When a patron enters your office and begins a sentence like that, you know it’s going to be awkward. The heart jumps, the mind flips through possibilities. Did I inadvertently offend somebody? Have I been doing something wrong for years? Do I smell? The patron whipped out a book. It was Climate Change: The Facts, … Continue reading The Fact Police
Librarian of Congress Moves On James H. Billington (left) retired as Librarian of Congress after 28 years. During his tenure, LC launched the National Digital Library and National Book Festival, among other accomplishments. Billington’s decision came after the Government Accountability Office issued a report identifying weaknesses in LC’s information technology planning. … Continue reading 2015: Year in Review
Banned Books Week, September 27–October 3, celebrates the idea that the freedom to read and access ideas can transform lives, but when books are banned, readers are blocked from seeing all viewpoints and perspectives. Because so many books that include racial issues and diverse characters are challenged, it is particularly important that we create public … Continue reading Don’t Take the Freedom to Read for Granted
This and other library trends of the past year are detailed in ALA’s State of America’s Libraries Report 2015, made available during National Library Week, April 12–18, both as an American Libraries digital supplement, as well as on the ALA website at ala.org/americas-libraries and as a PDF file. As society continues to change the way … Continue reading The State of America’s Libraries 2015
The decision to pull the book two years ago prompted criticism and complaints from the media, CPS parents, and the American Library Association, and sparked student protests at Chicago’s Lane Technical College Prep High School. The FOIA documents reveal that the decision came from the highest levels of CPS administration, with directives issued by CPS … Continue reading Persepolis Rising
The essays in the 2014 edition of Banned Books: Challenging our Freedom to Read, by Robert P. Doyle, outline how case law has extended the protection of the freedoms of speech and press to include freedom of expression of ideas and information. This background reading informs use of the “First Amendment Action Guide,” an advocacy … Continue reading Intellectual Freedom: A Core Tenet
What led you to write about growing up in Iran in the late 1970s and the period after that? The first time I left Iran for Austria I was 14 (that was 1984), and I heard people with all kinds of prejudices—especially about countries like mine. It was really the most sensational stuff. They were … Continue reading Newsmaker: Marjane Satrapi
