New California law bars schoolbook bans based on racial and LGBTQ topics; NPR, September 26, 2023

 Jonathan Franklin , NPR; New California law bars schoolbook bans based on racial and LGBTQ topics

"California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Monday prohibiting school boards across the state from banning books, instructional materials or curricula categorized as inclusive or diverse.

Under the new law, which went into effect immediately after its signing, the state can fine schools that would block textbooks and library books that allow students to learn about diverse communities.

The bill — formally known as AB 1078 — also authorizes Tony Thurmond, state superintendent of public instruction, to purchase instructional materials for school districts, regain costs from the purchases and determine whether to fine school boards if they do not abide by the state's updated instructional standards."

Colorado library district reaches settlement with fired librarian; Denver7.com, September 24, 2023

 Brandon Richard, Denver7.com ; Colorado library district reaches settlement with fired librarian

"“This settlement is groundbreaking as far as we're aware,” said Halpern. “It's one of the first, if not the first public settlement in the country on behalf of a librarian who's been terminated for these types of issues.”

In addition to paying Parks $250,000, the library district agreed to change its policies, including implementing a review process that gives librarians a voice in deciding which programs are offered.

“I think it's going to be a big help for librarians to be able to safely speak up,” said Parks."

How To Approach AI Adoption Ethically And Responsibly Within Your Organization; Forbes, September 24, 2023

  Rhett Power, Forbes; How To Approach AI Adoption Ethically And Responsibly Within Your Organization

"In order to take full advantage of everything AI technology has to offer, you must be careful and efficient when adding this technology to your organization’s processes. Luckily, you can do a few things to ensure a smooth and flawless transition. Here are four strategies that can pave the way for ethical implementation...

2. Remain up to date on all regulations.

In addition to establishing an AI ethics advisor, it is essential to remain current on the ever-evolving regulations surrounding the use of AI. As the technology advances rapidly, laws will be enacted to address ethical concerns and protect individuals’ rights. By proactively addressing potential problems related to privacy infringement or bias algorithms through adherence to regulations, organizations can foster a positive reputation while harnessing the benefits of AI innovation. Remaining current on all the regulations ensures your organization meets all legal requirements and industry standards.

Until legal requirements and industry standards are ironed out, you must aim to be as transparent as possible. “Currently, there is no way to peer into the inner workings of an AI tool and guarantee that the system is producing accurate or fair output,” says Tsedal Neeley, Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration and senior associate dean of faculty and research at Harvard Business School. “As a consequence, leaders should exercise careful judgment in determining when and how it’s appropriate to use AI, and they should document when and how AI is being used. That way people will know that an AI-driven decision was appraised with an appropriate level of skepticism, including its potential risks or shortcomings.”"

Kittanning Public Library director has been fired; The Leader Times, September 23, 2023

 Patrick Cloonan, The Leader Times; Kittanning Public Library director has been fired

"Less than three months after she assumed the role of director of the Kittanning Public Library, Suphavadi “Poom” Sunhachawi-Taylor has been fired...

Though, as she noted, the library had changeovers with three directors in the last two years, which she called a red flag, she had hoped to be there longer."

New S&S Program, Books Belong, Takes Aim at Book Bans; Publishers Weekly, September 20, 2023

  Jim Milliot , Publishers Weekly; New S&S Program, Books Belong, Takes Aim at Book Bans

"Simon & Schuster is introducing a new "multi-platform education and resources program," Books Belong, during this year's Banned Books Week (October 1-7), as part of an effort to expand the publisher's response to the book bans and challenges.

The program, the publisher said, will "highlight the merits of books that have been subject to bans and challenges and will provide educators, parents, librarians, and students with tools and resources" on how to "take action when faced with a challenge in their community" and "incorporate banned and challenged books into classroom, library, and family reading time." 

The initiative's website will host "reading group guides and videos, book lists, giveaways, exclusive author and expert content, and links to additional resources," S&S said, including those from Unite Against Book Bans and PEN America."

Former Weld County librarian wins settlement after district fired her for promoting LGBTQ, anti-racism programs; Colorado Public Radio (CPR), September 22, 2023

 Matt Bloom, Colorado Public Radio (CPR); Former Weld County librarian wins settlement after district fired her for promoting LGBTQ, anti-racism programs

"A former librarian will receive $250,000 from the High Plains Library District as part of a settlement in a lengthy civil rights dispute over her firing. 

