Library and Academic Institution Movements & the Law

CHICAGO — Today, the American Library Association (ALA) kicked off National Library Week with the release of its highly anticipated list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2022 and the State of America’s Libraries Report, which tells the story of how libraries are innovating and adapting to improve the well-being of their communities in the midst of censorship challenges. This year, however, there were multiple books that received the same number of challenges – resulting in the expansion of the list to 13 titles.

The 2021 American Community Survey estimated 141,808 full-time librarians and media collections specialists. There are a total of 123,627 libraries in the U.S.

How racially diverse is the librarian profession, and how can we begin to assess that diversity? Those are the two key questions at the heart of two

The Librarians with Spines Channel focuses on providing viewers with rich content that is critical, topical, creative and fun. Information Science, Literature, Art and more are topics covered.

Discover the latest information agitators in our blog, recorded zoom meetings, and antiracist books at Librarians With Spines.

National Library Week is April 23-29, 2023. This national annual observance celebrates the contributions of libraries and their staff to their communities and greater society. This year's theme is "There's More to the Story" - a reminder that while libraries are full of stories on their shelves, they are more than their collections of books.

By Mikayla Redden (Follow us on LinkedIn) If you read my last post, you might remember the trampoline full of tennis balls metaphor I provided as an example of how living with a neurodivergent…

Legal experts, librarians and some parents say House Bill 900’s language is so vague and broad that it could ensnare books that are not inappropriate.

A survey by Cilip shows members of the public using increasingly threatening behaviour about the removal of books on empire, race and LGBTQ+ themes

The proposal is not yet final; it must clear the state Senate. But for those who manage or use the state’s 160 library districts, especially in rural areas where services are not as robust, the threat feels real, librarians and patrons told the PBS NewsHour.

PEN America, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to free expression through literature, has created a dataset tracking books banned or restricted in school classrooms and libraries in the United States from July 2021 to March 2022. The dataset contains the book’s name and author, the schoo

Parishes are getting into heated arguments over the discussion to ban books in libraries, which some argue is a targeted attack towards the LGBTQ+ community.

A podcast attempting to shine light on the radical inequities and the oppressive nature of the library profession, specifically as it pertains to BIPOC professionals and the communities they serve in the state of Oregon. An Oregon Library Associat...

A rural Texas county that was ordered by a federal judge to return banned books to its public library shelves is now considering shutting down its libraries entirely.

These efforts are part of a broader, conservative-led movement to chisel away at the rights and status of LGBTQ Americans.

Bill Text (2023-04-04) Public monies; ideology training; prohibition [House minority caucus: Do pass]

House lawmakers heard hours of testimony over legislation that would strip school and library employees of a legal defense against charges they distributed material harmful to minors.

“The ability to read is fundamental to a child’s success,” Little wrote.

2021 ACRL Academic Library Trends and Statistics Survey: Highlights and key academic library instruction and group presentation findings

Missouri library leaders say a plan by state legislators to strip state funding for public libraries across the state would weaken rural libraries.

Nearly half the states in the U.S. now allow people previously convicted of felonies to vote.

pIn March 2020, the Internet Archive, a nonprofit created by the entrepreneur Brewster Kahle, launched a new feature called the National Emergency Library. Restrictions linked to the spread of COVID-19 had made it difficult or impossible for people to buy books or visit libraries in person, and so the Archive removed limits on the digital […]/p

The move “allows them to exist in their own context,” library cataloger Kate Peck says.

A recording of the June 10th ACRL Together Wherever presentation: 2020 President’s Program - Shifting the Center: Transforming Academic Libraries through Gen...

Guest Post by Anonymous In the last year, there has been much talk of de-credentialing (dropping degree requirements from) academic law librarian positions. While possibly driven by the shortage of…

An OCLC presentation by Mary Sauer Games, VP Global Product Management, and Merrilee Proffitt, Senior Manager OCLC Research. Digital Reference Page available...

Guest Post by Trezlen Drake, Head of Digital Resources, and Foreign & International Law Research Librarian at Yale Lillian Goldman Law Library As a woman of color from a financially disadvantag…

Many of us want to create materials with accessibility in mind, to ensure that our electronic materials are available to all patrons. But how do we go about ...