Free Republic

At the American Library Association's annual conference, the nation's librarians learned how to circumvent community objections to events like Drag Queen Story Hour and other outrageous, taxpayer-purchased materials. The world’s largest library association’s annual conference this year featured more than 100 workshops with an “equity, diversity, and inclusion” theme, according to the American Library Association’s conference catalog. That included workshops with these titles (some shortened): “Creating Queer-Inclusive Elementary School Library Programming,” “Developing an Online Face for a Lesbian Pulp Fiction Collection,” and “Telling Stories, Expanding Boundaries: Drag Queen Storytimes in Libraries.” The ALA annual conference’s workshop selections also included “A...

American librarians have voted to remove the name of Melvil Dewey, widely seen as the father of modern librarianship, from one of their top awards, citing his history of antisemitism, racism and sexual harassment. The council of the American Library Association (ALA) passed a resolution this week to rename its top professional award, the Melvil Dewey Medal. The resolution explains that Dewey did not permit Jewish people, African Americans or other minorities admittance to the resort he owned, the Lake Placid Club. He also “made numerous inappropriate physical advances toward women he worked with and wielded professional power over” and...

A Baptist pastor was arrested and jailed on Saturday after refusing to move across the street from the Spokane, Washington Public Library while exercising his free speech against a “Drag Queen Story Hour.” The event had a significant militaristic police presence, including camouflaged snipers positioned atop the roof to oversee the large crowd that stood both for and against the men dressed like women reading stories to children.

Perhaps Library Journal was intending to be provocative when they tweeted out a blog post by Sofia Leung, a librarian from “unceded Wampanoag land” (Massachusetts) about how libraries perpetrate whiteness through their collections. The concept is one of critical race theory. Which by the way, it has always been interesting to me that intellectuals and those associated with academia will argue that race doesn’t exist, yet filter their entire world view through the power dynamics of race relations. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what Leung had to say about whiteness in libraries: “Library collections continue to...

Determined to be relevant, my town library is ripping out its excessively gendered women’s and men’s rooms to make way for four gender-neutral bathrooms. The renovation concretizes the American Library Association’s endorsement of gender ideology. Measured by the ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services, relevant means assisting “traditionally underserved” communities.Among those neglected, the ALA cites “GLBT populations,” an improbable capitulation to identity politics. The ALA has decided that a sexually fungible—also militant, well-funded, and politically savvy—fragment of the public needs more material about itself. In accord with a service model, selections must be supportive, even flattering. They...

A division of the American Library Association voted unanimously Saturday to strip Laura Ingalls Wilder's name from a major children's literature award over concerns about how the author referred to Native Americans and blacks. The Association for Library Service to Children says the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award will now be known as the Children's Literature Legacy Award. Wilder, who wrote the Little House book series, was the first recipient of the award, which was established in 1954 and intended to honor books published in the U.S. that have had a big impact on children's literature. The Little House series was...

FULL TITLE: Laura Ingalls Wilder's name pulled from library award over 'stereotypical attitudes' in her popular books Laura Ingalls Wilder's name is set to be removed from a major children's book award after concerns were raised about the "Little House on the Prairie" author's depiction of certain races in the early-to-mid 20th century. The Association of Library Service to Children's (ALSC) board voted unanimously on Saturday to rename the "Laura Ingalls Wilder Award" as the "Children’s Literature Legacy Award."

CHICAGO – A division of the American Library Association has voted to remove Laura Ingalls Wilder's name from a major children's book award over concerns with how the early-to-mid 20th century author portrayed blacks and Native Americans. The Association for Library Service to Children's board made the unanimous decision Saturday at a meeting in New Orleans. The name has been changed to the Children's Literature Legacy Award.

Touting itself as "by teens, for teens," the magazine Sex, Etc. has created a stir at a middle school in New Jersey. Parents concerned about the magazine's explicit content are demanding that it be removed from the middle school's media center. The group of over sixty parents has the support of at least one school board member. According to wusa9, "school board member Stephen Kubricki urged the board on Monday to vote to remove the material from the junior high. Kubricki said the magazine contained 'a level of graphic and explicit images and text which goes beyond valuable information.'" The...