Brooky Parks lost her job at Erie Community Library in 2021 after promoting anti-racism and LGBTQ history workshops for teens. The programming drew backlash from the district’s board of trustees, which oversees more than a dozen public libraries across Northern Colorado.

Members of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission signed off on the financial agreement on Friday, making it official. It also drops discrimination charges against the district and includes requirements that district leaders update their programming policies to be more inclusive. 

“I feel validated and really vindicated,” Parks said. “I think this sends a message to all libraries that there’s consequences for retaliation against people and that libraries are meant to serve all members of the community.”"

U.S. Senate Hearing: “Book Bans: Examining How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature”; InfoDocket, September 11, 2023

  Gary Price, InfoDocket; U.S. Senate Hearing: “Book Bans: Examining How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature”

"U.S. Senate Hearing: “Book Bans: Examining How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature”

 September 11, 2023 by Gary Price

UPDATED POST: Now Available: Video Recording and Prepared Testimony of the Hearing . Note: A keyword searchable version of the video recording is also available via the C-SPAN Video Library.

—End Update—


The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing, “Book Bans: Examining How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature” is scheduled to begin at 10:00am (Eastern) on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.

The hearing will be streamed live on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary website.

Witnesses List (as of September 11, 2023):

Max Eden
Research Fellow
American Enterprise Institute
Arlington, VA

Nicole Neily
President
Parents Defending Education
Arlington, VA

Cameron Samuels
Student, Brandeis University
Co-Founder, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas
Katy, TX

Emily Knox
Associate Professor
University of Illinois
Bloomington, IL

The Honorable Alexi Giannoulias
Secretary of State
State of Illinois
Chicago, IL

Hearing Web Page"

The U.N. plan to improve the world by 2030 is failing. Does that make it a failure?; NPR, September 21, 2023

 Michael Igoe, NPR; The U.N. plan to improve the world by 2030 is failing. Does that make it a failure?

"What if you made a self-improvement plan and failed to meet your goals.

Imagine that in a moment of unusual optimism and resolve, you decided that the only way you were ever going to be the healthy, happy and productive person you want to be was by writing down a detailed list of goals and committing to accomplish them in the next 15 years.

Now imagine that eight years later, more than halfway through your 15-year life improvement plan, not only are you way off track when it comes to accomplishing most of what you committed to, but in some cases you've even slid backward. Maybe you faced an unexpected illness. Maybe you suffered a crushing breakup. Maybe you got some bad financial advice. Maybe you just didn't try hard enough.

What would you conclude? Were your goals a waste of time or would you be even worse off today without them? Should you scrap your detailed plan or double down and try to make up for lost time?

That's about where 193 world leaders at the United Nations in New York find themselves this week as they take stock of the sobering state of the Sustainable Development Goals at their halfway point along the road to 2030...

In other words, maybe the only thing worse than failing to achieve the SDGs would be failing to ask how we once believed they might be possible."

Book Bans Are Rising Sharply in Public Libraries; The New York Times, September 21, 2023

Elizabeth A. Harris and Alexandra Alter, The New York Times ; Book Bans Are Rising Sharply in Public Libraries

"More than two years into a sharp rise in book challenges across the United States, restrictions are increasingly targeting public libraries, where they could affect not only the children’s section but also the books available to everyone in a community.

The shift comes amid a dramatic increase in efforts to remove books from libraries, according to a pair of new reports released this week from the American Library Association and PEN America, a free speech organization.

The A.L.A. found that nearly half the book challenges it tracked between January and August of this year took place in public libraries, up from 16 percent during the same period the year before. The association reported nearly 700 attempts to censor library materials, which targeted more than 1,900 individual titles — more than during the same period in 2022, a year that saw the most titles challenged since the organization began tracking the data.

Most of the challenged books were by or about people of color or L.G.B.T.Q. people.

“A year, a year and a half ago, we were told that these books didn’t belong in school libraries, and if people wanted to read them, they could go to a public library,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the director of the A.L.A.’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “Now, we’re seeing those same groups come to public libraries and come after the same books, essentially depriving everyone of the ability to make the choice to read them.”"

