & Authors in the News
Author AS Byatt has died at 87.
Former First Lady and author Rosalynn Carter has died at 96.
Mexican novelist Valeria Luiselli will be the next author to contribute a manuscript to the Future Library, which locks away unpublished manuscripts until 2114.
Over 2000 poets and authors are boycotting the Poetry Foundation, which recently shelved a review of a poetry collection that engages with “anti-Zionist politics.” The magazine wanted to appear neutral in regard to the Israel-Gaza conflict, but a lot of people saw this as the censoring of anti-Zionist Jewish authors.
Numbers & Trends
Lil’ Kim says her memoir’s presales are “surpassing the Bible.”
The best-selling books of the week.
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Award News
The National Book Award winners have been announced.
What’s so controversial about the National Book Awards?
John Vaillant wins the Baillie Gifford Prize for Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World.
Plus, the Baillie Gifford Prize shows an average 857% gain in unit sales for winning titles.
The Goodreads Choice Awards removed categories for Children’s & Middle Grade, Poetry, and Graphic Novels, and added “Romantasy” as a new category.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
Scrabble’s new tournament list adds words that lexicographers say aren’t actually words at all, and more alarmingly, have reinstated over 100 words that were designated as slurs and removed in 2020. From a top-ranked Scrabble player: “’Nobody was asking to reinstate half of the slurs. Nobody.’”
A book club started discussing Finnegan’s Wake each month in 1995, and they only just now finished.
On the Riot
It’s time for Kindles to natively support EPUB file formats.
How to create an immersive Pride & Prejudice reading experience.
No more computers as magical shortcuts.
When to start reading to babies.
You see an unmade bed, but Gilbert sees a blanket nest. He’s been spending a lot of time sleeping on our bed recently, and I’ve never seen him so happy! He loves blankets and being burritoed and making nests for himself.
All right, friends. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and that you were able to take a little time off this week! (I have to work on Friday, but I was able to take Wednesday off.) See you next week!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.