Does your child鈥檚 public school have a library?

The City Council now requires New York City鈥檚 Education Department to report data on school librarians and library access.

The first-ever report of public school library data was released last month, and revealed that across 1,614 public schools, 1,016 have a library. Yet, there were only 273 full-time librarians and 12 part-time librarians.

Research access to school libraries with certified librarians tends to result in better academic performance and higher graduation rates at those schools. One showed that a loss of librarians is associated with lower reading scores.

City Council passed school librarians data law after years of advocacy from parents and librarians who warned of a drastic loss in librarians across the city. In 2023, school budget item lines to find that nearly a third of schools with more than 700 students did not have a librarian listed in their budget, even though state standards require all secondary schools with more than 700 students to have a full-time certified librarian.

This year鈥檚 data paints a similarly dire picture, and advocates have concerns about both what the data reveals and the accuracy of the data itself. For one, they are critical of the method the Education Department used to report on the number of schools that have libraries. Also, having a library space without a librarian remains a concern.

鈥淓ven if all the numbers are accurate, it still 鈥� paints a picture that there鈥檚 still so much work that needs to be done,鈥� said Roy Rosewood, a school librarian in Queens who鈥檚 been advocating for librarians since 2013.

Rosewood and other advocates are concerned that the Education Department used a school鈥檚 operating hours as a proxy for the school鈥檚 library hours, according to the data. Advocates and librarians told Chalkbeat that this is not a reliable measurement of a library鈥檚 open hours, since libraries can often be shut down for testing, meetings, or other purposes.

鈥淟ast year, the library was pretty much closed all of April and May for testing,鈥� said one librarian who is untenured and spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. 鈥淎 lot of times when they shut down the libraries for testing, they don鈥檛 even put the librarian to proctor those tests. So we鈥檙e not even in the space that is closed down.鈥�

For those two months, she spent most of her time in the teachers鈥� cafeteria and periodically, she walked around the school with a cart of books for students to check in or out.

Advocates also pointed out the importance of having a librarian, not just a library.

鈥淎 physical space means nothing,鈥� said Jenny Fox, a New York City public school parent and founder of Librarians = Literacy, an advocacy group focused on raising awareness about the city鈥檚 library desert. Fox said she spends a lot of time educating people on what librarians do, something that is often misunderstood or overlooked.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e not just checking books in and out. They鈥檙e teaching your kids about media literacy, safety online, how to vet an article for truthfulness,鈥� Fox said. Librarians build their own curriculum, help students with research skills, and are one of the only people in the school who interact with every child.

An Education Department spokesperson said the department recognizes that school libraries are 鈥渆ssential,鈥� and noted, 鈥淭here鈥檚 still room to grow, and we will continue expanding these numbers to bring more knowledge, books, and a culture of reading to more students.鈥�

On his fourth day as New York City schools chancellor, Kamar Samuels visited a Brooklyn school, and parents and educators pressed him about the lack of librarians. He agreed that school libraries were 鈥渃ritical,鈥� saying when schools in the districts he worked in got libraries put into their buildings, 鈥測ou could see the difference in the culture that changes.鈥�

Parts of the City Council鈥檚 school library law have yet to be implemented. State law states that students in seventh and eight grades are receive at least one period of library and information instruction per week. Only about 20% of K-8 schools and junior high schools have a full-time librarian, according to a data analysis from Librarians = Literacy, suggesting the law鈥檚 requirements aren鈥檛 being met. The anonymous librarian said she is only teaching four library classes, but there are about 60 classes of seventh and eighth graders at her school.

The data on the number of students in those grades who receive library instruction is set to be released on June 1. Next year鈥檚 data will also include information such as the number of non-licensed school librarians that are assigned to help fill the librarian gap, the number of hours per day licensed librarians are assigned to do school library work, and more.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at .

State lawmakers across the country filed more bills to restrict or protect libraries and readers in the first half of this year than last year, a new report found.

The split fell largely along geographic lines, according to from EveryLibrary, a group that advocates against book bans and censorship.

Between January and July 2025, lawmakers introduced 133 bills that the organization deemed harmful to libraries, librarians or readers鈥� rights in 33 states 鈥� an increase from 121 bills in all of 2024. Fourteen of those measures had passed as of mid-July.

At the same time, legislators introduced 76 bills in 32 states to protect library services or affirm the right to read, the report found.

The geographic split among these policies is stark.

In Southern and Plains states, new laws increasingly criminalize certain actions of librarians, restrict access to materials about gender and race, and transfer decision-making power to politically appointed boards or parent-led councils.

Texas alone passed a trio of sweeping laws educators of certain legal protections when providing potentially obscene materials; public funding for instructional materials containing obscene content; and over student reading choices and new library additions.

lowered the bar to prosecute educators for sharing books that might be considered 鈥渉armful to minors.鈥�

A bill likewise would鈥檝e made it easier for parents or the state attorney general to bring civil actions against school employees for distributing material deemed harmful to minors, but it was vetoed by .

In , a new law allows for real-time alerts for parents every time a student checks out a book. requires libraries and schools to install filtering software. New laws in Idaho the requirements to form library districts and stricter internet filtering policies that are tied to state funding.

In contrast, several Northeastern states have passed legislation protections for libraries and librarians and anti-censorship laws.

, , 听补苍诲 have each enacted 鈥渇reedom to read鈥� or other laws that codify protections against ideological censorship in libraries.

Connecticut also took a major step in modernizing libraries in the digital age, the report said, becoming the first state in the nation to pass a regulating how libraries license and manage e-books and digital audiobooks.

Stateline reporter Robbie Sequeira can be reached at rsequeira@stateline.org.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.

Karen Grant and fellow school librarians throughout New Jersey have heard an increasingly loud chorus of parents and conservative activists demanding that certain books 鈥� often about race, gender and sexuality 鈥� be removed from the shelves.

In the past year, Grant and her colleagues in the Ewing Public Schools just north of Trenton updated a 3-decade-old policy on reviewing parents鈥� challenges to books they see as pornographic or inappropriate. Grant鈥檚 team feared that without a new policy, the district would immediately bend to someone who wanted certain books banned.

Around the same time, state lawmakers in Trenton were readying legislation to set a book challenge policy for the entire state, preventing book bans based solely on the subject of a book or the author鈥檚 background or views, while also protecting public and school librarians from legal or civil liabilities from people upset by the reading materials they offer.

When Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed that measure into law last month, Grant breathed a little easier.

鈥淲e just hear so many stories of our librarians feeling threatened and targeted,鈥� said Grant, who works at Parkway Elementary School and serves as president of the New Jersey Association of School Librarians. 鈥淭his has been a wrong, an injustice that needs to be made right.鈥�

Amid a national rise in book bans in school libraries and new laws in some red states that threaten criminal penalties against librarians, a growing number of blue states are taking the opposite approach.

New Jersey at least five other states 鈥� California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington 鈥� that have passed legislation within the past two years that aims to preserve access to reading materials that deal with racial and sexual themes, including those about the LGBTQ+ community.

Conservative groups have led the effort to ban materials to shield children from what they deem as harmful content. In the 2023-24 school year, there were 10,000 instances of book bans across the U.S. 鈥� nearly three times as many as the year before, according to by PEN America, a nonprofit that advocates for literary freedom.

鈥淐ertain books are harmful to children 鈥� just like drugs, alcohol, Rated R movies and tattoos are harmful to them,鈥� Kit Hart, chair of the Carroll County, Maryland, chapter of Moms for Liberty, a national organization leading the book banning effort, wrote in an email.

But some states are now safeguarding librarians and the books they offer.

鈥淪tate leaders are demonstrating that censorship has no place in their state and that the freedom to read is a principle that is supported and protected,鈥� said Kasey Meehan, director of the Freedom to Read program at PEN America, which has been tracking book bans since 2021.

The drive to ban certain books is not waning, however. While a handful of states fight censorship in school libraries, some communities within those states are attempting to retake local control and continuing to remove materials that conservative local officials regard as lurid and harmful to children.

鈥楲ives are in the balance鈥�

The New Jersey not only sets minimum standards for localities when they adopt a policy on how books are curated or can be challenged but also prevents school districts from removing material based on 鈥渢he origin, background, or views of the library material or those contributing to its creation.鈥�

The law also gives librarians immunity from civil and criminal liability for 鈥済ood faith actions.鈥�

New Jersey state Sen. Andrew Zwicker, a Democrat who introduced the legislation, said until recently he thought that book bans were a disturbing trend, but one limited to other states. But early last year, he went to a brunch event and met a school librarian who told him she faced a torrent of verbal and online abuse for refusing to remove a handful of books with LGBTQ+ themes from her library鈥檚 shelves.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I realized that I was so horribly mistaken, that these attacks on librarians and on the freedom to read were happening everywhere,鈥� Zwicker told Stateline. 鈥淚 went up to her and asked, 鈥榃hat can I do?鈥欌��

He said he鈥檚 already heard from lawmakers in Rhode Island who are considering introducing a similar measure this year.

A child who identifies with the LGBTQ+ community can read a memoir like 鈥溾�� by Maia Kobabe and feel seen for the first time in their lives, he said.

鈥淚 do not think it鈥檚 an overstatement to say that lives are in the balance here, that these books are that important to people, and that librarians are trusted gatekeepers to ensure that what鈥檚 on the shelf of a library has been curated and is appropriate,鈥� Zwicker said.

These new state laws, several of which are titled the 鈥淔reedom to Read Act,鈥� passed almost entirely along party lines, with unanimous Democratic support.

In New Jersey, Republican state Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, who has worked in schools for the past 18 years, including as an English teacher, vehemently opposed the measure. She did not respond to an interview request.

鈥淭his isn鈥檛 puritanical parents saying, 鈥極h, I don鈥檛 want my child to learn how babies are made,鈥欌�� during a September committee hearing. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 ridiculous, and we all know it.鈥�

She added, 鈥淲hat I do want is for us to be able to have an honest conversation about some of what is in these texts that is extraordinarily inappropriate for that grade level.鈥�

Enforcement and penalties

Legislation differs by state, including in enforcement and how to penalize noncompliant localities.

In Illinois, for example, school districts risk losing thousands of dollars in state grant funding if they violate the state鈥檚 new law discouraging book bans. But as the Chicago Tribune , that financial penalty was not enough to persuade many school districts throughout the state to comply, with administrators saying they are concerned about giving up local control on school decisions.

Several school districts in other states have similarly rebelled.

North of Minneapolis, St. Francis Area Schools鈥� board last month it would consult with conservative group BookLooks to determine which books it will buy for its school libraries. BookLooks uses a 0-through-5 that flags books for violent and sexual content.

Under its rating system, books that have long had a place in school libraries 鈥� such as the Holocaust memoir 鈥淣ight鈥� by Elie Wiesel or 鈥淚 Know Why the Caged Bird Sings鈥� by Maya Angelou 鈥� would require parental consent to read.

Asked about the school district potentially violating state law, school board member Amy Kelly, who led the drive to use BookLooks, declined to be interviewed. Karsten Anderson, superintendent of St. Francis Area Schools, also declined an interview request.

In Maryland, Carroll County schools the state in banning books in recent years, removing in the 2023-2024 school year at least 59 titles that were 鈥渟exually explicit,鈥� according to a tally by PEN America.

Schools should not allow children to see 鈥渒ink and porn,鈥� wrote Hart, of Moms for Liberty. She got involved in the effort more than three years ago, saying she wanted to protect her five children and parents鈥� rights to make educational decisions.