Ariana Grande, Guillermo del Toro, Padma Lakshmi and More Sign Open Letter Denouncing Book Bans and Their “Chilling Effect” (Exclusive); The Hollywood Reporter, September 19, 2023

 Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter; Ariana Grande, Guillermo del Toro, Padma Lakshmi and More Sign Open Letter Denouncing Book Bans and Their “Chilling Effect” (Exclusive)

"The letter encourages signatories and readers to address challenges at the local level across U.S. school districts, while calling out book bans as “restrictive behavior” that is “antithetical to free speech and expression.” It also underscores the “chilling effect” these bans can have “on the broader creative field.”...

“It’s embarrassing that we are banning books in this country, in this culture, in this day and age. And it’s dangerous that a handful of individuals are deciding that any book with Black and queer people is divisive,” said Burton, executive producer of the 2023 documentary The Right to Read. “We are calling on everyone to join us in raising their voices to uphold artistic freedom, embrace multicultural history and put a stop once and for all to book bans.”"

ANALYSIS: Professional Integrity Tops Lawyers’ Ethics Wish List; Bloomberg Law News, September 20, 2023

 Melissa Heelan, Bloomberg Law News ; ANALYSIS: Professional Integrity Tops Lawyers’ Ethics Wish List

"Lawyers have undergone some soul-searching in the wake of election fraud cases and the Jan. 6 raid on the US Capitol. So it stands to reason that they chose “maintaining the integrity of the profession” as the legal ethics category most in need of revision, according to a recent Bloomberg Law survey. 

The respondents, both in-house and law firm lawyers, also said that they want to see more guidance on artificial intelligence and technology.

The American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct, which provide the basis for state ethics rules, are divided into eight categories (in addition to a preamble), each comprised of anywhere between three (Counselor) and 18 (Client-Lawyer Relationship) rules."

A plot twist in the misguided efforts to shut down Dayton’s library; The Seattle Times, September 17, 2023

Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board , The Seattle Times; A plot twist in the misguided efforts to shut down Dayton’s library

"Don’t put that book down just yet — the sad saga of an irrational initiative to close the public library in Dayton has taken a hopeful turn.

Columbia County Superior Court Commissioner Julie Karl has issued an injunction that temporarily blocks the asinine measure — which calls for the dissolution of the county’s whole library system — from being placed on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Good.

Karl’s order holds until a Wednesday hearing that will consider whether the measure would cause harm to public services and deprive Dayton city taxpayers of their voting rights."

Warren County tries to control local library in LGBTQ+ book debate; The Washington Post, September 15, 2023

  Gregory S. Schneider, The Washington Post; Warren County tries to control local library in LGBTQ+ book debate

"Warren County supervisors, under pressure from a group of conservative activists who want to remove LGBTQ+ materials from children’s sections of the library, withheld three-quarters of Samuels’s operating funds from the budget that went into effect July 1. Library leaders tightened parental controls, but the activists’ attacks broadened, until the county proposed a fundamental change in the way the library operates.

If the library cedes greater control to the county over which books stay and go, the budget woes would go away. But the Samuels board of trustees voted 11-1 Thursday to stand their ground, defending their book selection policies as protecting the interests of vulnerable minority groups in the community and fairly representing everyone.

“We don’t want to get sued and we don’t want to discriminate,” Melody Hotek, president of the board of trustees, said earlier in an interview with The Washington Post. “So we’re holding the line.”

The standoff in Front Royal is the first example in Virginia of attacks on books threatening the operation of a public library. Most fights over literature have taken place in school libraries, part of a national movement by conservative activists seeking to ban or restrict access to books they find objectionable. A few other Virginia counties have wrestled with objections to LGBTQ+ or sexually explicit content in public libraries, but none has yet resulted in a battle for funding."

Republican candidate for Missouri governor vows to burn books after viral flamethrower video; The Kansas City Star, September 18, 2023

 KACEN BAYLESS , The Kansas City Star; Republican candidate for Missouri governor vows to burn books after viral flamethrower video

"Eigel’s remarkable comment promising to burn books comes as he embarks on a campaign for governor attempting to appeal to the staunch right wing of the Missouri Republican Party. Public book burnings typically illustrate extreme censorship related to political, cultural and religious materials. They often invoke historic atrocities such as burning of Jewish texts in Nazi Germany or racist bonfires by the Ku Klux Klan."

