Welcome to Check Your Shelf. At my library, we have a ton of staff who have been out sick, but not from COVID…y’all, this cold and flu season has been ROUGH and there are still a bunch of nasty strains going around. I’m still masking at work for COVID reasons, but I’d be lying if I said this year’s cold & flu season wasn’t a major factor as well.
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Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
A federal judge has ruled in favor of the publishers in the lawsuit against the Internet Archive.
ALA has issued a statement condemning ongoing physical threats to library staff. And once again, the statement doesn’t include any examples of concrete actions that ALA will take in order to protect staff.
Worth Reading
Using statistics to establish library goals and strategies.
5 questions for better storytime planning.
Book Adaptations in the News
James Patterson signs a “first look” deal with Skydance TV, which will adapt Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, and other Patterson series.
White Lotus star Will Sharpe will direct the film adaptation of Crying in H Mart.
Killers of the Flower Moon gets an October release date.
Emily Henry’s Book Lovers is being adapted into a movie.
You has been renewed for its fifth and final season.
Cillian Murphy is starring in the adaptation of Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These. (You had me at Cillian Murphy.)
CJ Tudor’s debut horror novel, The Chalk Man, is being adapted as a series.
TJ Newman is adapting her debut thriller, Falling.
A24 is adapting Young Mungo as a TV series.
Force of Nature: The Dry 2 will hit theaters in Australia in August.
The trailer for the Bridgerton prequel, Queen Charlotte, has been released.
13 adaptations that are BETTER than the books.
Censorship News
Are literary agents seeing changes in publishing with the increase in book bans?
ALA reports a dramatic increase in book ban attempts in 2022.
A national poll shows that the majority of Americans support the freedom to read.
The “culture wars” are energizing feminist bookstores.
Trixie Mattel, Bob the Drag Queen, and other drag performers announced a new “Drag Isn’t Dangerous” campaign in partnership with other LGBTQ media organizations. And if you’re a fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race like I am, Jinkx Monsoon, Katya, Ginger Minj, and MORE Drag Race alums are also connected with the campaign.
Clear Creek ISD (TX) introduces new book challenge policies, which will allow parents and community members to “challenge any instructional or library book they believe violates a new set of guidelines, which include examples such as promoting or endorsing race or sex stereotyping or race or sex scapegoating.” (Sex and race scapegoating are defined as “assigning fault, blame or bias to a race or sex, or to members of a race or sex because of their race or sex.” So, nothing that implies that white people have a history of being racist.)
League City (TX) residents are literally lining up to be a part of the Helen Hall Library’s new Community Standards Review Committee, although some of the applicants have indicated that they very much oppose the committee and new policy, and want to make sure that the books aren’t just unilaterally removed.
A Twitter thread of challenges and complaints happening in this Texas school district.
Alice Oseman, author of the Heartstopper graphic novel series, slams the thriving homophobia that has pushed some schools and libraries to remove her books.
A Florida professor says his contract was terminated for teaching about racial justice.
Over 80 books have been removed from Martin County School (FL) library shelves. But I want to highlight this quote from Grace Linn, a 100-year-old resident who spoke in favor of keeping the books: “‘Fear is not freedom. Fear is not liberty. Fear is control,” she said. “My husband died as a father of freedom. I am a mother of liberty. Banned books need to be proudly displayed and protected from School Board choices.’”
No books were removed at a seven hour special board meeting for Escambia County Schools (FL), although access to several were restricted. A choice quote from a local reverend: “Rev. Rick Branch of the First United Methodist Church said a full on ban of the books would be a ‘death by a thousand paper cuts.’ He also reminded the school board that last time they removed books, it was on ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.’ “‘It’s almost never a good sign for John Oliver to be interested in you,’ he said. ‘(The books) are a chance students have for belonging. A chance they have for understanding. Stop taking away their identities. Their lifelines.’” Good rule to live by: It’s never a good sign when John Oliver is interested in you.
Florida charter school principal Hope Carrasquilla says she was forced to resign from the Tallahassee Classical School after parents complained about a lesson featuring Michaelangelo’s “David.“
Louisiana school librarian Amanda Jones receives the American Association of School Librarians’ Intellectual Freedom Award.
Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins has suggested replacing public libraries with “church-owned” alternatives. I wish I was making this up.
A look at how Mississippi author Angie Thomas’ books have been removed from multiple Mississippi schools and libraries.
An Auburn (AL) citizen accused the public library staff of grooming children, and another took it upon herself to just bring a stack of books to the police to have them investigate for distribution of pornography.
What happened when Arkansas Rep. Stephen Meeks challenged It’s Perfectly Normal at the Faulkner County Library.
You Know, Sex is being challenged at the Conway Public Library (AR).
Several parents at Guilford Public Schools (NH) are pushing for several LGBTQ books to be removed, although none of the parents have filled out the official reconsideration forms. Shocker.
Bow High School (NH) will keep Gender Queer.
An Elwood Middle School board meeting (NY) drew a significant police presence due to heated discussion over the removal of two LGBTQ books.