She pointed to one book to make her point: 鈥�: The Teen鈥檚 Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human,鈥� a nonfiction book in graphic novel form by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan that seeks to educate teenagers about anatomy and consensual and safe sex. The book explores other issues of gender and sexuality, as well. Hart likened the book鈥檚 illustrations showing different ways of having sex to 鈥渆rotica.鈥�

鈥淧arents who provide their children with alcohol or drugs, or to give them a tattoo would rightly be charged with crimes,鈥� she wrote Stateline in an email. 鈥淪chools that provide children with sexually explicit content are negligent at best.鈥�

The future of book bans

Around 8,000 of the more than 10,000 instances of banned books during the 2023-24 school year were in Florida and Iowa schools, according to PEN America. Lawmakers in those states enacted legislation in 2023 that created processes for school districts to remove books that have sexual content.

Iowa now that reading materials offered in schools be 鈥渁ge-appropriate,鈥� while the Florida ensures that books challenged for depicting or describing 鈥渟exual conduct鈥� be removed from shelves while the challenge is processed by the district.

Some of those banned books classics, such as 鈥淩oots鈥� by Alex Haley and 鈥淎 Tree Grows in Brooklyn鈥� by Betty Smith.

Over the past year, lawmakers in Idaho, Tennessee and Utah passed measures that ban certain reading materials that deal with sex or are otherwise deemed inappropriate, according to from EveryLibrary, an Illinois-based organization that advocates against book bans. Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs similar legislation in June.

Laws that allow for book bans have been the subject of in recent years, as plaintiffs argue those measures violate constitutional protections of free expression.

Late last month, a federal judge parts of a 2023 Arkansas law that threatened prison time for librarians who distribute 鈥渉armful鈥� material to minors. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, a Republican, announced the state would appeal the decision.

EveryLibrary is 26 bills in five states that lawmakers will consider this year that would target books with sexual and racial themes.

The organized effort to remove books because of LGBTQ+ or racial themes will continue, said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association鈥檚 Office for Intellectual Freedom.

The association, which book bans as part of its mission to support libraries and information science, found that most of the around the country had LGBTQ+ protagonists.

鈥淟ibrarians have always been all about providing individuals with access to the information they need, whether it鈥檚 for education, for enrichment, for understanding,鈥� she said in an interview. 鈥淐ensorship is diametrically opposed to that mission.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.

Local libraries are currently facing almost a dozen different book challenges, with critics of stories like 鈥淏ye-Bye Binary鈥� and 鈥淭he Blackbird Girls鈥� calling for their removal from shelves.

But these books and other challenged stories are still available on the shelves in Anne Arundel County, thanks in part to protections county officials recently put in place.

The Anne Arundel County Public Library this month became the first library system in Maryland to be designated a 鈥渂ook sanctuary,鈥� dedicated to collecting and protecting endangered books, and holding book talks and other events designed to make them broadly accessible.

鈥淲e want to preserve everyone鈥檚 ability to read the things they want,鈥� said Rachel Myers, the branch manager of Discoveries: The Library at the Mall, one of the county system鈥檚 libraries.

Declaring the library a book sanctuary, Myers said, shows that, 鈥淲e are steadfast in our dedication to being a place that is protective of books and of people鈥檚 freedom to read.鈥�

After beginning in 2022 in Chicago, sanctuary libraries have since spread to 12 other library systems in North America.

In Anne Arundel County, the library鈥檚 board of trustees鈥� decision follows passage of the Freedom to Read act in the last legislative session. took effect on its signing in April.

The new law says that any library receiving funding from the state has to follow certain standards and can鈥檛, among other things, remove material due to partisan, doctrinal, ideological or religious disapproval.

Over the past five years, Maryland public libraries have seen a dramatic increase in staff threats and bomb threats related to book bannings, according to the . More than half of them have also faced book challenges, officials said.

These attempts have been happening 鈥渘ot just in our state, but in our county of Anne Arundel,鈥� said Del. Dana Jones (D-Anne Arundel), the lead sponsor on the Freedom to Read Act. She spoke at a news conference held last week during the national observance of Banned Books Week.

During the event, County Executive Steuart Pittman the entirety of Anne Arundel county to be a book sanctuary.

Once the announcement concluded, Myers rang a big silver bell to announce that it was time for 鈥淏anned Book Storytime,鈥� featuring a book called 鈥淕randad鈥檚 Camper,鈥� by Harry Woodgate.

Woodgate鈥檚 illustrated story 鈥� about a little girl traveling with her granddad after his male partner鈥檚 death 鈥� has been challenged nationwide. But now it finds refuge in Anne Arundel County, and that means something to librarians.

鈥淭o have that backup as a professional, you can鈥檛 understate how much that means,鈥� Myers said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just us out here alone trying to do it. It鈥檚 backed by so many people.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@marylandmatters.org. Follow Maryland Matters on and .

There were two crates waiting for Valerie Smith, an elementary school librarian, when she arrived at the Sanford School Department鈥檚 central office on Monday. In one was a collection of 30 picture books featuring experiences of modern-day immigrants and their families, along with discussion prompts. In the other, a custom display built by Maine businesses to highlight the books.

For the district that has recently seen an influx of immigrants from Central Africa, Smith said it was the perfect fit. With tightening school budgets, the new Maine Department of Education initiative to send the diverse and inclusive collection to every district in the state will benefit all students, she said.

The Portland-based nonprofit, I鈥檓 Your Neighbor Books, that developed and distributed the collection nationwide said after almost three years of widespread bans targeting books on similar topics, this project strengthens Maine鈥檚 commitment to inclusive, diverse education. Smith, who hasn鈥檛 personally been targeted by the attacks on librarians through the book banning movement but has been wary of them, echoed the importance of the positive educational opportunities the collection will bring to her district.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we do in libraries. We want kids to see themselves in our books,鈥� she said.

鈥淏eing able to enhance our collection, or widen it, with these books is going to be super 鈥� not only for those new Mainers or kiddos from different cultures coming to our schools, but are also great for our kiddos, who have been here all their life, because they can learn about some of those experiences by reading those books.鈥�

The collection features books highlighting representation, inclusion and belonging of immigrants and first-through-third generation families that I鈥檓 Your Neighbor books has distributed to schools across the country. They include titles written by and about immigrants from different parts of the world, such as Abuelita and Me by Leonarda Carranza, about a girl and her grandmother experiencing racism, In My Mosque by M.O. Yuksel, a book highlighting mosques as gathering places, and Priya Dreams of Marigold & Masala by Meenal Patel, a book containing colorful descriptions of India.

Peaks Island author Anne Sibley O鈥橞rien鈥檚 book, I鈥檓 New Here, about three immigrant children鈥檚 experiences in an English-speaking elementary school, is also featured in the collection.

However, the partnership with the Maine DOE, dubbed The Pine Project, is the first of its kind, distributing the organization鈥檚 Welcoming Library collection to every public school district with almost $650,000 in federal pandemic relief funds, according to Kendra Carter, an education marketing coordinator for the DOE.

The initiative will put almost 6,200 total books in circulation across the state, to be used as districts see fit, said Kirsten Cappy, executive director of I鈥檓 Your Neighbor Books.

鈥淚f we do not add in a collection of books about modern migrants and new generation communities, we鈥檙e leaving out what our classrooms and communities actually look like,鈥� Cappy said about the importance of the collection, which she thinks will significantly diversify the titles available to Maine teachers.

鈥淭he presence of these books changes teaching, and it changes minds.鈥�

The goal of the project, according to the Maine DOE, is to 鈥渆nhance students鈥� understanding of diverse experiences and foster inclusive school environments,鈥� Carter said in an email. The department will also offer an online training on September 30 to help educators teach the topics the books cover, which includes social emotional learning.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maine Morning Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lauren McCauley for questions: info@mainemorningstar.com. Follow Maine Morning Star on and .

The has made it easy to create a story quickly, complicating a reader鈥檚 ability to determine if a news source or article is truthful or reliable. For instance, earlier this year, people were sharing an article about the as if it were real. It ended up being an of a satirical piece from 2010.

Republicans in the Alabama House of Representatives have refiled a bill that would attach criminal penalties for having some materials in libraries that are accessible to children.

 sponsored by Rep. Arnold Mooney, R-Indian Springs, would apply certain criminal obscenity laws to public libraries, public school libraries and 鈥渆mployees or agents acting on behalf of the legitimate educational purposes of the K-12 public school libraries or public libraries.鈥�

The bill, which does not apply to institutions of higher education, does not outline the level of felony or misdemeanor that would be applicable. Other penalties under the include mostly fines, with some potential imprisonment.

Mooney did not return messages seeking comment.

The bill, which has nearly 50 co-sponsors including Republican leadership, would add another definition of 鈥渟exual conduct鈥� to the Alabama code: 鈥淚n K-12 public schools or public libraries where minors are expected and known to be present without parental presence or consent, any sexual or gender-oriented conduct, presentation, or activity that knowingly exposes a minor to a person who is dressed in sexually revealing, exaggerated, or provocative clothing or costumes, who is stripping, or who is engaged in lewd or lascivious dancing.鈥�

Mooney鈥檚 legislation provides 15 business days for staff to move material to an age-restricted section; remove material; cease conduct; or make an official determination that the material or conduct does not violate the law.

If the parent, resident or guardian does not receive not receive notice within 25 days, the copies can be taken to law enforcement.

鈥淧rotecting Alabama鈥檚 children will always be a top priority,鈥� House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, one of the co-sponsors of the legislation, said in a statement.鈥淭he goal of HB 4 is to ensure that our school and public libraries are an educational resource for children that parents can trust. I look forward to continued conversations and moving this legislation through the process.鈥�

The legislation comes amid attacks on public libraries nationwide.found that there were more than 4,000 book bans in the first half of the school year.

Mooney filed a similar bill last year but with fewer co-sponsors. The bill passed the Last year鈥檚 version of the bill did not allow library staff to make a determination that material did not violate obscenity laws.

Craig Scott, the president of the Alabama Library Association and a library director in Gadsden, said in an interview that the bill does not offer a reasonable timeframe for the material to be removed from the library.

鈥淚f a book is objectionable, we will review it as a staff and make a decision if whoever the challenging person or persons are,鈥� he said.  鈥淚f they don鈥檛 like our determination to move it or not move it, okay, then they can appeal that and here in Gadsden, it goes to a committee or and then it would go to our library board. In other libraries, it would go straight to the library board to adjudicate, okay? So, it鈥檚 a process, and it鈥檚 going to take a lot longer than 25 days. I sure wish they would have put 60 in there.鈥�

He also said he takes 鈥済reat offense鈥� to the bill.

鈥淢y long story short, we have been doing the moving of books, or not ordering books, whatever the case might be as part of our jobs that a librarian has been trained for decades upon decades, and now these extremists and our legislators want to legislate our activities,鈥� he said. In other words, they don鈥檛 trust us.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com. Follow Alabama Reflector on and .

A Republican-led bill just introduced in the Ohio House would charge teachers and librarians with a felony offense for distributing material deemed 鈥渙bscene.鈥�

The problem is, the bill does not explain what materials would be considered obscene, despite laying a fifth-degree felony on the feet of teachers and 鈥減ublic school librarians鈥� who may possess or share such material.

State Rep. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, put forth last week, a bill that would 鈥渃reate criminal liability for certain teachers and librarians for the offense of pandering obscenity,鈥� according to the language of the bill.

Librarian, in this sense, is defined as 鈥渁 librarian employed by a school district, other public school 鈥� or chartered nonpublic school and a librarian employed in a school district public library.鈥�

Teachers and school district librarians would be barred from creating, reproducing, publishing, promoting or advertising 鈥渙bscene material.鈥� They are also prohibited from creating, directing or producing 鈥渁n obscene performance,鈥� the bill states.

But what falls under 鈥渙bscenity鈥� is not clear from the initial language of , which has yet to receive committee consideration in the House. The word 鈥渙bscenity鈥� only appears three times in the six-page bill: in the title of the proposed legislation and twice referring to the title of the criminal offense.

