Tag Archives: libraries

The Associated Press reports: Arkansas is temporarily blocked from enforcing a law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing “harmful” materials to minors, a federal judge ruled Saturday. The measure, signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders earlier this year, was set to take effect Aug. 1. A coalition that included the Central Arkansas Library …

Axios reports: Former President Barack Obama on Monday denounced the spread of book bans across the country as “profoundly misguided.” Book bans have become a political flashpoint between conservatives and liberals, with several Republicans using them as a rallying cry ahead of the 2024 election. In a letter to the nation’s librarians, Obama praised them for being “on the front …

The Kansas Reflector reports: Gerard Kleinsmith says he hates the idea of censorship. He just wants to pull the lease for the city’s public library because he doesn’t like books about transgender people. As a city commissioner, he feels it is his duty to remove transgender content — “garbage,” as he refers to it. Kleinsmith said during a city commission …

The Christian Post reports: Kirk Cameron and his publisher, Brave Books, are calling on the federal government to investigate the American Library Association as the Christian author and actor claims the association advised libraries to find ways to block or sabotage his upcoming nationwide event in August. Representing Cameron and Brave Books, the Texas-based First Liberty Institute sent a letter …

St. Louis’s NBC affiliate reports: Public libraries are feeling the heat after the Missouri House perfected budget bills that would eliminate state funding for libraries across state, citing a controversial lawsuit as the reason. Rep. Cody Smith (R-Carthage), the House Budget Committee chairman, proposed to cut the entire $4.5 million budget slated for Missouri libraries last week after the American …

Bridge Michigan reports: Lapeer County Prosecutor John Miller says he may file criminal charges against employees or officials of the Lapeer District Library if an LGBTQ-themed graphic novel isn’t removed from the shelves. Miller told Bridge Michigan on Monday the illustrations in the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir” could rise to the level of accosting, enticing or soliciting a child …

Fox News reports: Actor-writer-producer Kirk Cameron, who was originally denied or ignored by over 50 public libraries in America for a story-time book reading connected to his new children’s book, appeared at the Indianapolis Public Library on Thursday — and was met with the biggest crowd the library had seen in 137 years, according to the library. Cameron and his …

Oregon Public Radio reports: In an unusual sight, people packed into the Crook County Library on Thursday night for a meeting of its board. The topic at hand had drawn the standing room crowd: namely, whether or not to segregate LGBTQ-friendly children’s books into a separate section. By the end of the night, the crowd had spoken overwhelmingly in support …

The Hill reports: A librarian in Louisiana filed a lawsuit against two men and a conservative organization, alleging they defamed her when they attacked her for supporting the teaching of books involving the LGBTQ community. Amanda Jones, a middle school librarian and the president of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians, alleged in the lawsuit that a “public campaign” against …

The Guardian reports: A small-town library is at risk of shutting down after residents of Jamestown, Michigan, voted to defund it rather than tolerate certain LGBTQ+-themed books. Residents voted on Tuesday to block a renewal of funds tied to property taxes, Bridge Michigan reported. The vote leaves the library with funds through the first quarter of next year. Once a …

The Mississippi Free Press reports: Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee is withholding $110,000 of funding from the Madison County Library System allegedly on the basis of his personal religious beliefs, with library officials stating that he has demanded that the system initiate a purge of LGBTQ+ books before his office releases the money. Tonja Johnson, executive director for the Madison County …

The Texas Tribune reports: When the Llano County Library shuts down for three days this week, starting Tuesday, it won’t be for the holidays. Instead, a group of six librarians in this small Central Texas county will be conducting a “thorough review” of every children’s book in the library, at the behest of the Llano County Commissioners Court. “I think …

We haven’t heard much from Chicago homocon Kevin DuJan lately as he appears to have abandoned his Sarah Palin fan site. He hasn’t posted there in six months and his co-blogger Megan Fox hasn’t posted since September. (Of course, Tea Party sites such as World Net Daily continue to repeat DuJan’s infamous claim that President Obama goes to bathhouses.) The …

A beefcake calendar of male librarians? Sure! Their website even has a link to the It Gets Better Project. (Tipped by JMG reader David.)

If you are found viewing porn on the computers at public libraries in Quincy, Massachusetts, City Councilman Daniel Raymondi wants to shame you by publishing your name in the local newspaper. Via the American Family Association’s OneNewsNow: “We have valuable taxpayer resources, in my judgment, being abused by people who violate a library policy against visiting pornographic sites, and this …

Over the complaints of more than 100 parents, Ames, Iowa is backing a librarian’s decision that a sex advice magazine written by and for teenagers remain on the shelves. The above image is a screen shot from magazine’s website. A teen sex magazine will stay on the shelves at the Ames Public Library despite a petition signed by more than …