Library and Academic Institution Movements & the Law

The publishing house, five of its authors, parents and an advocacy group allege that removing the books discussing race and LGBTQ people violates the First Amendment.

From colouring books to abolition newspapers and Reader’s Digest magazines, thousands of titles are banned in prisons and jails across the country, often with opaque reasons and with little oversight, Alex Woodward reports

Library boards, school boards and legislatures are becoming battlegrounds in a push to censor books. Communities are fighting back.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Librarians in Missouri are going to court to challenge a law that has led to books being removed or targeted in school libraries across the state.

A federal judge in Texas ruled that at least 12 books removed from public libraries by Llano County officials, many because of their LGBTQ and racial content, must be placed back onto shelves within 24 hours, according to an order filed Thursday.

Is cancel culture a mob mentality, or a long overdue way of speaking truth to power?

The American Library Association says it has provided legal guidance and support to a number of libraries impacted by the "dramatic uptick" of attempts to remove books concerning LGBTQ issues and people of color.

Libraries are supposed to be a bastion of free speech and discovery, but the book banners are getting more brash. Here's how you can help.

Forty years after Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 to raise awareness about censorship, the issue has taken on new importance for booksellers across the country, who increasingly find themselves on the front lines, alongside librarians, in defending people’s freedom to read.

As efforts to control books continue, Nashville Public Library hopes to reach thousands of readers with its "I read banned books" card.

These nonfiction books about censorship offer different perspectives in various formats to show how censorship and book banning persists.

With challenges to books in the United States at a high, the Matinicus Island Library is a remote haven for controversial literature

The American Library Association says libraries faced the highest number of book challenges since they started tracking in 2000. Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer topped their list of most challenged books.

Author Art Spiegelman says he felt "jaw-dropping disbelief" upon learning about the decision from a Tennessee school district to ban his graphic novel about the Holocaust.

As some public and school libraries pulled books from their shelves earlier this year, New York City's Brooklyn Public Library made access to thousands of books easier for teens across the country.

PHOENIX -- State senators on Thursday approved a measure directing the Department of Education to create a list of books to be banned in public schools.

Supporters say Senate Bill 5 is meant to protect children. Opponents ask, which children?

Arizona state senators gave preliminary approval to a measure directing the Department of Education to come up with a list of books to ban in public schools.

On March 25, word started to spread on Twitter that a multitude of LGBTQ books—many of them by debut authors—were inexplicably missing from Target’s website, despite a number of the titles having previously been listed for pre-order.

Voters in Jamestown Township decide in November whether to fund the community’s only library.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to write a letter to the editor during National Library Week! Your voices made a big difference.

What's at stake isn't merely buildings with books and artifacts, but our shared commitment to an informed society.