鈥淥bscene鈥� shows up eight times in the bill, but only accompanying 鈥渕aterial,鈥� 鈥減erformance,鈥� 鈥渁rticles鈥� and in a clause about giving notice about 鈥渢he character of the material or a performance.鈥�

HB 556 aims to amend existing statutes in the Ohio Revised Code, and pulls exact language from those statutes 鈥� for and one explaining legal 鈥溾�� 鈥� but neither of those statutes lay out what is considered obscenity either.

It鈥檚 that lack of clarity that is giving teachers and library groups hesitation on the bill.

The Ohio Education Association said it is still reviewing HB 556, and Ohio Federation of Teachers president Melissa Cropper said the group has not taken a position on the bill, but she is 鈥渃oncerned with the vagueness of the bill and the ability for it to be weaponized by bad faith actors who are focused on attacking public schools and libraries, not on protecting children.鈥�

鈥淲e also question whether there is need for this new bill or if existing laws can address the concerns behind HB 556,鈥� Cropper said in a statement. 鈥淲e plan to discuss this bill and these concerns with legislators and with our members.鈥�

Questions beyond the motivations of the bill are still coming up as well, including whether or not 鈥渟chool district public libraries鈥� can include the libraries of a community that are also classified as school district libraries.

The Ohio Library Council鈥檚 executive director, Michelle Francis, said the group does 鈥渉ave concerns with the legislation.鈥�

鈥淲e reached out to the sponsor and we look forward to meeting with him soon,鈥� Francis told the Capital Journal.

The bill includes an 鈥渁ffirmative defense,鈥� meaning if the person accused of pandering obscenity can prove the material or performance was 鈥渇or a bona fide medical, scientific, religious, governmental, judicial or other proper purpose,鈥� they can use that as a defense against the charge. The word 鈥渆ducational鈥� was struck from the language in the proposal as reasoning for an affirmative defense.

As part of the affirmative defense, the material must also have been given by or to a 鈥減hysician, psychologist, sociologist, scientist, health or biology teacher, faculty member, person pursuing bona fide studies or research, librarian other than a school librarian, member of the clergy, prosecutor, judge or other person having a proper interest in the material or performance.鈥�

Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District leaders plan to cut their librarian staff in half next year, becoming the latest Houston-area district to reduce librarians amid budget cuts. 

Expecting a $138 million budget deficit for the 2024-25 school year, leaders of the Houston-area鈥檚 second largest school district are aiming to slash roughly 670 staff positions, including 50 librarians.

The plan would leave 42 librarians in a district with 117,000 students and 88 schools.

The changes have not yet been voted on by the district鈥檚 school board, but a district spokesperson confirmed the plans to the Landing on Monday. The district has until the end of June to adopt a finalized budget.

鈥淪taff reduction is inevitable when almost 90 percent of the budget is allocated to personnel,鈥� district spokesperson Leslie Francis said Monday. 

As Texas school districts reduce costs, librarians have taken blows.

Four of Texas鈥� largest school districts 鈥� Houston, San Antonio and Spring Branch, and now Cy-Fair 鈥� have either made plans to or have eliminated dozens of librarians in the last year. 

Texas lawmakers failed to significantly increase public school funding during the 2023 legislative session, spelling financial trouble for districts as they grapple with inflationary costs and the end of pandemic-relief funds. 

Tara Cummings, a parent with students at Cy-Woods High School and Spillane Middle School, feels like the district鈥檚 leadership has its hands tied as it tries to save money, but she wishes the changes didn鈥檛 have to gut 鈥渢he heart and soul of a school.鈥�

鈥淚 don’t know really what the alternative is. The cuts have to come from somewhere,鈥� Cummings said. 鈥淭he anger needs to be focused on our Republican-led state government. They have the money to fund public education. They just won鈥檛 do it.鈥�

A Cy-Fair spokesperson did not respond to a list of questions about the reduction plan, including how the 42 librarians would be placed across 88 schools.

Cy-Fair Superintendent Douglas Killian assembled a group of community members and stakeholders to form a 鈥渂udget reduction advisory committee鈥� and make recommendations to the administration. 

However, cutting librarians was not included in a list of committee ideas or listed on the budget reduction plan presented to trustees at an April 22 board meeting. Board president Scott Henry did not respond to calls from the Landing Monday. 

In recent budget workshops, leaders have discussed their plan to offset $70 million of their $138 million deficit with their fund balance, or rainy day funds. The rest will come from cost-saving changes, such as cutting staff positions. 

Librarians in Cy-Fair earned annual salaries ranging from roughly $64,000 to $97,000 in 2022-23, the most recent year with state data.

鈥淚 think there’s probably a less worse option than (cutting librarians), but I don’t know what it is,鈥� said Cummings, the Cy-Fair parent. 鈥淎nd regardless of what it is, it’s going to piss off somebody and devastate somebody.鈥�

In an email to a community member obtained by the Landing, Superintendent Killian warned 鈥渢his is truly the beginning of cuts鈥� and the librarian reductions are 鈥渏ust the tip of the iceberg.鈥�

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Thirty people, including library staff, board members and patrons testified in person and virtually at a Senate State Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday morning to voice their opinions on the Legislature鈥檚 most recent library bill 鈥� .

However, the committee did not vote on any motion related to the bill because of time constraints. Committee chairman Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon, said the committee will continue its discussion at a later time.

An affirmative vote in the committee would secure the bill a spot on the Senate floor, making the bill one step closer to becoming law after the Idaho House of Representatives last week in a 47-23 vote.

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House Bill 710 is an amended version of a previous bill introduced earlier this year. The bill would rely on Idaho鈥檚 , which includes 鈥渁ny act of 鈥� homosexuality鈥� under its definition of sexual conduct.

It would require libraries to have a form for people to request review of materials. The bill grants county prosecuting attorneys or the attorney general the authority to seek injunctive relief against schools or public libraries found violating the law on promoting, giving, or making available material deemed harmful to minors.

Sen. Cindy Carlson, R-Riggins, the sponsor of the bill, said she believes the bill is a great solution.

鈥淧arents and citizens of the state of Idaho and the rest of the country are angry and want access to this harmful material to children be removed,鈥� she said.

House Bill 710 was the only piece of legislation on the committee鈥檚 agenda Wednesday morning, and public testimony took nearly all two hours of the committee鈥檚 allotted time.

Most of the librarians who testified said the legislation is confusing, unnecessary and demoralizing to their professions. Many said this year marks the third year they have had to testify in opposition to a library bill, and they expressed frustration that the bill is targeting the LGBTQ+ community under its definition of materials harmful to minors.

Megan Cafferty, a Meridian librarian, said her main concern was the costs that this bill would create for Idaho libraries, noting that the $250 fine in damages would disproportionately hurt small libraries, and requiring an adults-only section would create challenges for libraries with limited staff and space in their building.

鈥淐urrently we are having issues even retaining our current staff because we can鈥檛 compete with the rising cost of living,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 afford to live in the city where we work. I personally can鈥檛 have a studio apartment and afford to eat in Meridian, so we definitely can鈥檛 afford to remodel and add all of these extra costs.鈥�

Huda Shaltry, a Boise librarian and the legislative co-chair for the Idaho Librarian Association, said that library-related legislation has created challenges in her career. But for each negative encounter, she said she experiences hundreds of positive interactions with library patrons.

鈥淓very week somebody has thanked me for the existence of libraries and what we do and the resources that we provide the tech support, the printing, helping people find a home or escape their domestic violence situation,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is what we do. This is what I was trained to do.鈥�

Grace Howat, a representative for the conservative organization, Idaho Family Policy Center, was the only person to testify in favor of the legislation. In her testimony, she said the policy center is excited to support the bill as it would protect children.

Recap of library bills during 2024 session

House Bill 710 was brought to the Legislature after the Idaho Senate Senate Bill 1289, of previous legislation brought by Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa, and Sen. Geoff Schroeder, R-Mountain Home.

At least four bills have been brought to the Idaho Legislature to regulate library materials for minors, including

House Bill 384, which library patrons to sue libraries if they provide 鈥渉armful materials鈥� to minors. It would have also created a policy that requires community members fill out a written notice asking libraries to relocate a library item that they deem 鈥渉armful鈥� to an adult鈥檚 only section. If a library failed to relocate the item within 30 days, then one could have sued the library for $250, as well as 鈥渁ctual damages and any other relief.鈥� , which would have required school boards establish a 鈥渓ibrary materials review committee,鈥� or a group of parents, educators and administrators who review requests for reconsideration of school library items, the Idaho Capital Sun . It did not advance to a hearing.Senate Bill 1289, which according to bill sponsors, combined House Bill 384 and Senate Bill 1221. It died in a 18-17 vote in the Senate, the Sun . House Bill 710, of House Bill 384.

While regulating library materials is at the top of the agenda for some Republican legislators, a Boise State University survey showed that most Idahoans trust library staff with book selection. According to the university鈥檚 ninth annual , 69% of respondents said they trust library staff with book selection, while 23% of Idahoans said they do not trust libraries and library staff.

At the end of the committee hearing Monday, Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Winder, R-Boise, addressed the librarians in the room, some of whom came from Idaho Falls, Ketchum and across the Treasure Valley.

鈥淧lease don鈥檛 think this is out of disrespect to any of you as librarians, any of you as teachers,鈥� Winder said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not what this is about. We鈥檝e got parents that have concerns we鈥檙e trying to deal with, and remember, our Constitution is set up to protect the minority, not the majority.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Idaho Capital Sun maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Christina Lords for questions: info@idahocapitalsun.com. Follow Idaho Capital Sun on and .

A bill that would open up librarians to felony charges for showing obscene material to minors will head to the House of Delegates for consideration.

On Monday, bill sponsor  Del. Brandon Steele, R-Raleigh, called for support of his legislation in a fiery speech, in which he said libraries were 鈥渢he sanctuary for pedophilia鈥� where people needed to be held accountable for exposing children to obscene content.

鈥淚鈥檓 voting to protect children from being groomed and targeted by pedophiles and get rid of the sanctuary that was set up in our code 25 years ago,鈥� Steele said to members of the House .

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He continued, 鈥淚f it鈥檚 a crime in the parking lot, it鈥檚 a crime in the building 鈥� period. I hope the chilling effect chills the pedophiles. We鈥檙e not going to create a safe space for them.鈥�

Libraries are currently exempt from state law that bans displaying or disseminating obscene materials to minors.

The legislation, , had stalled for a few weeks after a in late January, where some people in support of the bill read outloud graphic sexual material they said was found in school libraries. Those opposing the legislation, including several librarians, said the bill would open libraries to potential costly prosecution.

The Judiciary Committee took it up again and passed it through with a 21-3 vote.

The committee鈥檚 three Democrat members voted against the bill, citing concerns over censorship and the measure鈥檚 failure to define obscene. They said its broad definition could lead to community members challenging the display of the Bible or the 鈥淭he Diary of Anne Frank.鈥�

鈥淲hile this bill doesn鈥檛 technically ban books, the impact of the bill is to remove books from our shelves,鈥� said Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia.

Hansen also pointed out the potential cost to librarians, some of whom are employed by schools.

An attorney for the Legislature told lawmakers that the librarians would be on the hook for their own legal fees.

Librarians could face a $25,000 fine or five years in prison under the state鈥檚 obscenity regarding minors.

Megan Tarbett, president of the West Virginia Library Association, told lawmakers during a lengthy bill debate that the state鈥檚 171 public libraries already had a system in place to decide what types of books are appropriate to display. There is a separate system for patrons, including parents, to challenge the inclusion of a book in the library.