Red states quit nation’s oldest library group amid culture war over books; The Washington Post, September 17, 2023

Hannah Natanson, The Washington Post ; Red states quit nation’s oldest library group amid culture war over books

"The American Library Association is facing a partisan firefight unlike anything in its almost 150-year history."

What You Need to Know About the Book Bans Sweeping the U.S.; Teachers College, Columbia University, September 6, 2023

Morgan Gilbard , Teachers College, Columbia University; What You Need to Know About the Book Bans Sweeping the U.S.

"What Could Happen Next?

American schools stand at a critical inflection point, and amid this heated debate, Rebell sees civil discourse at school board meetings as a paramount starting point for any sort of resolution. “This mounting crisis can serve as a motivator to bring people together to try to deal with our differences in respectful ways and to see how much common ground can be found on the importance of exposing all of our students to a broad range of ideas and experiences,” says Rebell. “Carve-outs can also be found for allowing parents who feel really strongly that certain content is inconsistent with their religious or other values to exempt their children from certain content without limiting the options for other children.”

But students, families and educators also have the opportunity to speak out, explains Douglass, who expressed concern for how her own daughter is affected by book bans. 

“I’d like to see a groundswell movement to reclaim the nation's commitment to education — to recognize that we're experiencing growing pains and changes in terms of what we stand for; and whether or not we want to live up to the democratic ideal of freedom of speech; different ideas in the marketplace, and a commitment to civics education and political participation,” says Douglass. 

As publishers and librarians file lawsuits to push back, students are also mobilizing to protest bans — from Texas to western New York and elsewhere. But as more local battles unfold, bigger issues remain unsolved. 

“We need to have a conversation as a nation about healing; about being able to confront the past; about receiving an apology and beginning that process of reconciliation,” says Douglass. “Until we tackle that head on, we'll continue to have these types of battles.”"

Madison Public Library Invites Community Input for Strategic Planning; City of Madison, August 24, 2023

City of Madison; Madison Public Library Invites Community Input for Strategic Planning

"Madison Public Library leadership seeks community input through September 30 to develop a three-year strategic plan for library services. Community members can participate in one of two ways:

• Complete a short, 11-minute survey through September 30, online or at any Madison Public Library.
• Attend a 90-minute virtual feedback session, September 20, 12-1:30pm

Links to both survey and virtual feedback session are at https://madpl.org/strategicplan 

“Public input is so essential to helping us create a plan that ensures library services, collections and programs meet a variety of diverse community needs, now and in the future,” said Greg Mickells, Library Director. “We encourage everyone – from daily library users to those who’ve never set foot in our libraries – to share what’s important to them through this quick survey or by participating with folks across the city through the virtual feedback session.”

Madison Public Library has partnered with The Care Plan to guide the strategic planning process. Survey and virtual feedback session information will be anonymized and summarized, along with staff feedback, library use data, and larger national trends, to create a strategic plan that will guide library service priorities for the next three years. The final strategic plan will be shared with the public in winter of 2023." 

New Livonia library director hired, will oversee strategic planning process; Hometown Life, September 11, 2023

 Shelby Tankersley, Hometown Life; New Livonia library director hired, will oversee strategic planning process

"Kristen Edson took over as Livonia's library director earlier this month, and she's happy to be back in her home state. The Swartz Creek native was drawn back to Michigan from her former job in Louisiana by family. She's looking forward to getting to know Livonia better in the coming months....

One of her first tasks as director will be to oversee a strategic planning process for Livonia's three libraries, one of which has been closed for years due to mold. The first step is a resident survey, which Edson expects to send out next month. The city hired libraryIQ to lead the effort and expects the process to run through March of next year.

"It’s about what the community wants," Edson said. "I’m interested in going through an in-depth strategic planning process. I’m looking forward to really getting into the weeds and really learning about the community more through that process.""

Inside Clean Up Alabama’s plan to jail librarians for giving LGBTQ+ books to kids; Alabama Political Reporter, September 7, 2023

  JACOB HOLMES, Alabama Political Reporter; Inside Clean Up Alabama’s plan to jail librarians for giving LGBTQ+ books to kids

"At Tuesday’s council meeting, Prattville residents affiliated with Clean Up Alabama, which began as Clean Up Prattville, pleaded with the council that their solutions were a “common sense” approach to inappropriate materials for minors.

