Welcome to Check Your Shelf. It’s Wednesday as I put this newsletter together, but I’ve spent the whole day thinking it’s Thursday. It might be because I’m taking Monday off, and my brain is just trying to jumpstart my three-day weekend, but holy cow, it’s annoying!
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Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
Eric Adams’ latest budget proposal still cuts millions in funding for NYC libraries.
Houston Public Library’s new director talks about fixing morale and other big changes.
Libraries in Kossuth County (IA) are at risk of closing due to large budget cuts.
Digital reading interests and prices soar, creating problems for Seattle libraries.
Cool Library Updates
The creators of a bicycle-powered library in Oregon reflect on its humble beginnings.
Worth Reading
Investing in school libraries and librarians to improve literacy outcomes.
Stop asking TikTok for book recommendations and ask a librarian instead.
The world’s most beautiful libraries.
Book Adaptations in the News
The release date for It Ends With Us has been delayed until August.
Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe’s production company are developing the queer romance novel Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner.
Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom is being adapted for TV.
Casting update for The Thursday Murder Club.
Project Hail Mary gets a 2026 release date.
Censorship News
Google is destroying your access to news.
Seventeen states are considering laws that would imprison librarians, while Democrat-led states are pushing back on censorship by banning book bans.
ALA has launched an Intellectual Freedom Helpline program.
There’s a revolution happening in children’s publishing, and you can thank the book bans.
“A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday declined to disturb a ruling that blocked Texas from enforcing part of a law banning sexually explicit books from public school libraries.”
A look at how Texas youth organizations and booksellers are fighting back against the state’s book ban law.
A Conroe ISD (TX) teacher is taking the fight against book removals into their own hands. And here’s this notable statistic: “According to district records, when a committee has to read the books, titles under review are kept 77 percent of the time and removed 23 percent of the time. When a committee does not have to read the books, those reviewed are kept 21 percent and removed 79 percent of the time.”
The Hernando County School Board (FL) will take up 24 book challenges at a May 7th meeting. All of the challenges come from Moms for Liberty.
A Broward County (FL) pastor is upset that the school district library has a copy of Push.
Buffalo Street Books in New York received a bomb threat that specifically targeted five individuals associated with the bookstore. The general manager of the store said, “As further information has been gathered, it seems fairly clear that this threat was directed at the bookstore’s efforts to welcome and include the LGBTQIA+ community, including our Drag Story Hour.”
North Hunterdon-Voorhees Schools (NJ) will make a final decision on Let’s Talk About It in early May.
EveryLibrary issued a statement about the cancellation of author Maulik Pancholy’s visit to Mountain View Middle School (PA).
Nazareth Area High School (PA) will keep Push on the shelves, but one of the directors said “he didn’t want to put the district at risk of a lawsuit by voting to remove it, but suggested the book could ‘disappear’ down the line along with others that haven’t been checked out often by students.” Look, I’m all for having clear policies and procedures around weeding books that aren’t seeing a lot of use, but hinting that controversial books may just suddenly “disappear” is not a good look, and also a really bad strategy to just announce to the general public.
Warwick (PA) parents confront the school board for secretly meeting with a conservative lawyer who has helped other schools ban books.
The GOP commissioners for Lancaster County (PA) opted not to reappoint two existing members of the library board (including the only professional librarian on the board), and some believe this is due to the commissioners’ public criticism of the Lancaster County Library hosting a Drag Queen Story Time event in March.
The Perkiomen Valley School Board (PA) quietly adopted a new policy that focuses on restricting inappropriate images in comics and graphic novels.
The Bermudian Springs School Board (PA) updated its Resource Materials policy, a big part of which is due to a lengthy and specific description of the sexual acts that should be prohibited in the school’s books. This is…a choice.
The South Middleton School District (PA) is still deciding on the fates of All Boys Aren’t Blue and Last Night at the Telegraph Club.
Hanover County School Board (VA) introduced a revised library policy that doesn’t prohibit educators from teaching controversial topics, “but asks them to present a balanced view determining which material they choose to use as an instructional resource.” So if teachers want to talk about gender identity, they also have to tell their students that some people believe that being queer is an excuse to kill someone? If they want to teach about the Holocaust, they also have to include perspectives from Holocaust deniers?
Meanwhile, in Hanover County, the county supervisors have censored the honor they are giving to a young student in the community because her Girl Scout project is related to banned books.
Why an Appalachian school board (Rockingham County Schools, VA) pulled 57 books off library shelves.
Horry County Schools (SC) banned Crown of Midnight and Freedom Writers Diary.