Around 50 books had been challenged, Tarbett estimated.

鈥淎 handful of library systems have had multiple challenges to their collections, but it is not widespread,鈥� she said. 鈥�5.2 million items were borrowed from libraries last year. Out of 1.2 million library books borrowed last year, the vast majority were checked out on a parent鈥檚 card 鈥� not the children鈥檚 card.鈥�

In response, Del. Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, said, 鈥淲e learned here today that there鈥檚 a challenge process that鈥檚 being followed.

鈥淭his bill has been sitting here for years. Nothing crazy has happened, we鈥檝e just run out of bills to use for political purposes. The bill probably isn鈥檛 going to do a whole lot, but it鈥檚 going to have some librarians fear they got locked up.鈥�

Del. J.B. Akers, R-Kanawha, questioned if the library鈥檚 screening system was adequate. He presented a photocopied page from 鈥淕ender Queer,鈥� a book that Tarbett said was typically shelved in the adult graphic novel section of the library.

Akers asked Tarbett to describe what was displayed.

鈥淚 do believe it is a sexual act,鈥� she responded.

Akers, a parent, said he was in full support of the legislation, which he said wasn鈥檛 aimed at banning books. 鈥淲e鈥檙e saying don鈥檛 put this in the school library. These are graphic, sexual novels,鈥� he explained.

Tarbett also warned lawmakers that the bill could lead to staffing challenges as librarians could fear prosecution. The state鈥檚 universities don鈥檛 offer a degree in library sciences, so the libraries rely on out-of-state applicants to fill jobs.

The bill will need to be taken up by the full House by Feb. 25.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com. Follow West Virginia Watch on and .

Parents have a high level of trust in librarians despite a national onslaught of book bans and censorship efforts by conservative groups, a recent survey by EveryLibrary Institute and Book Riot found.

The authors of found that despite concerted efforts to keep books about America鈥檚 racist past and LGBTQ issues out of the hands of children, families across diverse backgrounds and income levels trust public and school librarians. The families value librarians鈥� expertise in fostering safe and engaging learning environments that support learning and creativity.

PEN America, a free speech organization, reported finding 3,362 cases of book bans in the 2022-23 school year. North Carolina is among the national censorship leaders with 58 reported book bans from July 2022 to June 2023. More books have been banned by school districts since the start of the school year.

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John Chrastka, EveryLibrary Institute鈥檚 executive director, said the survey shows that politically motivated book banning, and censorship groups are out of touch with most parents and guardians.

鈥淐ontrary to the narratives that so-called parent rights groups are advancing, parents across America value librarians鈥� roles in our communities and our children鈥檚 education,鈥� Chrastka said. 鈥淧ro-censorship groups do not represent the vast majority of parents or guardians in their beliefs about librarians, reading, education, and civil society.鈥�

is a library think thank and professional network that is focused on improving and supporting the future of library funding in the United States and abroad. is North America鈥檚 largest independent editorial book site.

Kelly Jensen, an editor at Book Riot, said the survey is informative and provides welcome insight into parental perceptions about libraries.

鈥淭his series of surveys further our knowledge on what libraries are doing right and allows us to see where and how we can advocate for better understanding the roles libraries play in the lives of the average person,鈥� Jensen said. 鈥淲e continue to be thrilled to see the vast majority of parents think that the public library is a safe place for their children.鈥�

EveryLibrary Institute and Book Riot researchers surveyed 1,527 parents and guardians with children under 18 in two surveys during October and November 2023.

Here鈥檚 a by-the-numbers look at what parents and guardians told researchers about public libraries:

92 鈥� Percentage of parents, grandparents and guardians who said they trust librarians to curate appropriate books and materials

90 鈥� Percentage who report being comfortable allowing their child to select their own materials

96 鈥� Percentage who said they feel their children are safe within the library

83 鈥� Percentage who agree librarians know what books children love

35 鈥� Percentage who think public librarians have a political agenda, and believe they should

9 鈥� Percentage who do not believe librarians have a political agenda, but think they should

44 鈥� Percentage who don鈥檛 think librarians have a political agenda, and should not

85 鈥� Percentage who report being satisfied or very satisfied with librarians.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com. Follow NC Newsline on and .

One day, teachers and library staff across Wisconsin may find that they could be prosecuted for allowing K-12 students to view certain books or other materials. A new Republican legislative proposal to penalize educators for exposing children to obscene materials comes out of a wider effort to restrict what K-12 students can see or read. The bill had its day Dec. 5 before the Republican-led Assembly Committee on Education. 聽 would remove protections for school and library staff against being prosecuted for providing 鈥渙bscene鈥� materials to minors. If passed, the bill would create a new class of felons 鈥斅� teachers and library staff who are found to have provided students with inappropriate books or other media.

One day after the Assembly education committee hearing on the bill, Dr. Jill Underly, the state superintendent of public instruction, expressed concern about increased attacks on libraries and schools on X, formerly known as Twitter. 鈥淎t this moment in our history, we need spaces to engage with new ideas and our history,鈥� Underly wrote in a Dec. 6 post. 鈥淲e need it in the face of hate and increased threats and attempts at silencing. Libraries are a bastion of freedom of thought, expression, and creativity.鈥�

Underly also shared video of statements she made at a late November press conference, streamed by WisconsinEye. In the video, Underly said that school libraries are welcoming, exciting places where children can learn and explore new ideas and stories. 鈥淲hen we see the current increases in attempts at censorship and attacks of disinformation against school libraries, we should be very, very worried,鈥� Underly said. To Underly, 鈥渃ensorship is suppression,鈥� and goes against the spirit of education. 鈥淒isinformation threatens the existence of inclusive spaces because it weaponizes the fact that they welcome all students as their authentic selves,鈥� said Underly.

Throughout the hearing, however, Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha) and Sen. Andre Jacque (R-DePere) pushed back against concerns about the bills. 鈥淚鈥檓 grateful for the public hearing as there are many who suggest that there are no obscene materials in our schools and that this bill is just about book bans and political agendas,鈥� said Allen in testimony to the committee. 鈥淎s you鈥檒l hear today from other testifiers, there are many parents and educators who have become concerned at how students can encounter sexually explicit material at school.鈥�

Current law exempts librarians and teachers from being prosecuted under the state鈥檚 obscene materials laws in the interest of allowing for a free flow of literary and educational materials. Allen described 鈥渙bscene material鈥� as any writing, picture, film or recording which could cause 鈥渋mmoderate or unwholesome desires,鈥� depicts sexual conduct in an offensive way, or lacks serious literary, artistic, political, educational or scientific value. 鈥淲hen we look at this definition, I think all of us, regardless of political persuasions, would agree that material showing sexual content in a provocative way should not be something that we give to 12-year-olds,鈥� said Allen. 鈥淚f any of us chose to distribute obscene material to a minor, we would be subject to felony charges. Rightly so.鈥� Allen added. 鈥淪hould we not hold those who work with minors to the same level of responsibility as any other Wisconsinite?鈥�

Both Allen and Jacque stressed that the bill isn鈥檛 about banning books. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a simple, commonsense acknowledgment that all books and materials may not be appropriate for all kids of all age groups, particularly those with sexually explicit and perverse content,鈥� said Jacque. 鈥淭his is hardly an extreme or radical expectation.鈥� Jacque, like committee vice-chair Barbara Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc) who went before a Senate committee with another library-related bill last week, said that virtual learning after the pandemic caused parents to pay closer attention to what their children had access to in school. Some turned their outrage into organizing, creating lists of books largely about LGBTQ issues, race  and social justice issues to remove or restrict in schools. Allen and Jacque said some constituents told them prosecuting school and library staff for providing certain materials to students was a step in the right direction.

In emails, parents compiled a list of books they viewed as inappropriate for young students, and encouraged Republican lawmakers to look into removing them. Some parents felt the books were sexually obscene, others felt that their kids were being taught to 鈥渉ate cops and hate their white skin in the classrooms at our elementary schools.鈥� Prosecuting teachers and library staff for providing such books to students was recommended by constituents in many of these early emails. Allen was among Republican lawmakers who鈥檇 received those early conversations regarding prosecution of school and library staff.

, Allen and Jacque floated co-sponsorship memos for legislation to remove protections for school staff and prohibit school districts from using funds to purchase any materials found to be obscene. In the Dec. 5 hearing, the two lawmakers continued that effort. Other people speaking in favor of the bill included representatives of groups including one called Gays Against Groomers as well as Wisconsin Family Action. A member of Gays Against Groomers testified wearing an American flag patterned bandana, and stated that books like Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe are 鈥減edophile books.鈥� Testimony from Moms for Liberty was also provided to the committee. People speaking in favor of the bill argued that they wanted to protect the innocence of young children, particularly from teachers who have 鈥渁n agenda.鈥�

Hearing materials provided to the committee included pages and excerpts of books which parents said they  found in school districts across Wisconsin. Some of the pages included sexual dialogue or situations between characters or images of sexual acts. 鈥淭he Infinite Moment of Us鈥� by Lauren Myracle, 鈥淔un Home鈥� by Alison Bechdel, and 鈥淭he Handmaid鈥檚 Tale鈥� by Margaret Atwood were among the books identified for having violence, descriptions of self-harm, 鈥渁lternate gender ideologies,鈥� 鈥渃ontroversial religious commentary,鈥� and 鈥減rofanity.鈥� Although no one spoke against the bill in person,, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin, multiple associations representing school district administrators, school nurses, school business officials, and librarians. Several members of the committee chimed in on the bill in testimony. Rep. William Penterman (R-Columbus) said he had concerns 鈥渢hat the bill doesn鈥檛 go far enough.鈥� Penterman felt the bill couldn鈥檛 be applied widely enough to different communities and situations. Penterman said that in his own city, 鈥渁 naked bike ride wouldn鈥檛 fly, but in other places that might be seen as totally acceptable,鈥� said Penterman.

Other Republican members harked back to a remembered golden era of modesty. Rep. Chuck Wichgers (R-Muskego) said there鈥檚 a battle between school librarians 鈥渨ho say we鈥檙e licensed, we鈥檙e the experts, we decide what meets the burden of 鈥榮candalizes鈥�.鈥� He added that, 鈥渇or 50 years parents trusted the schools, the teachers, and then all of a sudden this movement after COVID [challenged those assumptions].鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檝e gone 50 years of letting teachers decide what is best for our kids on these sensitive topics,鈥� Wichgers added. 鈥淎nd now the parents saw what the sensitive topics have become, compared to when their first set of kids went through five, 10, 15 years ago. When they were in school 30, 40 years ago, and they鈥檙e saying how did we get here so quickly? And can we go back to Elvis Presley shaking his leg and singing as a baseline of what is scandal? And can we go back to that? Because I think that we鈥檝e gone too far.鈥�

Democratic members of the committee questioned various aspects of the bills. Rep. Dave Considine (D-Baraboo) said the bill would result in the state policing what different communities do, despite what those communities may want. Not all communities find the same issues, topics, or lifestyles obscene or perverse, he added. Allen said that adults can have discussions about which materials are valuable and appropriate for different age groups. He pushed back against the idea that there should be a variety of different standards. 鈥淭here should be no one exempt from our obscene statutes, or obscene materials law,鈥� said Allen. Speaking of elementary school teachers, and  Allen said, 鈥渋f there鈥檚 one bad apple in the bunch it can do a significant amount of damage.鈥�

Allen and Jacque said that teachers and librarians don鈥檛 have to worry about overzealous enforcement, since a case for prosecution would need to be brought to the district attorney, and then the attorney general, before any criminal action was taken.

