Welcome to Check Your Shelf. I have my next COVID vaccine scheduled for Saturday afternoon, and even though I’ve yet to experience any negative side effects from the vaccine, I’m still clearing my schedule (and the couch) for the weekend. We’ve had a couple people at work come down with COVID in the last month, and I have no desire to repeat my experiences from last year.
Anyway, in lighter news, autumn is here, which means it’s time to curl up with a great read! Whether it’s romance, creepy reads, modern classics, or escapist reads you crave, TBR can help you find the perfect books for your fall reading, with options curated to your specific reading tastes.
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
Montana State Library Commission votes to eliminate the master’s degree requirement for large library directors.
Cool Library Updates
L.A. Libraries are supporting the next generation of Latino authors.
The adult education classes at the Saginaw Public Library (TX) have received such great word-of-mouth marketing that they have a waitlist of over 40 patrons.
A closer look at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Jay-Z exhibit.
Book Adaptations in the News
Jessica Knoll’s latest novel, Bright Young Women, is getting a TV adaptation.
Martin Scorcese and Leonardo DiCaprio will team up again for another David Grann adaptation — this time, it’s for The Wager.
The Hunting Wives by May Cobb gets a Starz greenlight.
Roku Channel acquired The Spiderwick Chronicles after it was canceled at Disney+.
Censorship News
Parents who believe librarians should be prosecuted for library materials: what else do they think?
Scholastic released an extremely spineless statement about their choice to make diverse books optional in their school book fair selections. And now librarians are seeking other alternatives for book fairs, while PEN America has urged Scholastic to explore other options than…you know…outright censorship.
There was another federal-level committee hearing on Thursday, October 19, about books in school libraries. Although this newsletter was published before any significant reports from the hearing were released, the name of the hearing was “Protecting Kids: Combating Graphic, Explicit Content in School Libraries,” which should tell you everything you need to know.
Two national parties consider resolutions in support of the right to read in American libraries.
The appeal in the Texas book rating case has been delayed by three weeks.
(Paywalled) Katy ISD (TX) halts all library book purchases, and new books are put into storage.
A transgender student, her crusading mother, and an English teacher caught in the middle. (Texas).
Plano ISD (TX) Superintendent Therese Williams has apparently bought into the idea that school libraries contain sexually explicit materials, and she has called on the district to review its relevant policies.
Banned Books USA announces a new initiative to provide free access to banned books for Florida residents and educators. However, a lack of physical books isn’t the problem, and it doesn’t do anything to address the strategies that the bigots ARE using, which is focusing on policy and legislation to achieve their ends.
Daytona Beach (FL) residents are concerned that a city-sponsored book fair will offer access to banned books.
Nearly 80 titles have been pulled from Charlotte County (FL) public school libraries for review.
Seminole County (FL) schools pulled 31 books, not because they were challenged directly, but because other schools had pulled them.
“Faith-affiliated groups have employed citizens to read excerpts from ‘sexually explicit books’ at this week’s St. Tammany Parish School Board meeting, shifting book restriction efforts from the parish’s public library scene to its public school district.”
“Schools in the Bonny Eagle School District [ME] have begun taking steps to ensure that underage students are not accessing age-inappropriate material in the school library without parental consent.” Stop framing news articles as if this is a reasonable action for schools and libraries to take!!
“High school novel stirs controversy among Three Village [NY] parents.” Here, let me rewrite this headline for you: “Three Village parents manufacture outrage and controversy over age-appropriate book.” The book in question is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
A New Jersey librarian shares a trick for educators fighting book censorship: the book resume.
Is Pennridge (PA) secretly banning books? Pay for a subscription to find out! (This article is paywalled.)
(Paywalled) Two LGBTQ+ books have been removed from Central Bucks School (PA) for “violating policy.”
Wood County (WV) Library is updating their collection development policy to include the following updates for challenging materials: All challenges must come from active cardholders. Challenges are limited to two titles at a time, and both must be submitted separately. ALSO! “The library will make an announcement when titles are challenged to enable public input.” This is pretty damn solid.
The challenged books in Carroll County (MD) are largely written by women and feature LGBTQ+ characters.
23 additional books have been removed from Spotsylvania (VA) school libraries, where one of the board trustees has publicly called for sexually explicit books to be burned. He’s now the board chair.
Catawba County (NC) schools will be restricting access to A Court of Thorns and Roses in the high school libraries and will be removing A Court of Mist and Fury altogether.
At the Burke County (NC) Board of Education meeting, book banners literally bussed in people to complain about a number of books in school libraries. You know, the tactic that right-wingers love to accuse liberals of doing?
