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July 8, 2021 120 × 165 Intellectual Freedom: A Manual for Library Workers

Deborah Caldwell-Stone

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Martha Harris writes: “There are already certain things Utah schools prohibit students from bringing to campus—like certain electronics, vaping devices or rollerblades. Now, according to updated guidance from the Utah State Board of Education, banned books have been added to that list. This change was not due to action by board members. Instead, it is staff members’ interpretation of the law. There are currently 14 books banned statewide under a 2024 law. According to the state board’s updated FAQ, any books banned statewide are prohibited on any school property.”

KUER-FM (Salt Lake City), Jan. 21
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Misha Stone writes: “Post-election, #BookTok entered the political fray, and many media outlets took notice when popular accounts claimed that they were apolitical and that icky politics shouldn’t enter into reading spaces. More critically engaged #BookTok accounts and book influencers on a variety of other platforms pushed back on the notion that reading can or should be apolitical. While there are many reasons that people read, and readers’ advisors are charged to help readers meet those with stories that will entertain and engage them most, none of this is done in a neutral zone where politics do not exist.”

RA For All, Jan. 20; Mashable, Nov. 12; Fast Company, Nov. 13
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Gabriel Dorner writes: “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the schools, libraries, and consortia of schools and libraries participating in the agency’s $200 million Cybersecurity Pilot Program January 16. The experimental program will provide government officials with ‘data about the most effective and coordinated way to address the growing cyber needs of schools and libraries,’ then-FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said. With limited funding, schools and libraries are especially vulnerable to cyberattacks.”

Broadband Breakfast, Jan. 17; Federal Communications Commission, Jan. 16
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Morgan Matzen writes: “Four librarians and members of the South Dakota Library Association testified before the Senate Education Committee on Thursday about how cuts to the state library would devastate readers, especially in rural communities, and increase costs for local libraries. Gov. Kristi Noem has proposed reducing the state library’s general budget by more than $1 million, full-time employment by 12.5 positions and federal funding by more than $1.3 million.” Doland Community Library (DCL) Director Natasha Noethlich testified that DCL’s usage has grown from 250 people in 2018 to 6,000 last year thanks to state library resources and funding.

Sioux Falls (S.D.) Argus Leader, Jan. 16; Keloland.com, Jan. 17
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Rosie Newmark writes: “Since multiple wildfires erupted in Los Angeles on January 7, tens of thousands of residents have been displaced or remain on evacuation watch, as fire-fanning winds threaten to continue. Amid the disaster, library systems including Los Angeles County Library, Los Angeles City Public Library, and Altadena Library District, are spearheading efforts to help community members as well as library staff through fundraising and onsite support. ALA has also set up a relief effort through its ALA Disaster Relief Fund.”

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 22
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Gabriel Tynes writes: “An appeal of a lower court January 14 became an inquiry into the broader First Amendment question of whether an inmate’s limited access to reading materials amounted to a de facto ban on books, religious materials and newspapers. A three-judge Eighth Circuit panel heard arguments after officials from Washington County, Arkansas, sought qualified immunity from a lawsuit filed by an inmate who claims his constitutional rights were violated by the jail’s policy limiting access to certain reading materials to electronic tablets and kiosks.”

Courthouse News Service, Jan. 14
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Tara García Mathewson writes: “New data released this week by the DC-based Center for Democracy and Technology shows just how often [blocking of information in schools] happens nationwide. The nonprofit digital rights advocacy organization conducted its fifth annual nationally representative survey of middle and high school teachers and parents as well as high school students about a range of tech issues. About 70% of both teachers and students this year said web filters get in the way of students’ ability to complete their assignments.”

The Markup, Jan. 16; Center for Democracy and Technology, Jan. 15

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