Public Libraries

Co-authors Kekla Magoon & Cynthia Leitich Smith in conversation about the inspiration behind The Blue Stars Series: Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem: "When we set out to write a middle grade graphic novel series about cousins who became superheroes to save their school library, we couldn't have imagined how timely our story would become."

Librarians, individuals, and grassroots organizations are on the offensive against censorship attempts.

In this Banned Books Week edition of News Bites, the New York Public Library has launched a teen-focused "Books for All" campaign; EveryLibrary Institute and Book Riot release the results of their Parent Perception Survey; PEN America, NCAC, and ALA offer resources.

Ariana Grande, Guillermo del Toro, Padma Lakshmi, Roxane Gay, Gabrielle Union, Sandra Cisneros, Amanda Gorman, Margaret Cho, and Ron Perlman are among the upwards of 175 public figures who signed an open letter calling on creative communities to leverage their voices to stop book bans. 

The free online course for high schoolers features a powerful list of guest speakers, including author Ashley Hope Pérez, Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani, and student activist Jack Petocz.

Driven by conspiracy theories and memes, contemporary antisemitism is spurring new strategies to inform youth, empower allies, and hold social sites to account.

"Wherever K.C. Boyd goes, excellence is bound to follow." So began our profile of Boyd, named the 2022 School Librarian of the Year. 

Amid continued attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community, an ALA Annual panel of library leaders offered advice on how to create an inclusive and safe space for staff and patrons, as well as handle angry patrons or threats to the library and staff.

The Front Desk author tweeted a call to action to her colleagues, as she tries to "motivate and mobilize" people to fight coordinated efforts to remove books from schools and libraries.