“’Y’all need to be down on your knees, praying for God to forgive you, that’s all I got to say, because these kids are going to grow up and they’re not going to know right from wrong. They’re going to be filthy people who don’t care what they do because of these books.’” This is in the Bartow County School District (GA).
The Oconee County Library (GA) has shuffled around several books that deal with gender identity.
Alabama librarians say that book challenges are an expensive nightmare.
A Hoover (AL) resident and “an out-of-state activist” complained to the superintendent about Queer: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens being available through the SORA app, and now the app has been completely blocked for all students while the district conducts an internal review for more “sexually explicit” content.
The Baldwin County Conservative Coalition wants eight books relocated in the Fairhope Public Library (AL).
The Lafayette (LA) library board president defended the new book display policy and alleged that “news reports, social media, and those whose values are not in sync with ‘what’s best for children’ have peddled false narratives and misinformation regarding the board’s decision to revise the libraries’ book display policy.”
(Paywalled): Louisiana House committees are scheduled to hear five library bills this week.
Evangelical preacher and former Arkansas State Senator Jason Rapert has asked public libraries to report whether or not they have any books that he doesn’t like, and has demanded that the books be banned.
Wentzville Schools (MO) have banned The Bluest Eye.
The Rebecca Caudill Awards have been unbanned by the Millburn School District (IL).
PEN America filed an amicus brief, urging the appeals court to uphold the injunctions against Iowa’s book ban law.
Parents in Kearney, Nebraska are still upset that their children have access to books with LGBTQ+ content.
“The Fremont County Commission [WY] is threatening to take over the local library board by May 1 if the board doesn’t update its policies on sexually graphic literature in the teens’ section of the library.”
An LGBTQ+ bookstore in Provo, Utah, received a false bomb threat along with the message, “We will not stand idly by as the next generation of children are preyed upon and corrupted, we will stop you and we will kill you.”
The new Utah book banning legislation has led to over 100 books being banned statewide, and school districts are waiting for a statewide book ban list as the state plans to retroactively enforce its new legislation.
The Clancy Elementary School Board (MT) presented three resolutions that were intentionally kept as vague as possible: 1) “Books for school-age children that do not have appropriate content will be available upon request,” 2) “All books donated and bought will have to be approved by the superintendent,” and 3) “If at any time parents do not wish their children to read certain books they can talk to Tona Iwen (librarian) and she will respect that decision concerning book selection.”
“The agenda for the April Billings Public Schools [MT] board meeting was overshadowed Monday night by a throng of angry residents stating they would not vote for the school safety levies due to current school library book policies.” And one member of the public threatened to send registered sex offenders to the trustees’ houses “to read this sh– to your kids.” All very normal, measured, rational behavior from adults.
The book ban fight in Nevada would create LGBTQ+ sections in libraries.
Lakeland Middle School (ID) removed The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle because parents “believed there to be homosexual content” in the book and contacted the Board, but now there are questions as to how the board made the decision to remove the book, and whether or not all of the trustees were consulted or informed of the decision beforehand.
Baker County Library (OR) preemptively updated their policy for challenging materials, including a limit on who can submit challenges (adult county residents with a library card), how many challenges can be submitted each month (one), and possible fees that the library can impose for anyone who submits more than three challenges in a 12-month span. Excellent work!
(Paywalled): Newport Beach Public Library (CA) has relocated Melissa and Prince & Knight to the teen section, even though Prince & Knight is literally a picture book. There is a non-paywalled story prior to the discussion leading up to the board’s eventual decision.
The Palmer City Council (AK) has reached out to the state attorney general to determine whether certain books violate state obscenity laws and whether city librarians could face arrest for allowing minors to check out said books.
Books & Authors in the News
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, fans are planning to recreate the author’s journey over the summer.
Numbers & Trends
The best-selling books of the week.
Award News
PEN America canceled its annual Literary Awards ceremony, which was scheduled for next week.
Predicting the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
The L.A. Times Book Awards have been announced.
The CWA Daggers longlists have been announced.
The finalists for the 2024 Gotham Book Prize have been announced.
The 2024 Women’s Prize shortlists have been announced.
Latin American authors are on the rise in International Booker Prize lists.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
Are silent book clubs your jam?
Inside the literary travel boom.
On the Riot
Is Bookmory better than Goodreads?
Here’s Jonesy doing a heckin monch on my husband’s arm. Literally two minutes later, though, he was fast asleep, still wrapped around Blaine’s arm.
All right, friends. I’ll see you next week!
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.