Rep. Deb Andraca (D-Whitefish Bay) questioned whether Allen and others had actually read school library policies. In many cases across the state as books have become more controversial, or. Andraca pointed out that in those cases the policies worked. In some cases, the policies were specifically requested by the same parents pushing to restrict what books students could access. Allen argued that no one should be exempted from responsibility just because of their profession. 鈥淒oes that apply to law enforcement then? Shelton asked, noting that police have qualified immunity and a host of other protections and privileges under the law. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe that law enforcement is exempt from the obscene materials statute,鈥� Allen responded.

At one point, legislative counsel clarified that the bill could not make teachers criminally liable for what a district has told them or allowed them to instruct. Rep. Kristina Shelton (D-Green Bay) asked if the bills had been crafted in cooperation with other clear efforts across the state to remove books, and expose teachers to liability. Jacque rejected the suggestion, and was supported by committee chair Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay), who interjected that many bills are made with inspiration from other states and made light of any suggestion of a 鈥渂ig conspiracy.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Wisconsin Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Ruth Conniff for questions: info@wisconsinexaminer.com. Follow Wisconsin Examiner on and .

What comes to mind when you think of Wikipedia?

Maybe you think of clicking link after link to learn about a topic, followed by another topic and then another. Or maybe you鈥檝e heard a teacher or librarian tell you that what you read on Wikipedia isn鈥檛 reliable.

As and , we know people have concerns about using Wikipedia in academic work. And yet, in interacting with undergraduate and graduate students doing various kinds of research, we also see how Wikipedia can be an important source for background information, topic development and locating further information.

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What exactly is Wikipedia?

, which is a free online encyclopedia run by the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation and written collaboratively by its users.

and for contributing to the site. The five pillars establish Wikipedia as a free online encyclopedia, with articles that are accurate and cite reliable sources, and editors 鈥� called Wikipedians 鈥� who avoid bias and treat one another with respect.

build upon the five pillars by establishing best practices for writing and editing on Wikipedia. Common issues that go against the guidelines, for example, include and , which refers to editing an article in an intentionally malicious, offensive or libelous way.

Here are what we see as the main pros and cons to college students using Wikipedia as a source of information in their research and assignments, though anyone can consider these tips when using Wikipedia.

Wikipedia鈥檚 strengths

1. Basic information on virtually any topic

In addition to being free and readily available, Wikipedia鈥檚 standardized and hyperlinks to other articles enable readers to quickly track down the basics on their topic 鈥� the who, what, when, where and why.

In our experience, many students come to the library with a chosen topic 鈥� for example, voting rights during Reconstruction 鈥� but little knowledge about it. Before searching for the scholarly articles and books typically needed to complete their assignment, students benefit from knowing keywords and concepts related to their topic. This ensures they can try a variety of words and phrases in the catalog and databases as part of their search strategy.

2. Notes and references encourage readers to go deeper

The is a real browsing behavior of endlessly hopping from topic to topic, which is a testament to the site鈥檚 easy navigation. Students can find valuable information such as important scholars on the topic by scrolling to the 鈥淣otes鈥� and 鈥淩eferences鈥� sections of the Wikipedia page. Here they can find out who authored the various sources used in the article, as well as the citation information needed to locate additional books and articles.

3. Students can be editors

Students can write content, share information and properly cite scholarly sources on Wikipedia by becoming an editor. Quick-acting editors can become the first to add changes to an article . Those of us with access to scholarly sources, both in print and online through libraries, by sharing information that might otherwise be behind a paywall.

are events at which people gather to edit articles on topics of interest or that might otherwise be ignored. American universities have hosted edit-a-thons on , and .

Some as an alternative to the traditional research paper. This practice engages students in digital literacy and teaches them .

Wikipedia鈥檚 drawbacks

1. Systemic and gender bias

The crowdsourced nature of Wikipedia can lead to the exclusion of some voices and topics. Although anyone can edit, not everyone does.

On the issue of , Wikipedia acknowledges that most contributors are male, few biographies are about women, and topics of interest to women receive less coverage. This dynamic can be observed in other areas of underrepresentation, especially race and ethnicity. Nearly , which leads to missing topics, perspectives and sources.

2. Citation requirements can exclude important sources

Wikipedia requires that information included in an article was . While this is often an important element to confirm something is true or correct, it can be limiting for topics that have not received coverage in newspapers or scholarly journals. For some topics, such as Indigenous peoples of Canada, an may be an important source, but it could not be cited in a Wikipedia article.

3. Not all cited sources are open-access

Some sources may be behind paywalls, and since citations , academic publishers have a vested interest in their publications鈥� being cited, whether or not they are freely available. However, college students can use their school鈥檚 library to get full text access to the sources they discover in Wikipedia articles.

4. Articles change frequently

While timely updates are an advantage of Wikipedia, the impermanence of articles can make them difficult to rely on for information. Students can keep track of the date they find a piece of information on Wikipedia as it might not be the same when they return. The 鈥淭alk鈥� page of a Wikipedia entry provides a discussion of changes to the article, and the can be used to view previous versions.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Amid the national uproar about whether to allow students access to a wide variety of books, the superintendent of a Virginia school district this week proposed a sweeping solution: Get rid of school libraries altogether.

Mark Taylor, who leads the district in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, suggested at a recent school board meeting that eliminating libraries would be a cost-reduction measure, saving $4.2 million in anticipation of $18 million in budget cuts.

But parents were out in force at the meeting, and many decried the idea of cutting libraries, saying they are essential and eliminating them would be a disservice to children. None of the parents or community members were officially allowed to speak at the public meeting, but some stood in the back of the room holding signs with slogans such as 鈥淲e Deserve Better鈥� and 鈥淔und our Schools!鈥�

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And just hours after the raucous meeting, veteran board member Dawn Shelley accused Taylor of using money-saving as a ruse to get rid of books.

鈥淚 think they think, 鈥榃ell, if we remove the libraries, then we don鈥檛 have to deal with those books,鈥欌�� she said in an interview with Stateline.

Another school board member, Nicole Cole, in a separate interview, agreed that closing libraries 鈥渋s a further attack on our educators, our teachers and it鈥檚 banning books.鈥�

Neither Taylor, nor the chair of the school board, returned calls seeking comment. But Taylor told a local television reporter that libraries are not necessarily vital, since 鈥渨hole libraries are available on an app鈥� on kids鈥� cellphones.

One day after the meeting, Taylor ruled that 14 books that had been challenged by a parent as inappropriate and containing 鈥渟exually explicit鈥� content must be removed from school libraries and declared 鈥渟urplus鈥� property. The 14 include Toni Morrison鈥檚 鈥淏eloved鈥� and 鈥淭he Bluest Eye,鈥� as well as 鈥淲ater for Elephants鈥� by Sara Gruen, a historical novel set in a Great Depression circus, and 鈥淣ineteen Minutes,鈥� by Jody Picoult, which is about a school shooting. Taylor suggested the books be donated to other libraries.

According to the local , all the books had been declared appropriate for high school ages after reviews by committees that included parents. But the parent making the initial complaint, the paper said, had appealed that decision.

Spotsylvania County has been a hotbed of book banning for a couple of years, ever since it passed and then rescinded a plan to remove 鈥渟exually explicit鈥� books from school libraries. One board member apparently suggested burning books as well, according to news reports at the time.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, made parental concern over 鈥渆xplicit鈥� books in public school curricula one of the elements of his winning 2021 campaign.

Anti-Book Movement

From July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, 138 school districts in 32 states banned books, according to PEN America. These districts represent 5,049 schools with a combined enrollment of nearly 4 million students, the literacy group said.

PEN chalked up the effort to censor books as an outgrowth of both the fight against mask mandates in schools and the move against what opponents call the teaching of critical race theory, a graduate-level course of study that considers the role race has played in historical events and the direction of the country. The PEN report identified at least 50 groups involved in book ban movements, most of which formed since 2021.

The number of school libraries and librarians has been dwindling for decades. Between the 1999-2000 and 2015-16 school years, the latest comprehensive figures available, the number of school librarians dropped 19%, according to a School Library Journal  of National Center for Education Statistics data.

The Arkansas House approved a proposed law on Wednesday that would open the door to criminal liability for the distribution of 鈥渙bscene鈥� content by school and public libraries, despite bipartisan opposition.

Seven Republicans joined the 18 House Democrats in voting against , including Rep. DeAnn Vaught (R-Horatio), who called the bill 鈥済overnment overreach.鈥�

鈥淚 think we might have lost our way down here somewhat,鈥� Vaught said in a lengthy speech on the House floor. 鈥淩epublicans are supposed to be about local control, and yet here we are again, taking local control away from our counties and cities because of a few bad actors.鈥�

Senate Bill 81 would add the loaning of library materials to the statute governing the possession and distribution of obscene material. Arkansas鈥� is 鈥渢hat to the average person, applying contemporary community standards, the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeals to prurient interest,鈥� with prurient meaning overtly sexual.

The bill would remove schools and public libraries from the part of Arkansas law that 鈥渇or disseminating a writing, film, slide, drawing, or other visual reproduction that is claimed to be obscene.鈥�

The bill is one of several introduced this year by Republicans with the stated intent of protecting children from sexual content. Other such bills include and , as well as .

The bill鈥檚 sponsors, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Jonesboro) and Rep. Justin Gonzales (R-Okolona), have repeatedly said the bill is simply a means of allowing parents more control over what their children read and would not result in the banning of books.

Vaught agreed that children should be protected from inappropriate material and that parents have the right to restrict what their children read, but she said that control should not extend to other children or be exercised by elected officials.

鈥淚 actually didn鈥檛 even let my children read Harry Potter when they were in school, but I would have never gone to the school and challenged that book, even though I didn鈥檛 believe in it,鈥� she said.

She also said children might have access to inappropriate content via cell phones rather than library books.

鈥淚 guess the next step is for us to tell parents that they can鈥檛 buy phones for their children until they鈥檙e 18, because just in case you didn鈥檛 know, they can search anything and everything on those things today,鈥� Vaught said. 鈥淒o I think that is good? No, of course I don鈥檛, but we can鈥檛 regulate everything in the lives of Arkansans.鈥�

The bill passed with 56 votes from House Republicans, while 11 did not vote and eight voted present.

The House Judiciary Committee March 7 with a split voice vote after three hours of discussion and testimony. The committee Thursday with another split voice vote after adopting an amendment to the text that replaced the word 鈥渞emoval鈥� with 鈥渞elocation鈥� several times.

Senate Bill 81 will return to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which in February that the House committee rejected. will take up the amended bill if it passes the committee.

Proposed challenge policy

The proposed law would allow people to 鈥渃hallenge the appropriateness鈥� of school or public libraries鈥� offerings and have them reviewed by a committee of five to seven people selected by school principals or head librarians. The committee would vote on whether to remove the material after hearing the complainant鈥檚 case in a public meeting, and a complainant may appeal the committee鈥檚 decision if the majority votes no.

Appeals at school libraries would go to the school board for a final decision, and appeals at public libraries would go to the county judge or the county quorum court.

Employees of public or school libraries that 鈥渒nowingly鈥� distribute obscene material or inform others of how to obtain it would risk conviction of a Class D felony, the bill states. Knowingly possessing obscene material would risk conviction of a Class A misdemeanor.

Gonzales told the House that the bill sets a high bar for potential criminal charges and that people should not worry about local librarians鈥� risk of imprisonment.

鈥淭hat librarian would have to know the material, know what鈥檚 in the book, know that it had been declared obscene 鈥� and in that case, judicially declared to be obscene, so you or I don鈥檛 get to make that decision,鈥� Gonzales said. 鈥溾�he librarian would have to know that and then knowingly provide it to a child, and I would say if they鈥檙e doing that, then they probably should go to prison.鈥�

House Judiciary Committee members at both meetings last week said that legislative bodies such as school boards and county quorum courts should not be tasked with judicial decisions.

