Public Libraries

The average book prices are produced annually by SLJ in partnership with Follett and Baker & Taylor.

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."

District employees drew clothes on Maurice Sendak characters in one Florida district, while students, legislators, and library workers fight back against censorship in Virginia, Oregon, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

It’s a good moment for new women’s history books—and also a good time for librarians to cull outdated titles. 

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Inc. and School Library Journal announce the 2024 Children & Youth Literary Awards, which celebrate the diversity of the Black experience.

In Florida, governor Ron DeSantis is pushing for an adjustment to his law that created a mass of book challenges, as bills on both sides of the fight for intellectual freedom are debated in Oregon and Utah, while West Virginia and Georgia seek to strip librarians' legal protections.

In partnership with coalition members, including School Library Journal and dozens of publishers, Unite Against Book Bans today launched a free book résumé resource to help counter censorship attempts.

The interim library director in Lafayette, LA, lifted the ban on certain book displays; Florida county gets new, restrictive library cards for kids; legislation to change book review policies moves forward in Idaho and South Carolina; and more news.

A Texas teacher is finding a way to get her students access to titles; in Alabama, the public library system breaks ties with ALA and is set to review 82 books, while a grassroots organization aims to fight censorship in the state.