These are just a couple of the 600-plus global variations of the Cinderella fable. You’ll find many of them at Jonesborough, Tennessee’s Storytelling Resource Place (SRP), a repository of books, recordings, costumes, instruments, and other items related to the storytelling performance tradition. “Much like libraries safeguard written knowledge, we safeguard the living traditions of oral … Continue reading Bookend: Once Upon a Time
A couple of years and many, many emailed requests later, Heaviside has collected hundreds of public library cards from every US state and several foreign locales, including the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Scotland, and South Africa. “It was like I couldn’t stop,” she says. Her persistence paid off: During … Continue reading Bookend: Up Her Sleeve
$10 or less Book Club Cocktail Napkins ($9) Make your book club laugh with these “Welcome to ‘Book Club’” foil-stamped cocktail napkins from Pretty Alright Goods. These three-ply napkins will be a fun conversation starter at your next literary meetup, whether you’re reading or just “reading” (aka eating snacks and catching up on each … Continue reading 2025 Holiday Gift Guide for Librarians and Book Lovers
ALA’s endowment is a major component of the Association’s finances, contributing millions of dollars each year to the budget to support ALA activities. It’s also one of the least visible aspects of Association operations, and investment activity can be complicated and intimidating to examine. The trustees value transparency and collaboration. In an effort to uphold … Continue reading An Introduction to the Endowment
Chile Librarians at the National Library of Chile in Santiago discovered a cache of hidden texts from the government of 1970–1973 President Salvador Allende, the Latin American Post reported. After the September 11, 1973, military coup, dictator Augusto Pinochet sought to destroy “dangerous” texts, including leftist books, Allende-era speeches and pamphlets, and books published by … Continue reading Global Reach: These Are the Books You’re Looking For
“There’s a reason [for the lyrics of] ‘Bulls on Parade’ by Rage Against the Machine: ‘They don’t gotta burn the books / They just remove ’em.’ That’s what authoritarian regimes always do. Libraries and books are always the first step, along with picking out marginalized and oppressed communities. We have to point it out … Continue reading Noted and Quoted: Intellectual Freedom
“A core front in the culture wars is: What does it mean to be a full human being under the age of 18?” says Emily Knox, interim dean and professor at the School of Information Sciences at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a board member of the nonprofit National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC). “We’re in … Continue reading The Next Generation of Activists
B&T is in the process of closing following financial difficulties experienced over the last two years, according to Publishers Weekly; Shaw Local, a media group in northern Illinois; and a handful of individuals who reported being laid off on Reddit and other social media. While B&T has not yet issued a public statement and did … Continue reading Baker & Taylor to Cease Operations
Her efforts drew significant attention, and this past May she received an honorable mention from the Miami Herald Silver Knight Awards, which recognizes local high school seniors for service projects. This summer, she participated in the National Coalition Against Censorship’s Student Advocates for Speech (SAS) Leadership Program, joining a nationwide network of young people fighting … Continue reading Newsmaker: Iris Mogul
Banned Books Week takes place October 5–11. This year’s theme is “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.” 1982 Year that ALA held its first Banned Books Week. 2,452 Total number of unique titles challenged in libraries in in 2024 that were documented by ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. While that number is a … Continue reading By the Numbers: Banned Books Week 2025
I am a school librarian. My community supports the school library, and students are active library users. At the same time, rhetoric from the 2023 legislative session and in the years since have shown me that the public has limited knowledge about how we choose books and select programming to make the library a place … Continue reading Walk with a Purpose
What is your earliest memory of a library? I think it’s probably my elementary school library. I went to public school in a suburb of Detroit called Bloomfield Hills—Pine Lake Elementary. It was this really beautiful building. The classrooms were all round. In my memory, we’d be in the library a few times a week. … Continue reading Meet Dan Montgomery