Libraries already have processes in place to vet the materials on the shelves and handle challenges to those materials from parents, several witnesses said at the March 7 meeting.

Supporters of the bill have said sexual material is too easily accessible in libraries to children as young as 5 years old.

However, Brittani Brooks, a librarian at Pulaski Heights Middle School in Little Rock, said on March 7 that librarians know better than to check out 鈥渁 steamy Harlequin romance鈥� to a young child.

Several House members asked Gonzales why the proposed policy is necessary, given libraries鈥� existing policies and the state鈥檚 existing obscenity laws.

Gonzales said decisions about whether materials should be allowed in libraries should be made publicly, which the bill would require. He also said he could not 鈥渘ame specific cases鈥� of Arkansas librarians knowingly distributing harmful material to minors but wanted the policy to be in place proactively.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to wait until harmful material or obscene material is being provided in my district,鈥� Gonzales said.

Content, choice and control

states that library materials 鈥渟hall not be withdrawn solely for the viewpoints expressed within鈥� them and that anything challenged under the proposed law 鈥渟hall be reviewed in its entirety and shall not have selected portions taken out of context.鈥�

Vaught said the bill has 鈥渟everal gray areas that could be left up to interpretation鈥� and might open the door to books being challenged just because someone disagrees with the content within them, not because they violate obscenity laws.

Rep. Ashley Hudson (D-Little Rock), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, made a similar comment March 7. She and several witnesses against the bill said books by non-white and LGBTQ authors could be disproportionately challenged even though the bill itself does not single them out.

Senate Minority Whip Linda Chesterfield (D-Little Rock) said on the Senate floor last month that she was concerned about sexual content in the Bible, specifically the Song of Solomon, being challenged. Vaught repeated this concern on the House floor and said the book of Ezekiel is also sexually explicit.

鈥淚f [these scenes] were in any other book, I think it would be challenged,鈥� Vaught said.

Gonzales said the Bible 鈥渢aken as a whole鈥� is not sexually explicit, so it would survive a challenge if there is one.

Even so, if a court in one part of Arkansas rules that a book is obscene, it would have to be removed from all of the state鈥檚 libraries, bookstores and homes due to the way obscenity law is written, Vaught said.

She referenced the state鈥檚 that created a new school voucher program, lauded by Republicans as allowing parents a choice in which schools their children attend.

鈥淓ither we are for parents to have choices and freedoms, and for free speech and dialogue, or we aren鈥檛, but we can鈥檛 continue to swing that pendulum week after week on this floor,鈥� Vaught said.

Some House Republicans spoke for the bill and disagreed with some of Vaught鈥檚 points. Rep. Stephen Meeks (R-Greenbrier) called Senate Bill 81 鈥渢he quintessential local control bill.鈥�

鈥淓lected representatives will have the final say,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey will be the final judge of the values of that community, not an unelected library board.鈥�

Rep. Mary Bentley (R-Perryville), a co-sponsor of the bill, said the policy is necessary as part of an ongoing 鈥渃ulture war鈥� that threatens children鈥檚 safety.

鈥淚 wish we didn鈥檛 have to do this bill, [but] I wish to goodness 5-year-olds weren鈥檛 shown pornography,鈥� she said.

Bentley has sponsored other bills this year with the stated purpose of protecting children鈥檚 innocence, including the bill that initially sought to restrict drag performances and one that against doctors who provide gender-affirming care to transgender minors. Both bills have been signed into law.

School bathroom bill

Bentley is also the primary sponsor of , which the House sent to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders鈥� desk Wednesday.

The bill would restrict students鈥� use of multiple-occupancy bathrooms, locker rooms and sleeping arrangements on overnight trips based on their gender assigned at birth. Bentley has repeatedly said the policy, which is based on , should protect all students鈥� privacy.

House Bill 1156 passed the House Education Committee on Tuesday with no discussion or testimony. The same committee and in January.

with a party-line vote on Monday, nearly a month after it was to be amended on a technicality. The language pertaining to overnight trips originally stated that a student 鈥渋s required to share sleeping quarters with a member of the same sex,鈥� and the amendment clarified that students can stay in rooms by themselves.

Similarly, the bill requires schools to 鈥減rovide a reasonable accommodation鈥� to anyone 鈥渦nwilling or unable to use a multiple occupancy restroom or changing area鈥� based on their biological sex, such as a single-occupancy gender-neutral restroom.

Sen. Clarke Tucker (D-Little Rock) said Monday that this provision is reminiscent of 鈥渟eparate but equal,鈥� the language legalizing racial segregation that led to the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision, , that began the dismantling of segregated schools and fueled the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

Opponents of the proposed policy have said it will make transgender youth more vulnerable to bullying, harassment and violence. They have also said schools might not have the resources to add single-occupancy restrooms to their campuses if they do not already have them.

Kaymo Mainard O鈥機onnell, a transgender 16-year-old, attends a school in Little Rock that has only one single-occupancy restroom, and it is only accessible with permission from the school nurse.

鈥淭here are too many trans, gender-nonconforming and intersex people at my school to use that one bathroom,鈥� Kaymo told the last week while testifying against House Bill 1156.

One House Democrat, Rep. Milton Nicks Jr. of Marion, voted with 76 House Republicans to send the bill to Sanders鈥� desk. Six Republicans and two Democrats did not vote, while the remaining 15 Democrats voted no.

Sanders plans to sign the bill, her spokeswoman Alexa Henning said in an email.

鈥淭he Governor believes our schools are no place for the radical left鈥檚 woke agenda and would sign a law that focuses on protecting and educating our kids, not indoctrinating them,鈥� Henning said.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com. Follow Arkansas Advocate on and .

鈥淥K, I鈥檒l look into it,鈥� Baker recalled telling her boss at the time.

But eventually, Baker 鈥� a librarian at the Llano County Public Library鈥檚 Kingsland Branch 鈥� decided to ignore the request. And she continued to vocally protest other decisions, like the ban on ordering new books. She spoke up, telling her supervisors that the library was facing a attack.

By February, the pressure to keep new or donated books from the shelves increased, she said. After waiting weeks for a local library board to approve the books Baker wanted to add to her library, Baker鈥檚 boss would tell her that even donated books could not reach the shelves.

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On March 9, Baker was for insubordination, creating a disturbance and failure to follow instructions.

鈥淭his change is inevitable and you are allowing your personal biases, opinions and preferences to unduly influence your actions and judgment,鈥� her dismissal documents stated.

Baker鈥檚 experience represents one of many new conflicts facing Texas librarians as book challenges continue to multiply. Many feel left out of decisions on banning books while also facing increased scrutiny from politicians, parents, and county and school district staff. Some have already quit, and others are considering it.

For those librarians working at schools and at public libraries, the pressure to keep some challenged books off the shelves is growing. And some Texas librarians say the insults and threats through social media and the added pressure from supervisors to remove books are taking a toll on the profession.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the job I鈥檝e always wanted my entire life,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淏ut then it started getting to be a place where it was hostile.鈥�

The Llano County Commissioner鈥檚 Court and the county judge, who oversaw some library services and suspended new library book purchases in November, declined to comment, as did the library system鈥檚 director, Amber Milum.

Now that Baker is no longer working at the library, she said she worries for the future of Llano County鈥檚 library system.

鈥淚mmobilized by what the future could look like鈥�

The Texas Tribune spoke to librarians in two independent school districts that have been at the center of book challenges and bans: Keller, northeast of Fort Worth, and Katy, west of Houston. One from each district spoke to the Tribune, but both asked that their names not be published because they feared harassment.

In Keller, local Facebook group pages and Twitter accounts have included pointed comments about librarians being 鈥渉eretical鈥� and portrayed them as pedophile 鈥済roomers鈥� who order pornographic books. After a particular book challenge failed, one commenter included the phrase 鈥減ass the millstones,鈥� a biblical reference to execution by drowning.

鈥淚t was heartbreaking for me to see comments from a community that I鈥檝e loved and served for 19 years, directed towards me as a person,鈥� the Keller ISD librarian said.

Parents and community members have challenged more than in Keller ISD since October, including the Bible and Maia Kobabe鈥檚 鈥淕ender Queer.鈥� The district has so far removed at least 10 from circulation, and librarians have not been able to order new books since that time, the Keller ISD librarian said.

Several successful Keller ISD board candidates ran this month on campaign promises that they would increase parent involvement in education, including looking harder at school library books.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 been a day or an hour in the last 12 months that I haven鈥檛 been frightened and immobilized by what the future could look like,鈥� the Keller ISD librarian said.

The Keller ISD librarian said she wants to talk with more parents about the books they want to ban, but so far, only one parent has reached out to her.

鈥淭his has been our experience in reality, and we still want to work together,鈥� she said. 鈥淐ommunities have to come together. We can鈥檛 keep doing this back and forth.鈥�

鈥淪hould I play it safe?鈥�

A librarian In Katy ISD said the wave of book bans has left her less confident about what new books to order for her school library.

She considered ordering a collection of short stories called 鈥淕rowing Up Trans: In Our Own Words鈥� but worried the book may be targeted for removal.

鈥淪hould I play it safe?鈥� she said. 鈥淥r should I push the envelope and get a couple and see what happens?鈥�

She worries that librarians will soon be able to fill shelves with only books included on pre-approved lists.

鈥淎re we going to get there?鈥� she said. 鈥淎re you just gonna take everything away that I came into this job wanting to do?鈥�

Just north of Austin, at Round Rock Independent School District, the pressure on librarians has been intense, says Ami Uselman, the director of library services for the district. Some of her librarians are reaching breaking points. One came to her in tears, worried about what their church would think about social media accounts calling them groomers. Another quit.

Uselman said parents are walking into schools and grilling librarians with questions about books. Some demanded records for all books purchased in the library, some 30,000 titles. Surprisingly, there鈥檚 not been one formal book challenge, she said in late April.

But Uselman鈥檚 work phone still lights up with calls, some from people outside of the district, accusing her of stocking inappropriate material in libraries. The pressure to remove books has been easing, but she worries about the next event that could ignite community anger.

鈥淭here鈥檚 just a lot of misunderstandings,鈥� Uselman said. For example, some parents mistake graphic novels as sexually explicit when instead they are picture and comic books.

鈥淚 feel like it has gotten better,鈥� Uselman said. 鈥淭he problem is just when you think it鈥檚 getting better, something else pops up.鈥�

Disclosure: Facebook has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune鈥�s journalism. Find a complete .

This article originally appeared in at .

One day in June, the employees of the Enoch Pratt Free Library gathered online to learn something new: how to de-escalate conflict, mediate grief, and help people feel better about themselves.聽

They got instruction from Lawrence Brown, a professor at Morgan State University who trains organizations on racial equity, then broke out into smaller private sessions where they had tough, but open, conversations about healing their own and their city鈥檚 trauma. 

鈥淭here was conversation about understanding history and the impact on neighborhoods in current Baltimore,鈥� said Heidi Daniel, CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library system. 鈥淲e are focused on questioning how the library can play a role in healing inequities and examining our internal policies and practices to do better work.鈥� 

That session was part of an experimental effort by Baltimore leaders, who hope to enlist city agencies, starting with the library, to answer a big question: How does a city that has suffered trauma for decades, including over 190 homicides just this year, begin to heal? Baltimore is teaching its city staff how to spot and assist people dealing with that trauma, and turning city facilities into places where they can learn to cope and, in turn, assist their neighbors in processing their own pain and suffering. 

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, social services like shelters had become strained in the city, as across the country; librarians and their colleagues had stepped up to aid in this kind of frontline work. In 2021 the city, recognizing the reach of the public library branch system, wondered how library staff might go a step further, helping to address the root causes of violence. 

