Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County raises concerns regarding potential censorship provisions; WFMJ, June 25, 2025

Zach Mosca , 21WFMJ; Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County raises concerns regarding potential censorship provisions

"The Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County (PLYMC) along with the Ohio Library Commission (OLC) are sounding the alarm over provisions in the Ohio State Budget that a representative for the library says will not only affect the library's funding, but the content guests have access to.

21 News has already highlighted concerns regarding potential budget cuts, which could put certain library programs at risk. Now, the library is raising the alarm about language in the budget that could restrict access to certain material for guests under 18.

According to the OLC, who represents Ohio's 251 public library systems including PLYMC, a provision in Ohio's budget proposal would require public libraries to segregate material related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression so they are not visible to guests under 18.

OLC Executive Director Michelle Francis says this language is overly vague and broad and "ultimately unworkable."

"It opens the door to unconstitutional censorship and undermines the core mission of libraries - to provide free and open access to information," Francis said."

How a Single Court Case Could Determine the Future of Book Banning in America; Literary Hub, June 17, 2025

 Anthony Aycock, Literary Hub; How a Single Court Case Could Determine the Future of Book Banning in America

"Bottom line: in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi–the states covered by the Fifth Circuit–libraries are free to remove books for any reason. 

The plaintiffs now face a choice: accept the Fifth Circuit’s ruling or appeal to the Supreme Court. If there is an appeal, the court may not accept it. Over 7,000 cases are appealed to the high court each year, and it hears only 100-150–less than two percent. Yet I think Little v. Llano County has a good chance of making the docket. 

For one thing, the Fifth Circuit’s en banc reversal of its own panel’s ruling suggests the need for the high court to step in. Second, this Supreme Court has been eager to revisit earlier precedents. In the last few years, it has curtailed abortion protections, ended Chevron deference, and canceled affirmative action in college admissions–all long-standing, seemingly bedrock principles. Why not target Pico, especially since it wasn’t a decisive ruling to begin with?

Third, unlike most book ban cases, Little pertains not to a school library but a public one. Public libraries, according to UCLA professor Eugene Volokh, are not like school libraries. “I tentatively think a public school,” Volokh wrote, “is entitled to decide which viewpoints to promote through its own library,” whereas public libraries “are much more about giving more options to readers, rather than about teaching particular skills and attitudes to students.” 

Public libraries also serve more people–an entire county rather than a school system. Remember Judge Duncan’s belief that anyone who wants a certain book “can buy it or borrow it from somewhere else”? Llano County is small and rural, and many of its residents may not have the purchase option. For them, a book being unavailable in a library is a de facto ban. The pro-library organization EveryLibrary agrees, writing that the Fifth Circuit’s opinion “reveals an indifference to the lived reality of millions of Americans for whom public libraries are their only or primary means of access to books.” 

Here’s hoping that, if Little or any other book ban case ends up before this Supreme Court, those nine justices will consider the issue thoughtfully, creatively, and most important, impartially."

SC librarians wore rainbow lanyards when a Pride display was canceled. Then they were fired.; The Post and Courier, June 16, 2025

Caitlin Herrington  , The Post and Courier; SC librarians wore rainbow lanyards when a Pride display was canceled. Then they were fired.

"Despite having a seasonal display for Pride Month for years, Hinson canceled it in 2023, according to the lawsuit filed June 12.

Concerned about the discriminatory message it sent to LGBTQ+ staff and patrons, the 61-year-old Andrus respectfully vocally objected to the decision and engaged in “protected activity” — wearing a crocheted rainbow lanyard that she’d made the previous year, the suit said.

Some of her colleagues saw this as political activity, the suit claims, including one who held a closed-door meeting with Hinson before leaving their position in July 2023.

Andrus felt the elimination of the Pride display was discriminatory against her LGBTQ+ colleagues, children, patrons and public at large, according to the lawsuit. It created a “created a hostile work environment for any LGBTQ+ colleagues and colleagues with LGBTQ+ children and associates.”

Despite having more than 20 years of service with the county library and being Hinson’s second-in-command, he stopped most communication with her, she said in her affidavit.

In early September 2023, a colleague with a transgender child who had also spoken out about the display and worn a rainbow lanyard was called into Hinson’s office and fired. Andrus was called in next."

