Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Well, cold and flu season has arrived, including for yours truly. I only started feeling crummy earlier tonight, but I’ve also been around people who have come down with colds within the last 48 hours…fingers crossed this doesn’t end up being too annoying.
It’s happening, readers — we’re bringing paperbacks! Whether you (or a reader you know and love) hate carrying around bulky hardcovers, you’re on a budget, you want a wider range of recommendations or all of the above, you can now get a paperback subscription from TBR, curated just for you by one of our Bibliologists. The holidays are here, and we’ve got three different levels for gifting (to yourself or others) to suit every budget. Get all the details at mytbr.co.
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
Montana will no longer require directors to have a master’s degree at the eight largest libraries in the state despite a four-to-one ratio of public comments opposing the change.
The Stanley Milner Library has an in-house nurse to support people in crisis in downtown Edmonton.
The Ottawa Public Library is seeking $3 million in security to address an increase in dangerous incidents and assaults against their staff.
Cool Library Updates
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has officially launched in Illinois!
St. Louis Public Library is hosting a free Taylor Swift fan convention. They are braver than I am.
Mapping Colorado: Libraries supporting their communities.
Worth Reading
How American librarians helped defeat the Nazis.
Censorship News
Most parents trust, respect, and feel safe with librarians.
Congress has introduced the Fight Book Bans Act. And here’s a look at every current book ban lawsuit.
Conservatives are boycotting Froot Loops for creating a library of diverse children’s books online. Yes, that is a real sentence I had to type in 2023.
The city of Corpus Christie (TX) appointed 5 new members to the public library board, one of whom appears to be pro-book banning.
A controversial proposed library book policy just cost the League City (TX) city attorney their job.
Florida’s attorney general just issued a legal brief, saying that school districts have a First Amendment right to remove any books they choose and that “public school libraries are ‘a forum for government speech,…not a ‘forum for free expression.’” Wow.
(Paywalled): Brevard County (FL) Schools will review 31 challenged books this month.
The Southern Poverty Law Center just threatened a potential lawsuit against the Charlotte County School District (FL) over their LGBTQ+ book bans.
RSU 56 (ME) is currently the only district in the state to have banned Gender Queer, and they’re now considering a policy that would ban all books with sexually explicit material.
Connecticut librarians are looking for legislative help as they face harassment tied to book bans.
Lancaster County (PA) schools are reportedly considering a switch from Scholastic Book Fairs to the “pro-God, pro-America” SkyTree Book Fairs.
Catawba County (NC) schools have removed A Court of Thorns and Roses, citing three primary reasons: “[T]he book contains objectionable content that was not required to convey the story’s central themes, the book lacks literary merit compared to other high school reading material, and the book is part of the same series that was previously removed.”
School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties (SC) has returned A Court of Mist and Fury to school library shelves after a months-long review process.
The Marietta (GA) school board is planning to hear another appeal against their decision to ban a book. This time, the book is Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, but the last time a book banning decision was appealed (Flamer), the board decided to remove the book anyway.
The Foley Public Library (AL) has moved 11 challenged books out of the YA and children’s sections due to “objectionable content.”
The Central Arkansas Library System hosted a panel discussion on book bans and the future of libraries.
The Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County (OH) has been dealing with LGBTQ+ book controversy for over a year and has recently moved to limit public comment at their board meetings.
The Banned Book Nook bookstore in Wilmington, Ohio, is pushing back against book banning efforts in the state.
The Brandywine Community School Board (MI) may implement their own book rating system.
An op-ed on the recently proposed Wisconsin legislation that would require libraries to inform parents about the items their children check out: “Don’t force librarians into the role of Big Brother.”
After NBC 5 Investigates first reported in October on the rise of book banning in the Chicago area over the last three years, the number has continued to climb.
The St. Cloud Library System (MN) has received challenges to 8 individual titles in the last year, with some books receiving multiple challenges.
Penguin Random House files a lawsuit against the state of Iowa over their recently passed book banning legislation. Note that this is separate from the lawsuit filed against Iowa from last week’s newsletter.
“Republican leaders are calling for a prosecutor to enforce obscenity laws to remove hundreds of books from schools in the Colorado Springs area.”
The New Mexico State Board of Education is appealing the decision made by Las Cruces Public Schools to retain Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) in the school library. Nothing to see here…
Banning Angels in America in Temecula (CA).
“‘How often did you say you visited the library prior to this book?’ asked Action News Reporter Kate Nemarich. ‘Oh, I visited the library years ago. I haven’t been to the library in years, but all of those questions and those answers they’re meaningless,’ said Steve Brandau, Fresno County [CA] Supervisor. This is one of the people who voted for the Parents Matter Act, which creates a panel of parents and guardians who will review all current and future children’s books to be placed in county libraries. In other words, people who have no public library, youth services, or collection development experience will decide what books libraries can add to their collections. I see no problem with this at all.
The Wasilla City Council (AK) heard from the library director about how they select books for the children and teen collections. Among the choice quotes from the article: “Treesh maintained the library would temporarily mark books from the young adult section as those of the adult section until there is more consideration from the city on the matter.”
The Jake Epp Public Library (Manitoba) has decided to forego general best practices and will sticker all children’s books that contain LGBTQ+ content because the Christian books are already stickered.
Books & Authors in the News
Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, has died at 93.
Numbers & Trends
Less than half of American adults reported reading at least one book for pleasure in the last year.
Award News
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell has won the 2023 Waterstones Book of the Year award.
Freedom Reads, the National Book Foundation, and the Center for Justice have just launched the first major US book prize to be judged exclusively by incarcerated people.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
Oxford Languages has selected “rizz” as their Word of the Year. If you’re like me and aren’t up on all the Gen Z slang, “rizz” is short (?) for “charisma” and apparently started seeing a lot more use after Tom Holland used it in an interview this summer.
On the Riot
How Dungeons & Dragons can help members of the neurodivergent community.
8 video essays about books that will change your perspective.
Secrets of the mega book series of the ’80s and ’90s.
Authors and bookish accounts to follow on Bluesky.
When eye-reading just isn’t working.
Photo courtesy of my mom, who said Groucho was waving “Hi” to everyone!
Groucho hopes you all have a good weekend. I’ll see you on Tuesday, hopefully, a little less sniffly than I am now.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.