鈥淚f all agencies have a deeper understanding of the impact of trauma and a focus on not retraumatizing people, that can be a game changer for Baltimore,鈥� Daniel said. 

The strategy is among the first of its kind nationally, and it poses a challenge for the public health approach to violence reduction: Whether official policy and programming can directly soothe the pain and stress residents experience amid the frequent violence, despite the entrenched poverty and racism built into the city鈥檚 infrastructure.

City Councilperson Zeke Cohen, who sponsored the Elijah Cummings Healing City Act sparked this approach, hoped to 鈥渦nderstand how we became a city where a child in Roland Park鈥� 鈥� among the wealthiest and whitest areas of Baltimore 鈥� 鈥渋s expected to live 20 years longer than a child born in Sandtown-Winchester鈥� 鈥� one of the poorest, and majority Black. 

Learning History 鈥� to Change the Future

Drive through Baltimore and the physical signs of trauma are obvious: Vacant homes, wooden boards covering their windows and doors, pockmark city blocks of row houses; an open-air opioid trade flourishes in plain view; unhoused people sleep below highway overpasses; and, throughout the city, people build memorials to the victims of an unprecedented . Those physical signifiers display Baltimore鈥檚 legacy as an innovator in systemic racism. Redlining, the practice of marking where families can and can鈥檛 live or receive services, often based on race,  in 1910 after a Black Yale Law graduate bought a home in an all-white neighborhood. The city responded by adopting a racial segregation ordinance that outlined exactly which blocks in which Black people were allowed to live. Though redlining as an official practice was outlawed decades ago, the city remains deeply segregated by race; by extension, the distribution of resources and opportunity are unequally divided as well.

鈥淭rauma can inflict people at a population level, whenever you have a dominant group oppressing a vulnerable group,鈥� said Brown, who led the June session with librarians. 鈥淚 contend that Baltimore apartheid is the root cause of group trauma and individual trauma in Baltimore.鈥� 

That session was the first training for city employees; elected officials, including the City Council and the mayor鈥檚 cabinet, trained earlier in the spring. Brown鈥檚 presentation relied heavily on his book, The Black Butterfly: The Harmful Politics of Race and Space in America, which details Baltimore鈥檚 deep segregation and how racism permeates policy. 

鈥淏udgets [determine the city鈥檚] policies, practices and systems and allow them to flourish,鈥� Brown said during the training. So the city that creates those budgets, and its staff, need to see their role in maintaining inequality. 

Brown flipped through slides of newspaper clips going back more than 100 years that documented the first efforts to segregate Baltimore. Despite federal court intervention, City Hall and local politicians bowed to the demands of the city鈥檚 then-majority-white electorate, and the racial divisions of Baltimore鈥檚 streets endured.

鈥淟ibrarians鈥� you are the people who can bring and marshal the information to help increase the citywide knowledge, the citywide political will, to make sure we heal Baltimore in a comprehensive and authentic way,鈥� Brown said.   

Cohen agrees, and says that鈥檚 why he saw Baltimore鈥檚 library branches as a logical starting point: Many of those with the highest needs 鈥� the city鈥檚 unhoused people, those experiencing addiction and behavioral health issues, and children 鈥� routinely use the library, which is a city facility. 鈥淭he ultimate goal,鈥� Cohen said, 鈥渋s for people to feel safe in the institutions the city controls.鈥�

Creating Safe City Spaces

An incident inside a city building set this plan in motion. In 2019, a man entered Frederick Douglass High School and shot and injured a teaching assistant. Even for Baltimore, where violence is routine, the shooting rocked the city. Political leaders considered whether to arm school resource officers and install metal detectors in schools. The students had a different strategy in mind, and called for the city to heal from its profound trauma through group sessions like the ones the libraries held in June, and training in mediation and conflict resolution that is still to come. 

City lawmakers took the students鈥� advice. In early 2020, the city passed the Elijah Cummings Healing City Act, named after the late congressman and sponsored by Cohen. The law created a Trauma-Informed Task Force to study its impact on individual residents and the city as a whole. The task force used funding from the Open Society Foundations, which funds justice, education, media, and public health initiatives around the globe, along with some money from the city to develop strategies for healing. 

鈥淭rauma, as I have experienced since childhood, is embedded into our very livelihoods, in the food that we eat, to the shows that we watch, to the relationships we take part in,鈥� said Destini Philpot, a youth leader on the city鈥檚 Trauma Informed Care Task Force. 鈥淲e begin to change and heal our community by addressing trauma and creating trauma-informed spaces, especially for youth.鈥�

The city also sought input from the community as a whole. Officials held listening sessions in barbershops, laundromats, beauty salons and, of course, libraries. From those sessions came the outline of the trauma-informed city programming that kicked off in earnest this summer. 

The work is in its earliest stages. Library staff has been trained, and the plan is to roll out similar sessions to the public through libraries. Each branch will specialize in a different type of training, delivered by one of Baltimore鈥檚 social aid organizations. If a person wants to learn about dealing with grief, they can head to a library branch that is working with Roberta鈥檚 House, a family grief center. If someone wants to learn about restorative justice, there will be a branch focused on that skill. The city expects to make an announcement about a bigger rollout of this plan in the coming weeks.

The city鈥檚 program could serve as a model for other cities and for the state of Maryland. In May, the state passed the 鈥嬧�婬ealing Maryland鈥檚 Trauma Act, which is modeled after Baltimore鈥檚 Cummings Act. Baltimore officials will report their results from the city鈥檚 trauma training to the state to help develop a similar program across Maryland.

In October, a Texas state representative asked school superintendents to check whether they had any of in their district libraries, along with other materials that might cause 鈥減sychological distress because of their race or sex.” Soon after, Gov. Greg Abbott told the Texas Association of School Boards that public schools should not have “.”

In response, Carolyn Foote, a retired Texas librarian, joined with three colleagues to create a counter-narrative that would explain what librarians do for schools and the training they have in selecting materials for young people to read. They devised a social media campaign promoting positive messages about books, reading and librarians, and asking people to tweet about books that are meaningful to them, using the state legislation鈥檚 #TXLege hashtag and one of their own, #FReadom. FReadom Fighters was born.

Today, the group has over and a with resources on how to support librarians and other members of public school communities that are experiencing book challenges or may be at risk. 麻豆精品 spoke to Foote about FReadom Fighters鈥檚 work. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

麻豆精品: What is FReadom Fighters up against?

Foote: There鈥檚 multiple challenges right now. One is organized movements across the country, with groups like Moms for Liberty and No Left Turn in Education, who have financial means behind them. We鈥檙e just a team of four people.

Another thing is internal pressures. Librarians are being squeezed because they鈥檙e facing some cases of upset parents at school board meetings or letters coming in an email to the superintendent. They鈥檙e sometimes [pressured by] their school district to not follow their own policies, to do things that violate their code of ethics, their training, and they鈥檙e really in between a rock and a hard place, and it鈥檚 extremely stressful. Which is why our organization wants to do things that celebrate librarians that highlight how we do our work and help people be more informed.

What sort of positive responses have you gotten?聽

We鈥檙e helping librarians speak up, we鈥檙e giving them resources, and I think that鈥檚 one of the positives. Districts have policies, but sometimes no one鈥檚 that familiar with them, including library staff, principals, etc. I think one of our real wins is we鈥檝e been educating a lot of people on how to be prepared. How to be a good listener when talking to a parent. Do you have written rationales for your library program and the materials in your library? So that you鈥檙e very clear on what your mission is and what your school district鈥檚 mission is.

What about negative responses?

No. It鈥檚 surprising to me that our organization has not experienced that. Individual librarians have, for sure, and that鈥檚 why we wanted to come together and be a voice. In a lot of these cases, librarians have been called out at school board meetings, thrown under the bus by a district leader, called out in emails to a district, the governors have been labeling them. That鈥檚 been one of the real challenges, these sort of personal attacks. We wanted people to feel like with our group that they have a network, that they aren鈥檛 alone, other people can help them.

Have there been any success stories?

Keller Independent School District has had a lot of challenges; I think they鈥檙e dealing with 30 right now or more. They created a visible spreadsheet showing what the committee decided for each book. They鈥檙e having mixed success; they鈥檙e keeping some books on the shelf and others have been removed. But I think it shows they鈥檙e following their process, and to me, that鈥檚 success. One of our goals of our organization is to remind districts that they have a board-approved policy and to follow their policy. Because districts are pulling materials without reviewing them, without giving them a process at all. It鈥檚 not transparent to parents, it鈥檚 not transparent to students. To me, policies are a contract; it鈥檚 a trust contract with your parents, your teachers, your students, that we鈥檝e agreed to operate by these rules, and it creates a situation where everybody feels trusting that that won鈥檛 happen. And when districts just go in and pull books off the shelf, they鈥檙e breaking that contract of trust. It does damage beyond just pulling the book off the shelf because it shows that the district is not going to follow their policies.

In some districts, budget cuts are reducing the number of librarians. How does this affect book bans?

If you鈥檙e in a district with no librarian, and a school board member or superintendent comes into your library and wants to take a book off the shelf, and you鈥檝e got an aide in there or it鈥檚 just a room with no librarian, who is there defending intellectual freedom? Kids are being denied access to things without anyone there to speak up or understand the policies. In Texas, the district librarian position has been cut, so you have librarians maybe at the high schools but not the elementary. If there鈥檚 a book challenge, in my district, I was the district librarian, so people can come to me for support from the campus, and I can talk to the administrative team. But if you鈥檙e just a building librarian, you鈥檙e being pressured to do something, you don鈥檛 have a real supervisor who understands libraries to go to support you. 

Where is this happening?

We are seeing some data that indicates more of these challenges are , the suburbs of Houston, Dallas, Austin. That鈥檚 where at least more of it is being reported. Sometimes those communities are racially diverse, like San Antonio, but sometimes those communities are not that diverse. So students in those schools who may feel somewhat marginalized to begin with, their stories are being removed from the shelves.

Have you seen any data from outside Texas?

We鈥檙e inquiring. If we see a story, we look to see where the district is or we ask the librarian involved. We actually got a poll running right now on Twitter for people that follow us, just asking if your district鈥檚 had a challenge, is it suburban, rural, urban, Title I, just to get a sense. Right now, the suburban schools are far outweighing the other categories. 鈥� This wave is sweeping the country, and part of the thing about having our hashtag is that it鈥檚 become like a national clearinghouse, which we didn鈥檛 necessarily expect because we got in kind of at the beginning of all this, so people weren鈥檛 really unifying around a hashtag. That鈥檚 enabled us to connect people and see what鈥檚 happening all over. It鈥檚 not just the South, it鈥檚 all different parts of the country. 

Melanie Huggins, president of the Public Library Association, said libraries and librarians are essential to combating the virus seeing as they are vital to their communities and have accessible hours of operation.

“Libraries are one of the most-trusted entities and organizations in communities since we’re accessible, friendly, welcoming and all the things that you would want people to be during this crisis,” Huggins told Route Fifty. “I think that it is a positive thing, and people are noticing how critical libraries are to responding to crises.”  

Public libraries across the country are rallying. Some began handing out Covid-19 test kits months ago, beginning with polymerase chain reaction tests that residents could use at home, then deposit in a drop box at the library and later get the results. 

 at Harvard Medical School, a PCR test can detect the presence of the virus and can determine whether a person has an active coronavirus infection.

Prior to Christmas, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser  would offer at-home test kits that residents could use to get results in 15 minutes. To qualify for the free test kits, people must show proof of residency. Qualified residents can pick up amaximum of two kits (four rapid antigen self tests)per day.