April Hathcock, an attorney and NYU librarian, argues that "whiteness... has permeated every aspect of librarianship" and must be "dismantled." Her article, titled "White Librarianship in Blackface: Diversity Initiatives in LIS," offers ways to "correct for whiteness" in the field of librarians. "It is no secret that librarianship has traditionally been and continues to be a profession dominated by whiteness," Ms. Hathcock begins her piece. "In this article, I use “whiteness” to refer not only to the socio-cultural differential of power and privilege that results from categories of race and ethnicity;" she writes. "It also stands as a marker for...

There is now a Republican-led effort for the Senate to confirm President Obama’s nomination of Carla Hayden to be the librarian of Congress. Her confirmation hearing proceeded without any serious review of her record, her views, or her qualifications.The American people should be asking why any senator would be anxious to confirm a nominee who is not only unqualified, but whom The Nation magazine celebrated as a “radical librarian” who champions unrestricted access to pornography in public libraries. 7 Things I Want to Say to That Guy Watching Porn at the Library Other members of Congress should be asking why...

The American Library Association has revealed that the Bible is among the books most often challenged and called to be banned in libraries. "You have people who feel that if a school library buys a copy of the Bible, it's a violation of church and state," said James LaRue, who directs the Office for Intellectual Freedom for the American Library Association, according to The Associated Press. "And sometimes there's a retaliatory action, where a religious group has objected to a book and a parent might respond by objecting to the Bible." Guidelines for the Office for Intellectual Freedom have clarified...

The Bible is on American Library Association's list of 'most challenged' booksThe Bible is on the latest list of books most objected to at US schools and libraries, targeted nationwide, at times for the sex and violence it contains, but mostly for the legal issues it raises. "You have people who feel that if a school library buys a copy of the Bible, it’s a violation of Church and state," said James LaRue, who directs the Office for Intellectual Freedom for the American Library Association (ALA), which released its annual 10 top snapshot of "challenged" books on Monday, part of...

NEW YORK (AP) — On the latest list of books most objected to at public schools and libraries, one title has been targeted nationwide, at times for the sex and violence it contains, but mostly for the legal issues it raises. The Bible. “You have people who feel that if a school library buys a copy of the Bible, it’s a violation of church and state,” says James LaRue, who directs the Office for Intellectual Freedom for the American Library Association, which released its annual 10 top snapshot of “challenged” books on Monday, part of the association’s “State of Libraries...

The Library of Congress is dropping the terms “illegal alien” and “alien” from its subject headings after a group of college students and the American Library Association protested the words’ usage.

If you search the Loudoun County Public Library website for Ann's book, "!Adios, America!" you come up with NOTHING. No combination of those words will bring you to her book. Search by author brings you to her book, UNDER THE TITLE "OFFENSIVE" Curious, yes?

It's Banned Books Week! But people are trying to keep great books out of libraries and schools every hour of every day, year round. And often, people's reasons for challenging these titles are really, really... outlandish. Here are 12 SF and fantasy books that people have given incomprehensible reasons for banning.

INDIANAPOLIS - An eye-opening art exhibit on gun violence is about to open at the Central Library downtown. Artist James Pate and exhibit organizers expect the art to spark some serious conversations because of what it shows. "It just makes you think a little bit and sparks your thought process," said Chaz Holder. Holder is one of a group of Crispus Attucks High School students who got a first look at the provocative exhibit. The students' visit was also training for grown-ups who will serve as exhibit tour guides. "The hope is to engage the youth in the community in...

The Environmental Protection Agency’s draft rule to limit carbon from existing power plants is just two days old, but it’s already sparked an ad war. The American Lung Association today will launch a national television ad buy featuring a sleeping baby drawing deep breaths, touting the fact that the regulation would close the “loophole” that allows industry to “pump unlimited carbon pollution into his air.”

ST. CHARLES, MO, May 8, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Parents in Missouri are outraged at school district officials for allowing an e-book with images of people engaging in sexual intercourse in school libraries. Francis Howell School District is facing a backlash for placing "It's Perfectly Normal," a book that includes images of naked people, intercourse, and other pornographic material, in its libraries. One parent told a local reporter that most parents "were shocked" when he "showed this to" them, and that "their next reaction was outrage."