I’m just going to borrow Kelly Jensen’s wording from her censorship roundup because I can’t top this: “From the photo caption, without the photo, I want you to guess what the person looks like: ‘Retired teacher Shirley Redford of Newport speaks in support of the Parents’ Bill of Rights recently adopted by the NC General Assembly and encourages Board of Education members and administrators to ensure age-appropriate books are used in county public schools and media centers.’ If your guess was older, white, and wearing a bedazzled ‘USA’ bracelet, then you know all you need to on this story (NC).”
The South Carolina Department of Education has drafted a proposal for a new regulation that would give the state, not local school boards, authority over school and classroom library materials.
Alabama governor Kay Ivey wants to implement statewide legislation that ties funding to book policies, but in this case, she wants the policies to restrict library access, and libraries can lose funding if they…you know…offer information access to everyone.
A Saline County (AR) judge has fired the county library director after she refused to remove books from the children’s section. Please remember that this is the same area where officials gave the county judge power over library staffing, budget, and operations back in August, and several people expressed concerns that this would lead to the director being fired.
A Wilson County (TN) resident put in a public records request to see who has been behind the growing number of book challenges. Although the news outlet had not obtained a copy of the request by the time the article was published, the resident who initially requested the information said that all of the book challenges, with one exception, are coming from people who don’t have children or grandchildren in the school system. Quelle surprise.
The Northern Kentucky chapter of Moms for Liberty showed up at the state library association to protest ALA president Emily Drabinsky for being a Marxist lesbian.
The Clean Up Ida Rupp (OH) group is pushing for the library to remove “sexually explicit” books from the teen section and is now asking voters to reject the library’s upcoming levy.
A former Michigan teacher posted a TikTok about banned books, and now the school that she hasn’t worked at since 2021 has received threats thanks to “Libs of TikTok.”
The Caro Area District Library (MI) board has denied appeals to relocate three sex-ed books.
“The Great Falls City Commission [MI] voted 3-2 to appoint an anti-library levy applicant to the Great Falls Public Library board.” They’re just saying the quiet parts out loud now, aren’t they?
A Marathon County (WI) supervisor has proposed pulling the library system’s funding because he doesn’t approve of some of the books. Not surprisingly, an attorney had already determined back in January that this would be illegal and not a great look for the county.
The ACLU has condemned the Yorkville School Board (IL) for removing Just Mercy from classrooms.
(Paywalled) A library grant tied to Illinois’ anti-book ban law raises red flags for the Huntley District 158 school board.
A group of Muslim parents have threatened to remove their children from DaVinci Academy (MN) if the school does not remove a number of picture books that feature LGBTQ characters.
Book ban attempts are on the rise in Minnesota schools.
After the Pella Public Library (IA) refused to remove Gender Queer, the city council now wants to have more control over library policies and decisions and wants to reduce the influence of the existing library board to that of an advisory committee with no formal power. Residents will have a chance to vote on this proposed change in November.
A grim look at how the recent Iowa state legislation has negatively impacted the school districts that share space and collections with the public library.
A Colorado court ruled that if requests for reconsideration forms are FOIAed, they cannot include information about the people or groups who submitted the form.
“Colorado libraries face increasing requests to remove or limit access to books and programming.”
Hundreds of people turned out for a Cherry Creek School board meeting (CO), the vast majority of whom came to support the schools and to stand against the “politicized misinformation” spread by the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network.
A federal judge has extended the injunction against Montana’s Drag Story Hour ban. “The judge chided state defendants for promoting the idea that exposure to LGBTQ+ individuals is harmful to children.”
Visalia Unified School District (CA) will retain 13 challenged books.
Books & Authors in the News
Nobel Prize-winning poet Louise Glück has died at 80.
Actress and author Suzanne Somers has died at 76.
Numbers & Trends
Library Journal has published the results of their annual Placements and Salaries Survey.
The best-selling books of the week.
Washington Irving’s final published manuscript goes on sale.
Award News
LeVar Burton has replaced Drew Barrymore as the 2023 National Book Awards host.
The winners of the 2023 Kirkus Prize have been announced.
The longlists for the 2024 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction & Nonfiction have been announced.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
How the humble paperback helped win World War II.
Book Riot has podcasts to keep your ears listening for days! Check them out and subscribe.
On the Riot
The joys of checking cookbooks out from the library.
Great Halloween activities for your school library.
How working in a library healed this Rioter’s inner child.
For $150,000, you could own a former Carnegie library! (But it needs work.)
The bookish life of Mandy Patinkin.
How to read through a reading slump.
Why does reading to ambient sound make reading better?
Gilbert didn’t like that I was Zooming in for our monthly board meeting because I wasn’t paying sufficient attention to him. (Also, please ignore the bald patches above his eyes. He has allergies and likes to scratch his face on literally everything in front of him.)
All right, friends, it’s the weekend! I’ll see you on Tuesday!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.