Censorship

Book bans are often argued to be an infringement of First Amendment rights, but are they also a violation of civil rights? In the case of Granbury (TX) ISD, the ACLU of Texas says yes. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is looking into it. 

As campaigns step up efforts to pull books from school and public library shelves, it's critical to have tools to defend titles.

The free online course for high schoolers features a powerful list of guest speakers, including author Ashley Hope Pérez, Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani, and student activist Jack Petocz.

Pat Scales explains why understanding terminology will keep LGBTQIA+ books on the shelves; why parents shouldn't have to know what their kids read; and more. 

These podcasts and librarian interviews give listeners something to think about to start the new year.

New York doctor Jaclyn Sisskind shares the positive impact books have made on her patients and her concern for the harm of book bans.

 For our September issue, journalist Martha Hinton reported on new approaches to teaching the topic of slavery in U.S. classrooms. 

Censorship and the fight for intellectual freedom led our most viewed stories of the year, along with recommendations toward “Refreshing the Canon,” a joint project with NCTE.

Take a look back at the SLJ Summit in November with pictures of speakers and attendees.