Nearby Montgomery County, Maryland is also providing rapid at-home testing kits at public libraries. , residents could pick up free, rapid at-home test kits at any one of 19 Montgomery County Public Libraries beginning Jan. 10. Like Washington, D.C. residents will receive a maximum of two test kits per person and will be given on a first-come-first-served basis. 

鈥淪ecuring these tests, which are currently in great demand, will help our County mitigate community transmission from the Omicron variant surge,鈥� Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich . 鈥淲e appreciate the District of Columbia assisting us and thank our procurement team for their diligence to track down and acquire these tests. We are going to make sure these tests will be given out equitably and fairly throughout the community.鈥�

Although passing out at-home tests in libraries has caused some librarians to be overwhelmed with the added workload, Huggins said libraries are willing-and-able partners to combat crises in communities, and they are doing the best they can under the circumstances.

“We know that this is temporary. This will probably not become a permanent part of our job, but it’s what’s needed of us right now,” Huggins added. “I know it can be tiresome and certainly be fatiguing, but we know that we have trust and relationships with our communities that really help and test distribution.”

This originally appeared at and is published here in partnership with the .

The perception is that a computer and Wi-Fi are all students need for their informational and recreational needs.

Meanwhile, the number of school librarians in the U.S. has  over the past decade, according to a July 2021 study funded by the . Many states, including Arizona, Texas and Pennsylvania, . And an analysis from the  revealed that Hispanic, nonwhite and nonnative English speakers are the students most affected by the decline in librarian positions.

鈥淎ccess to school librarians has become a major educational equity issue,鈥� says , who with  led the IMLS study. In a recent email he told me, 鈥淪chool districts losing librarians tend to be ones that can least afford the loss in a society characterized by increasing economic inequality.鈥�

As a former school librarian who  and , I know that  demonstrate that K-12 school librarians have a significant impact on student achievement.

Here are four functions that school librarians carry out that I believe make their role more important now than ever.

1 Foster digital literacy

As bestselling author  put it, 鈥淕oogle can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.鈥�

Recently, there has been an alarming rise in . This is . A 2016 Stanford University study found that nearly 80% of high school students  of a source.

A 2012 Pew Research study revealed that  think the amount of information available online today is 鈥渙verwhelming for most students.鈥� Over 70% believe that today鈥檚 digital technologies 鈥渄iscourage students from finding and using a wide range of sources for their research.鈥�

School librarians are information literacy experts trained to teach students how to access and navigate the tsunami of digital information available to them, and how to determine the authenticity of that information.

2 Champion the joy of reading

School librarians collect and curate high-quality print and digital materials that help students develop a lifelong love of reading. Take, for example, , librarian at  in Piedmont, South Carolina, and winner of the American Library Association鈥檚  in 2018. Cox partnered with the county election commission to bring in voting machines for a book award contest to creatively encourage both reading and civic education.

Findings from studies such as the 2014 South Carolina Association of School Librarians鈥�  affirm that students who attend schools with full-time certified school librarians  on standardized reading tests.

3 Help teachers enhance their lessons

School librarians聽聽to locate resources that enhance and support authentic classroom instruction. For example, Cindy Symonds, the librarian at聽聽in Blythewood, South Carolina, collaborated with fourth-grade teachers to have students use databases to research a historic weather event, such as聽聽in 2005 or the聽聽in 2011. Then, with the help of a technology instructor, the students filmed themselves using a聽聽to create a weather report.

School librarians also work to ensure that students are taught issues of . They collaborate with teachers to help students understand the ethical use of ideas and information. These include lessons about acknowledging authorship, properly citing content and developing an understanding of how to correctly use and reproduce others鈥� work.

4 Seek out creative, diverse materials

School librarians select inclusive materials that represent diverse points of views. This ensures that students have materials that reflect their own experiences as well as the experiences of others.

Librarians often provide innovative and creative programs that promote  where students share ideas, equipment and knowledge while they work on projects. For example, during Hispanic Heritage month, the students at  in Charleston, South Carolina, read books by Latino authors and researched the authors鈥� countries of origin. They also , such as national flags and maps with landmarks and used  invention kits to code and present their facts on interactive displays. The project combined research, literacy, coding, circuitry, self-expression and creativity.

, who oversaw the project, says observers might be 鈥渢aken aback by my library鈥檚 apparent disorder, the lack of desks, the constant movement of students, cardboard everywhere, the constant chatter and the energy level.鈥�

鈥淏ut,鈥� Herold adds, 鈥渟pend more than a cursory look, more than a quick investigation and you will find the future of education.鈥�

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

A new joint effort by (a program of Kentucky鈥檚 Berea College) and is helping to ensure that rural libraries are equipped to provide a range of services to help young children reach literacy benchmarks. The , says Save the Children鈥檚 Lesley Graham, 鈥渨eaves rural places together,鈥� rather than setting them up as competitors, which would reinforce a scarcity mindset.

The effort launched in January and already has representation from all 50 states and Australia, too. School and college libraries are also joining, reflecting what Graham terms 鈥渢he appetite for connection.鈥� Partners for Education鈥檚 Dreama Gentry says, 鈥淟ibraries are the heart of communities everywhere, and the hubs of rural places.鈥�

Shannon Chaney, a children鈥檚 librarian in Putnam County, Tennessee, says, 鈥淭he Rural Library Summit they held in 2020 uplifted and inspired me by not only highlighting the many ways that libraries transform children鈥檚 lives but also by introducing me to resources and ideas that I am now implementing in my community.鈥� Chaney plans to integrate 鈥攖he Bezos Family Foundation鈥檚 caregiver-empowering early literacy initiative鈥攊nto her library鈥檚 summer reading program, and she鈥檚 partnering with the local leisure services department to work toward building a storybook trail.

COVID continues to cast a long shadow over rural America, where many lack health insurance and have pre-existing conditions that make them more vulnerable. Even before the pandemic, communities in the Mississippi Delta, Appalachia, Colonias (rural communities within the U.S.-Mexico border region) and across the nation were experiencing increases in the number of people without adequate housing, along with other social and economic .

Libraries and librarians have found themselves responding to crises beyond their traditional roles. Graham and Gentry cite a number of examples of going the extra mile during a time of extraordinary need:

• Lack of broadband and equipment during a time when education was taking place at home (and continues, even as classrooms open) prompted libraries to place routers in the window so users could access Wi-Fi from the parking lot.
• In Petros, Tennessee (population 715), the library is serving meals.
• The library in Holly Hill, South Carolina (population 1277), has been distributing boxes with food and health and wellness items as well as administering COVID tests.
• The library in Nicholasville, Kentucky, (population 30,301) hosted a Ready to Learn fair. Many are hosting workshops around Vroom.

A grant from the (IMLS; a program of the federal government) funds the network鈥檚 fellows program. In the first year, 22 fellows were selected from among 100 applicants. Reflecting the diversity of rural America, 20% are people of color. Regular webinars bring far-flung libraries together to learn from authors and experts.

The actor Jennifer Garner, a Save the Children trustee and ambassador, appeared on the first webinar, describing how libraries shaped her career. She recalls, 鈥淎s soon as I found myself with a little bit of a voice, I started asking, 鈥榃ho is helping kids in rural West Virginia? Who is helping kids in Kentucky? Who is helping kids like my mom, who grew up super poor in Locust Grove, Oklahoma? And of course that took me to Save the Children.鈥�

The formation of the Rural Library Network brought to mind her upbringing in Charleston, WV, and a woman who made a difference in her life: 鈥淚 know personally the difference a librarian can make to a child because my elementary school librarian鈥� opened up my mind. She made me feel special. She wasn鈥檛 judging me in any way, and she just fed me one book after another.鈥�

Partners for Education鈥檚 Gentry says her organization addresses the cradle-to-career needs of rural populations and admits that historically they have focused on higher education access and other aspects of the later years of that continuum. Mission alignment with Save the Children鈥攅nsuring that all children are reaching their full potential鈥攎ade this partnership compelling. She notes that these institutions, which accomplish so much for their communities despite often being woefully understaffed and -resourced, constantly inspire her. In many cases they are run by a lone individual who is not a trained librarian but who nonetheless knows everybody in town and goes to heroic lengths to help patrons apply for public benefits, write their resumes, register to vote and, of course, find a good book.

Disclosure: Vroom was created by the Bezos Family Foundation. This story was originally published on Early Learning Nation, which was also an initiative of the Bezos Family Foundation.

鈥�Bright April by Marguerite de Angeli was that book for me,鈥� she says of the 1946 classic. 鈥淚 had never 鈥榮een myself鈥� in the pages of a book before, and I鈥檒l never forget that feeling.鈥� She also fondly remembers her grandmother reading the tales of Hans Christian Andersen aloud.

Nevertheless, Hayden is emphatically not a book snob. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 have to be War and Peace,鈥� she insists, noting that Dav Pilkey鈥檚 Captain Underpants series works just fine for some readers. She dismisses any notion of imposing 鈥渂ook guilt鈥� on lovers of graphic novels or audiobooks. 鈥淲e know more than ever before about how visual and auditory learners need to absorb information,鈥� she says.

It鈥檚 even okay to leave a book unfinished if it doesn鈥檛 speak to you. 鈥淩eading is not like eating your vegetables,鈥� Hayden says, noting that Jason Reynolds, and , didn鈥檛 read a whole book until he was 17 years old.

, libraries anchor her favorite childhood memories: 鈥淢y early experiences with libraries were all about being comfortable with being around books, being around stacks, feeling free to be around them.鈥�

Hayden is not just the first woman and the first African American appointed Librarian of Congress. She鈥檚 also only the second person whose profession was librarian before assuming the role. In many ways she鈥檚 continuing the work of Herbert Putnam, who held the post for the first four decades of the 20th century.

Hayden鈥檚 library career began in 1973, running story time in a Chicago neighborhood library, a trial by fire she still reflects upon when steeling herself for public speaking engagements. After serving as chief librarian of the Chicago Public Library from 1991 to 1993, she moved to Baltimore to lead the Enoch Pratt Free Library.

Pratt, whose namesake institution opened its doors in 1886, proclaimed it 鈥渁 free circulating public library, open to all citizens regardless of property or color.鈥� His example inspired Andrew Carnegie鈥攑hilanthropist and, 鈥攖o endow more than 2,500 libraries. Hayden strove to live up to Pratt鈥檚 vision, modernizing the 22 branches to serve a cross-section of Baltimore.

Upon her arrival at the Library of Congress in 2016, she initiated visitor surveys and sifted through reviews and comments on TripAdvisor and other sites. She found that a substantial proportion who were aware of and who even passed through the space didn鈥檛 use it and didn鈥檛 realize they could. For a real librarian, that was just unacceptable. Now, a is fueling a reconfiguration of the monumental spaces to make them more inviting. In other words, Hayden is putting the library in Library of Congress.

Hayden, who also served as the president of the American Librarian Association, strongly believes in libraries as 鈥渃ommunity hubs,鈥� connecting people to resources like tax forms, voter registration and passport services. 鈥淭here are meeting rooms. Sometimes there鈥檚 yoga or classes. Or you can go as an individual and not connect if you don鈥檛 feel like it.鈥�

She also travels widely, visiting more than 20 states in the past three years. She鈥檚 doubled down on digitizing the collection and on traveling exhibitions that allow people to experience the Library鈥檚 treasures without having to come to Washington. And vice versa: she encourages community libraries across the country to make their assets accessible to all. 鈥淚f you have something that鈥檚 unique,鈥� she says, 鈥渄igitize it.鈥漣

鈥淟ibrarians are librarians,鈥� Hayden says. 鈥淲e serve our constituencies, whether it鈥檚 for a small town, a college campus, a business, or an entire country.鈥� She adds, with a smile that is not too modest: 鈥淲e do very well on Jeopardy.鈥