Welcome to Check Your Shelf. My husband sent me this TikTok and all I can say is please…please…don’t be late to work on the first day of summer reading.
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Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
Inside libraries’ battle for better eBook access.
Book Adaptations in the News
Universal Television has acquired the rights to Jana Monroe’s memoir, Hearts of Darkness: Serial Killers, The Behavioral Science Unit, And My Life As a Woman In The FBI.
Alice Sadie Celine will be adapted for film.
The Maze Runner is getting a reboot.
Andy Serkis is directing and starring in the latest Lord of the Rings project: The Hunt for Gollum.
First look at The Lady in the Lake.
Here’s the trailer for the film adaptation of Wicked.
And here’s the trailer for The Rings of Power Season 2.
Censorship News
How to prepare for Pride Month in libraries this year.
OK, Groomer: a reporter’s dispatch from the trenches of the gender and sexuality wars in schools across the US portends a perilous future for LGBTQ teens.
Here’s who is behind the battle of the school book fairs.
The long history of censorship in prisons.
Fort Worth ISD (TX) released a list of books returning to library shelves after a nine-month review. (This may be paywalled.)
Montgomery County (TX) libraries are dealing with a group of book banning activists that call themselves “Two Moms and Some Books.”
The Cy-Fair ISD school board (TX) removes mentions of vaccines, climate change, and cultural diversity from textbooks. (This may be paywalled.)
A new coalition of Christian nationalist groups is mobilizing congregations to take over Texas school boards.
The Hernando County School Board (FL) voted to permanently remove 20 of 21 challenged titles, overturning the decisions made by 13 different committees to retain the books.
Stratford (CT) school librarians face unemployment as the town weighs budget cuts.
North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District (NJ) voted to retain Let’s Talk About It.
Five of the six books challenged in the Transylvania County School District (PA) will remain on shelves. (The sixth book is still being reviewed.)
Warwick School District (PA) is discussing changes to the school’s book challenge policy.
A member of the New Hanover County School Board (NC) wrote an opinion piece about the activism being promoted in statewide “Battle of the Books” programs.
A proposed budget would eliminate all school librarian positions in Franklin County (NC), and yes, this is 100% tied to censorship efforts.
The state of book bans: South Carolina is poised to get worse.
The National Women’s Law Center filed two civil rights complaints against Georgia and Florida school districts for censoring inclusive books.
Librarians and advocates sue to block restrictive new Alabama library policies.
EveryLibrary supports the plaintiffs in the Autauga-Prattville Lawsuit against discriminatory library policies. Meanwhile, the interim director has pulled 60 books for review based on a list from a right-wing book ban group, but don’t worry!! The interim director says that the books haven’t actually been removed from the library – just taken out of the catalog. (This same director also refused to talk to the Alabama Political Reporter because she considers them “fake news.” Real great leader they’ve got over there).
A Huntsville (AL) librarian speaks out on a bill that could penalize librarians.
The Arkansas State Library Board on Friday voted down two motions to withhold state funding from libraries suing the state until litigation is concluded.
The New Orleans Public Library made changes to their youth library cards in response to new legislation that requires libraries to have a procedure in place to prevent kids from checking out potentially inappropriate materials. Parents now have to re-up their kids’ library cards as a result of this new policy, which means a ton of kids are going to lose library access because their parents aren’t able to get them to the library to renew the cards.
The Enid Public Library board (OK) has banned Pride displays this year, marking the third year of battles over LGBTQ displays.
Colorado lawmakers have passed an anti-book ban bill that now sits on the governor’s desk.
Garfield County (CO) library board appointments drew a crowd of protestors after county commissioners took over the selection process.
“Wyoming’s largest school district is considering a library book procurement policy for controversial sexually themed materials that, if passed, would likely be the strictest in the state.” This is Laramie County School District No. 1.
“The Larsen-Sant Public Library in Preston [ID] will temporarily restrict public access to its building starting Monday in response to a new law that opens libraries to lawsuits if minors access inappropriate content on the shelves.”
Related: Library officials in Idaho say that the new state law about harmful material is “vague and difficult to implement.” As it was designed to be.
The Ketchikan School Board (AK) voted to retain Red Hood by Elena Arnold.
(Paywalled): “Copycat” book bans: How US activists are impacting Australian libraries.
“A Sydney council has voted to place a blanket ban on same-sex parenting books from local libraries in a move the New South Wales government warns could be a breach of the state’s Anti-Discrimination Act.”
Books & Authors in the News
Nobel Prize-winning author Alice Munro has died at 92.
Writers who have withdrawn support from PEN America for the organization’s response to the war in Gaza organized their own event: Freedom to Write for Palestine. Related: what’s wrong with PEN America and why we need it to survive.
Colson Whitehead pulls out as a commencement speaker at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which he said is due to the school’s leadership decision to use police force to disperse a group of students protesting the crisis in Palestine.
Colleen Hoover is a wildly successful author, so why has she stopped writing?
Numbers & Trends
The most-read books on Goodreads last week.
The best-selling books of the week.
Award News
The CWA Daggers shortlists have been announced.
Barnes & Noble reveals their Children’s & Young Adult Book winners.
The 2024 Locus Awards finalists have been released.
Pop Cultured
Michelle Yeoh is starring in Amazon’s Blade Runner 2049 sequel series.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
TikTok and the National Literacy Trust (NLT) are partnering to bring 20 bookshelves to 11 UK areas. “The partnership entails TikTok paying for books that will be selected by NLT youth volunteers, and placed in areas that have high foot traffic, like around youth clubs and community centers.”
CNN does a deep dive into the concept of the “beach read.”
Against the objectification of books.
The strange lives of “book husbands.”
I know Jonesy’s tummy is a trap, but when he rolls over and looks this adorable, I can’t help myself!
Okay, friends. It’s the weekend! Have a good one, and I’ll be back on Tuesday.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.