But the local goals are just one part of a three-prong plan that Clean Up Alabama has to push the issue across the state, according to meeting minutes included in an email to subscribers.

The minutes detailed the group’s local goals, as well as its goals with the Alabama Public Library Service, primarily to dissociate from the American Library Association. Gov. Kay Ivey has sent a letter to APLS Director Dr. Nancy Pack expressing concerns that closely follow Clean-Up Alabama’s push over LGBTQ materials in library spaces intended for minors.

But the meeting also included three state legislative goals, which go much further than simply severing any ties with the ALA or asking librarians to move books to an adult section."

13 presidential libraries from Hoover to Obama warn of fragile state of U.S. democracy; Associated Press via PBS, September 7, 2023

  Gary Fields, Associated Press via PBS; 13 presidential libraries from Hoover to Obama warn of fragile state of U.S. democracy

"Concern for U.S. democracy amid deep national polarization has prompted the entities supporting 13 presidential libraries dating back to Herbert Hoover to call for a recommitment to the country’s bedrock principles, including the rule of law and respecting a diversity of beliefs.

The statement released Thursday, the first time the libraries have joined to make such a public declaration, said Americans have a strong interest in supporting democratic movements and human rights around the world because “free societies elsewhere contribute to our own security and prosperity here at home.”

“But that interest,” it said, “is undermined when others see our own house in disarray.”

The joint message from presidential centers, foundations and institutes emphasized the need for compassion, tolerance and pluralism while urging Americans to respect democratic institutions and uphold secure and accessible elections."

Tommy Tuberville Calls U.S. Military Leaders 'Woke' For Opposing Him; Newsweek, September 7, 2023

 JAMES BICKERTON , Newsweek; Tommy Tuberville Calls U.S. Military Leaders 'Woke' For Opposing Him

"The people up here in the Pentagon, I don't know what they do every day but they're more of giving advice.""

Three service secretaries to Tuberville: Stop this dangerous hold on senior officers; The Washington Post, September 4, 2023

Carlos Del Toro

, 

Frank Kendall

 and 

Christine Wormuth

 , The Washington Post; Three service secretaries to Tuberville: Stop this dangerous hold on senior officers

"Carlos Del Toro is secretary of the Navy. Frank Kendall is secretary of the Air Force. Christine Wormuth is secretary of the Army...

Three of our five military branches — the Army, Navy and Marine Corps — have no Senate-confirmed service chief in place. Instead, these jobs — and dozens of others across the force — are being performed by acting officials without the full range of legal authorities necessary to make the decisions that will sustain the United States’ military edge.

Across the services, many generals and admirals are being forced to perform two roles simultaneously. The strain of this double duty places a real and unfair burden on these officers, the organizations they lead and their families.

The blanket hold is also exacting a personal toll on those who least deserve it."

Book ban push fuels library exodus from national association that stands up for books; Associated Press via ABC News, September 5, 2023

MEAD GRUVER, Associated Press via ABC News ; Book ban push fuels library exodus from national association that stands up for books

"Kleinman last month launched an alternative to the ALA, the World Library Association, which he said will offer new policy guidelines for libraries.

“We’re going to return things to commonplace, community standards,” Kleinman said.

Butler and Campbell County Library Board Chairwoman Sage Bear, who did not return phone and email messages seeking comment, have joined as “team members” of the World Library Association. Butler said he hoped the new association will eventually offer librarian continuing education that Campbell County can no longer provide through the ALA.

So far, state library associations — private, professional organizations that resemble the American Library Association, but on a state level — are sticking with the American Library Association. Wyoming librarians don’t always see eye-to-eye with the ALA but the Wyoming Library Association has no plans to cut ties, President Conrrado Saldivar said."

Marines’ top general ‘ruthlessly’ rides out Tuberville’s military hold; The Washington Post, September 4, 2023

Dan Lamothe , The Washington Post; Marines’ top general ‘ruthlessly’ rides out Tuberville’s military hold

"“The dirty little secret to being in command is that if you do it right, it’s not very fun,” he said. “It’s very rewarding. But it’s not very fun."