Free Republic

A Missouri Lawmaker says he wants to keep sexual materials at libraries out of kid’s hands. But a lot of people are pushing against the idea, saying it’s a form of censorship. “The main thing is I want to be able to take my kids to a library and make sure they’re in a safe environment, and that they’re not gonna be exposed to something that is objectionable material,” says State Representative Ben Baker. “Unfortunately, there are some libraries in the state of Missouri that have done this. And that’s a problem.” On January 8th, Baker filed the Parental Oversight...

Our public libraries have been taken over by liberal ideologues and nowhere has this been more evident than at the American Library Association (ALA) annual conference held last month in Washington DC. The world’s largest library conference, attended by 21,460 people, featured over 100 workshops with the theme “equity, diversity, and inclusion.” As you would expect, these workshops included topics such as Drag Queen Storytimes, LGBT issues, non-traditional families, minors’ “rights” to privacy, and gender confusion. According to The Federalist, “Politically charged talks and workshops like these formed at least one-third of the conference offerings.” Of all the different themes...

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...

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...

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."

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Martha Freeman got the bad news at lunch from her publisher and literary agent. Although "The Trouble With Babies" had received good reviews, the sales of her children's book about a young San Francisco girl were poor compared with the first title in her series, and the paperback rights would not be sold. But more stunning was the reason: A brief passage buried in the book about two gay fathers and their adopted son apparently had discouraged many librarians from buying the title. Although they had enthusiastically purchased Freeman's previous book, "The Trouble With Cats," the...

December 11, 2002 Internet Filters Block Many Useful Sites, Study FindsBy JOHN SCHWARTZ eenagers who look to the Internet for health information as part of their "wired generation" birthright are blocked from many useful sites by antipornography filters that federal law requires in school and library computers, a new study has found. The filtering programs tend to block references to sex and sex-related terms, like "safe sex," "condoms," "abortion," "jock itch," "gay" and "lesbian." Although the software can be adjusted to allow access to most health-related Web sites, many schools and libraries ratchet up the software's barriers to highest...

That ol’ Leftist double standard is still fully operational. Last week the Most Reverend Jesse Jackson demanded that "insensitive and inappropriate" remarks about Martin Luther King and civil rights heroine Rosa Parks be removed from the movie "Barbershop." Little media attention has been given this latest cause of the ubiquitous Mr. Jackson, who habitually is granted slavishly extended and respectful coverage by the deep thinkers who filter our news. I’ve seen no criticism of the reverend’s desire to censor a film. This stands in stark contrast to what generally happens when conservative criticisms are made. You’ll recall a late 80s...