Public Libraries

With these manga, choose the right format for the right story.

The bare breast of Roman goddess Virtus on the Virginia state flag means kids in Lamar, TX, can't access lessons about Virginia on PebbleGo Next; Oklahoma teacher who gave kids QR code for Brooklyn Public Library's Banned Books collection loses defamation suit; and a military mom explains why her children are part of the lawsuit against Department of Defense schools.

Kiese Laymon, award-winning author and MacArthur Fellow, is out with a new picture book. City Summer, Country Summer celebrates the deep bonds of friendship forged among three Black boys on a summer journey to visit their grandmothers in Mississippi.  

Twelve students are suing the Department of Education Activity—the federal school system that runs schools for children of U.S. military members—and the Secretary of Defense for the removal of books from school libraries; Mississippi has removed race and gender databases accessed by public schools and libraries; and more.

PEN America, the National Education Association, and student advocacy organization SEAT are among those who have filed amicus briefs in support of the school district in the upcoming Supreme Court case; Harry Lerner has died; applications open for Banned Books Week programming grants; and more.

The American Library Association released its data on 2024 censorship attempts, but don't let the lower numbers fool you. The strategy may have changed, but the organized efforts to remove books from shelves remains.

In the latest censorship legislation tracker, North Carolina moves to charge librarians with a Class 1 misdemeanor, and a Florida bill seeks to make it easier to remove books and punish schools, while Nevada and Colorado legislators take steps to protect collections.

Courts are dominating library censorship news with a federal judge temporarily blocking the Iowa book ban law, a Colorado district defying court orders to return books to shelves, and two lawsuits filed against a Minnesota school district.

Rochester (MN) Pride cited unspecified safety concerns for canceling the visit by The Rainbow Parade author Emily Neilson; federal judge says lawsuit over removal of school library books in Florida can continue; districts in South Carolina and Texas keep The Hunger Games and Bathe the Cat on the shelves, respectively, while a Pennsylvania high school removes three LGBTQIA+ graphic novels.