Ava DuVernay named honorary Banned Books Week chair

Betsy Gomez writes: “Award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay has been named honorary chair for Banned Books Week 2024, which takes place September 22–28. DuVernay will be joined by youth honorary chair Julia Garnett, a student activist who fought book bans in her home state of Tennessee. A staunch advocate for education and free expression, DuVernay directed two films inspired by frequently banned books: A Wrinkle in Time and Origin. Garnett has been honored for her advocacy for the freedom to read by First Lady Jill Biden and is a leader in the National Coalition Against Censorship’s Student Advocates for Speech program, educating other students about advocacy.”

Intellectual Freedom Blog, Sept. 6

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Jeannette Boner writes: “After eight years, Teton County (Wyo.) Library has been forced to cancel its free Harry Potter-inspired programming for children and adults. This year’s events—A Night at Hogwarts, Harry Potter Trivia for Adults, and Harry Potter Family Day—had all been scheduled for later this month. The library said in a press release October 3 that it acted in response to a cease-and-desist letter from legal representatives of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., the owner of copyright and other intellectual property rights related to the films featuring child wizard Harry Potter.”

Jackson Hole News & Guide, Oct. 4
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Sonny Albarado writes: “A federal judge on September 30 ordered Crawford County (Ark.) officials to stop placing certain library materials, mostly on LGBTQ+ themes, in a separate section with color labels. US District Judge P.K. Holmes III ordered the defendants to move the materials in those sections to ‘appropriate sections in general circulation without consideration of whether they approve or agree with the viewpoints expressed in such materials, and without consideration of whether the viewpoints expressed in such materials are unpopular or controversial.’” County parents filed the lawsuit regarding the books’ relocation in May 2023.

Arkansas Advocate, Oct. 1; May 26, 2023
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Michelle N. Amponsah and Joyce E. Kim write: “More than 12 pro-Palestine student protesters were banned from entering Widener Library for two weeks after they staged a silent ‘study-in’ protest. Roughly 30 activists staged an ‘emergency study-in’ at Widener on September 21 to protest the Israeli military’s airstrikes in Lebanon. For an hour, students donned keffiyehs and studied with posters taped to their computers. The demonstration was silent, and other students in the Widener reading room continued to study alongside the protesters. During the study-in, library staff passed out sheets of paper stating that libraries are not permissible spaces for student protests.”

Harvard Crimson, Oct. 3, Sept. 23
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ALA President Cindy Hohl participated in an October 8 discussion with White House officials and national leaders about efforts to save lives from overdose. ALA is one of more than 250 organizations and businesses that have committed to the White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose. The Challenge, launched earlier this year, is a nationwide call-to-action to increase training on, and access to, life-saving opioid overdose reversal medications like naloxone. ALA, led by its Public Library Association division, has developed resources to help libraries respond to the overdose crisis.

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, Oct. 8
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“The 25 Finalists for the 2024 National Book Awards for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature were announced with the New York Times October 1. The five finalists in each category were selected by a distinguished panel of judges, and were advanced from the longlists announced in September with The New Yorker. Winners will be announced November 20 and broadcast on YouTube, Facebook, and the Foundation’s website.”

National Book Foundation, Oct. 1; The New Yorker, Sept. 13
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Christina J. Steffy and Meg Massey write: “The profession engaged in heated debate about the need for an MLS during the rather contentious search for an ALA Executive Director in 2017. This discussion acknowledges that there is a group of library professionals that believe someone can successfully enter the profession with other relevant experience and acquire the specialized library knowledge through work in the field. While we understand the value of the MLS (after earning it to advance in our respective library careers), we question the insistence that it is necessary for all professional or administrative positions.”

College & Research Libraries News, Oct.
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Diana Panuncial writes: “This October, NASA will launch its Europa Clipper spacecraft on a mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. Engraved into the craft’s side is the poem ‘In Praise of Mystery’ by US Poet Laureate Ada Limón. Limón has created You Are Here, an anthology (Milkweed Editions, April) and installation project in partnership with the National Park Service that explores the connection between poetry and nature. Limón spoke with American Libraries about her signature project, the role libraries have played in her life, and how she feels about sending a poem into the solar system.”

American Libraries Trend, Sept./Oct.

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