Welcome to Check Your Shelf, where it is snowing in Chicago land. Well, sort of. The rain-snow mix turned into a downpour of ice pellets earlier this evening, and as mild as our winter has been this year, I am officially OVER all this snow in April.
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Libraries & Librarians
Cool Library Updates
The state of library streaming services.
Worth Reading
Harvard removes a binding of human skin from a book in its library. Not a sentence I expected to type in this newsletter.
Book Adaptations in the News
Kerry Washington and Elisabeth Moss are starring in Imperfect Women, based on the book by Araminta Hall.
The Last Thing He Told Me has been renewed for a second season, which will be based on the upcoming sequel.
Alexandra Tanner’s debut novel Worry will be adapted for TV.
Killing Eve is coming to Netflix in April.
The life-changing magic of Ten Things I Hate About You.
Here’s the trailer for Turtles All the Way Down.
Censorship News
How public libraries are being targeted, apart from books.
Some of the proposed anti-book ban bills have raised concerns about the penalties that libraries could face.
The graphic novel Banned Book Club, about a dictator’s book bans in 1980s Korea, faces restrictions in today’s America.
“A West Texas school board received death threats from a person angry about certain books in campus libraries, which they called ‘porn and other degenerate filth.’”
Lake Travis ISD (TX) has banned The Haters from the high school library.
Speakers demand the removal of “pornographic” books from Fort Bend ISD (TX) schools. Well, I’ve got good news for them! Schools don’t stock pornographic books! Problem solved!
How this NYC high school uses banned books for their sophomore English curriculum.
Upper Adams School District (PA) is considering a policy proposal that would restrict materials containing “sexual content, profanity, and content that ‘disparage[s] religious beliefs.’” Something tells me that they’re primarily concerned with only one particular set of religious beliefs here…
(Paywalled): The South Middleton School Board (PA) removed a social justice internet resource from a strategic planning document about the district’s counseling services. Because social justice has no place in student counseling, apparently.
The Quarryville Public Library (PA) preemptively canceled a fundraising event after the nearby Lancaster Public Library received a bomb threat over their Drag Queen Story Hour program.
“Frederick County’s School Board Chairman Edward ‘Scott; Sturdivant said at last week’s board meeting that he is still taking aim at certain books in the division’s libraries, which was one of his campaign promises…‘[L]et me assure you now. I will get those sexually explicit adult content books removed from our libraries if it’s the last thing that I ever do, and you can bank on that,’ he said.” He has a list of books that’s apparently over 100 pages long.
(Paywalled): Bible remains in Hanover County (VA) school libraries, despite challenges.
Buncombe County Schools (NC) have removed Tricks from library shelves, plus an update on the other books that have been challenged in the district.
Pickens County (SC) Library Board declined to move Drama from the juvenile collection.
“The Greenville County [SC] library board voted to move three of the four books discussed in a meeting on Monday to different sections of the county libraries. Each book being moved has LGBTQ+ themes.“ This is my shocked face.
Georgia’s bill to make it illegal for schools and public libraries to accept ALA funding is dead in the water.
Nearly all of the public comments submitted in response to Alabama’s proposed library administrative code changes have been in opposition to said changes.
The chaos at the Autauga-Prattville Public Library (AL) continues. This time, the assistant director was fired by text message, while on medical leave, and she had been disciplined the day after she went on leave for speaking to the press about how the board violated the Open Meetings Act. This all smells really, really bad.
Louisiana HB 777 would criminalize librarians and libraries who join the American Library Association.
Ohio book bans are on the rise.
Pastors and “others” are circulating a petition for “age-appropriate” standards at Alpena County Library (MI). At least one of the “others” is a member of the local Salvation Army, and I guarantee that none of these people have the expertise of library staff.
“The board last month began reviewing how the library operates as some members ponder whether it is the staff’s responsibility to supervise children who are on the property.” This is at the Iron River Public Library in Wisconsin, and STAFF CANNOT BE MADE TO SUPERVISE CHILDREN ON LIBRARY PROPERTY!! How loudly do I have to shout this?? How far will parents go in an effort to push their parenting responsibilities on other people? (The main point of the article is about potentially prohibiting children’s access to LGBTQ+ books, but I couldn’t let this other point slide.)
Heather Ann Thompson, author of Blood in the Water, sued the state of Illinois after she donated copies of her book to incarcerated people and had several of them returned by the prisons due to “security concerns.” She won the lawsuit, and now she’s sent copies of the book to every prison library in the state.
(Paywalled): Few North Dakota libraries report relocating books from children’s sections as a result of the state’s new law.
Greeley-Evans School District 6 (CO) will keep The God of Small Things in the high school library.
The Flathead County Library (MT, formerly ImagineIF Libraries) is set to decide whether or not they should remove their young adult collections entirely.
Laurel Public Schools (MT) voted to keep three books off library shelves.
The Washoe County Commission (NV) named a former school librarian to the Library Board after 87 (!!!) people applied for the position.
The proposed changes to the Huntington Beach Public Library (CA) draw a lot of opposition.
“Fresno County residents have one more month to apply for a new, controversial committee charged with reviewing library books to ensure they ‘meet community standards.’” OMG, when will we start valuing and respecting professional expertise again??
The Mat-Su Borough Assembly (AK) wants to create a citizen’s advisory committee to review challenged books in the public library. Meanwhile, the Mat-Su School District has removed two more books from the library and a federal judge is set to decide on whether or not the district has to return dozens of books that were removed from library shelves.
And finally, here are some choice banned book stickers. I personally love the “I do not co-parent with fascist Karens” sticker.
Numbers & Trends
Ebook and digital audiobook use is up 286% in K-12 schools since 2019.
The best-selling books of the week.
Award News
Bethany Jacobs wins the 2024 Philip K. Dick Award for These Burning Stars.
Claire Jiménez’s What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez wins the 2024 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.
Here are the finalists for the 2024 Lambda Literary Awards.
The shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction has been released.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
Electric Lit has the winner for their March Sadness bracket. (March Sadness is how I feel when my husband has March Madness games on all weekend.)
On the Riot
7 reasons why you shouldn’t date a reader.
Oh boy, do I have a sweet guest kitty for this newsletter!! Meet Oliver, aka Cat #5 for my parents! This poor little guy had a really rough time before he was taken in by a local shelter, and my mom fell in love with him. He absolutely loves people, and this picture was taken less than 6 hours after my parents brought him home, so you can see he’s made himself quite comfortable! I can’t wait to meet this gorgeous guy!
Well, that’s all I’ve got for this week. Check back on Tuesday, when it’ll hopefully be a more seasonably-appropriate temperature.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.