Hilton (NY) schools received two bomb threats in response to This Book is Gay being on library shelves.
Parents are upset that Fun Home is being used in West Morris Regional High School District (NJ) senior English Lit classes.
“Suffield First Selectman Colin Moll was criticized this week by a handful of residents for his decision to remove a children’s book about pronouns from a display at Kent Public Library [CT].” Yeah, because that’s censorship.
Three LGBTQ books are being challenged at Staples High School (CT) because they were featured on a banned books display.
Central York schools (PA) debate whether or not removing two books should be considered a ban.
The Telford (PA) community debates library content and funding at a recent council meeting. There is so much ridiculousness in here that I’d like to quote, but I don’t have room for all of it, so just read the article.
Central Bucks School District (PA) spent over $250,000 to defuse anti-LGBTQ criticism.
Pender County Schools (NC) have permanently removed seven books with several more under review. The removal list put forward by Concerned Citizens of Pender County initially came from the Pavement Education Project, a “nonpartisan” North Carolina group designed to alert parents to the presence of supposedly obscene materials in public schools.
A Spartanburg (SC) resident thinks that the picture book My Family, Your Family is confusing because it illustrates a child with two fathers, and one of the fathers is carrying a purse. This is one of several LGBTQ books for children that are being challenged.
The Haters will be removed from Beaufort County schools (SC).
13 Reasons Why will stay in Forsyth County Schools (GA).
A Connecticut man has been arrested for making a false bomb threat against the Hendersonville Public Library in Tennessee. This is the same library where the director was fired in connection to a Kirk Cameron story time, and the story got coverage on Fox News. Is there a connection between that coverage and the subsequent threats? You tell me.
I’m paywalled from the full article, but Forest Hills Public Schools (MI) are implementing a new system that gives parents control over what their children read, similar to what other school districts have implemented, and similar to the types of systems that very few parents choose to participate in.
A Creekside Elementary (WI) parent talks to the board about a cease and desist letter she received after she sent an email to the principal accusing him of “borderline grooming” for sharing an audio recording of him reading a book about a transgender child.
The Illinois House has passed the bill that would ban book bans in the state.
A new government reorganization bill in Iowa would significantly diminish the power and authority of the Iowa Commission of Libraries.
Meanwhile in Iowa, the Sioux City Community School District “allowed itself to be bullied into removing a book from school libraries after being mentioned by far-right extremist Chaya Raichik and her Libs of TikTok account despite having established procedures around library materials.” And thanked her on Twitter for bringing it to their attention.
Kalona Public Library (IA) received a challenge against Gender Queer.
Indianola School Board (IA) undergoes a lengthy word choice discussion in their policy around challenged books, and includes comments from a married couple that have ties to Moms for Liberty.
Columbia Public School (MO) board candidate Chuck Basye is basing his campaign around trying to get the graphic novel Flamer removed from school libraries.
Macon County (MO) commissioners are pushing for the public library to withdraw from a regional ILL consortium over LGBTQ books.
Rapid City Area Schools Board of Education (SD) is considering a policy change for restricting materials, because one of the board members thinks that the increase in emails she’s receiving about inappropriate books are indicative of a larger community concern, and not the result of a coordinated attack on free speech and education.
The Oklahoma State Department of Education is pushing to revoke teaching certificate of the former Norman Public Schools teacher who shared a QR code linked to the Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned resource with her students.
Nearly 700 people show up for the hearing regarding the status of the Meridian Library District in Idaho. And a recent analysis of residents’ comments show that the majority of citizens support the library, outnumbering critics 52-3.
The Bible has been challenged in Davis County (UT) schools.
40 books have been pulled from the shelves at Canby Public Schools (OR).
An investigation uncovers communication about a ban of Heritage Month displays at the Orem City Library (OR).
The San Francisco Public Library hosts its first ever Freedom to Learn summit for high school students, led by PEN America.
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (CA) is considering a ban on Persepolis.
Anchorage Public Library board voted to send the book Let’s Talk About It to the city attorney to determine if it violated state and local code.
Books & Authors in the News
Agatha Christie is the latest author to get a sensitivity update from publishers, similar to Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming.
Tomie dePaola will be featured on an official U.S. postage stamp on May 5th.
Numbers & Trends
The bestselling books of the week
Oprah’s book club by the numbers
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Award News
President Biden awarded the 2021 National Humanities Medals last week.
Margo Jefferson wins the 2023 Rathbones Folio Prize for Constructing a Nervous System.
The 2023 National Book Critics Circle Award winners have been announced.
The Dylan Thomas Prize shortlist has been announced.
Pop Cultured
If you loved Poker Face, check out these other shows that influenced the series.
On the Riot
What happened to vlog adaptations of books?
Is this an artsy shot of a cat waiting for snuggles? Or an ominous shot of a cat trying to intimidate its owner into giving it an early mid-afternoon snack? Who’s to say?
Okay, please stay healthy out there, everyone! And wash those hands! I’ll see you all next week.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.