New library branch opening inside Eastwood Mall; WKBN, June 13, 2025

Chelsea Simeon, WKBN; New library branch opening inside Eastwood Mall

[Kip Currier: With lots of heavy news occurring these days, this upbeat story about the opening of a public library branch inside Eastwood Mall in Niles, Ohio is an encouraging surprise today!

I grew up across the state border in nearby Pennsylvania and have many fond memories of family visits to Eastwood Mall where we enjoyed an occasional patty melt or ice cream sundae at the long-closed Sweet William restaurant there. (As this Niles Historical Society account of the mall underscores "Hungry shoppers could stop in Sweet Williams.")

Public libraries and their customers/patrons will increasingly feel the impacts of Trump 2.0 cuts to library services with Trump's abolition of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) that provided fiscal assistance. Many information centers have counted on IMLS grants to help them carry out their service missions. 

Patrons also count on having access to many things at libraries: not just books, but also computers, databases, programs, and much more. So, it's great to see that this new branch library "plans to offer Internet-accessible computers, printers and Wi-Fi for public use, as well as programming for children, teens and adults."

Remember that the next time someone asks what libraries provide or says that libraries aren't needed when so many people today have access to smartphones. Libraries are one of the only things left in this world that are guided by an egalitarian ethos of "Free To The People", just as that saying inscribed at the entrance to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh continues to remind us.

Keep in mind, too, all the great things that libraries provide "free to the people" the next time you vote. Support candidates who support libraries and the many life-enhancing materials and services that people and communities can access through service-centered, well-maintained libraries.]

[Excerpt]

"Warren-Trumbull County Public Library customers will soon have access to books and other library materials while shopping at the Eastwood Mall.

A new branch — the Eastwood Mall Library — is tentatively scheduled to open Sept. 2 at the mall, according to a news release from W-TCPL. 

The branch will offer access to books, technology and programming for people of all ages at a central, accessible location...

Along with materials available for checkout, the library plans to offer Internet-accessible computers, printers and Wi-Fi for public use, as well as programming for children, teens and adults."

Federal funding cuts reach Vineyard libraries; MV Times, June 12, 2025

Eunki Seonwoo, MV Times ; Federal funding cuts reach Vineyard libraries

"Due to federal funding cuts, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), a state agency, announced in May it will discontinue freely providing 21 services, including a newspaper archive, certain peer-reviewed research journal databases, and career and education prep, after July 1. This decision followed an April announcementthat uncertainty stemming from federal cuts has led to various library services and trainings to be slashed. 

“Every library on the Vineyard is impacted,” said Allyson Malik, director of Oak Bluffs Public Library and president of the Massachusetts Library System executive board. 

The state agency’s decision stems from an executive order signed in March by President Donald Trump. The order directed a reduction in seven federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum & Library Services, which provided $3.6 million in fiscal year 2025 for Massachusetts libraries’ services and grants. The institute is also listed in Trump’s fiscal year 2026 budget request as one of several “small agencies” the president wants to defund or eliminate outright to “enhance accountability, reduce waste, and reduce unnecessary governmental entities.” The institute had also placed its entire staff on administrative leave in March."

Appeals Court Ruling Raises Bar for Challenging School Book Bans; EducationWeek, May 28, 2025

Mark Walsh , EducationWeek; Appeals Court Ruling Raises Bar for Challenging School Book Bans

[Kip Currier: Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan's majority opinion statements that "“Removing a library book does not deny anyone the chance to read it...“The book has not been ‘banned.’ …People who want the book can buy it or borrow it from somewhere else.” are disingenuous and elitist. The reality is that the book has been made inaccessible.

The chief rationale for having a school library is to enable students to be able to access information and materials like books. Taxpayer monies support the acquisition of materials for school libraries. So requiring a student and their family to have to resort to buying a book that the school library would arguably be likely to have is inequitable. A hypothetical student's family's tax dollars support the purchase of school library books. However, the state's stance requires that family (or any other family!) to elect to spend additional monies on a book that their child may want to read or forego access to that book. The other option, as Judge Duncan notes, is to try to borrow that book from somewhere else, which in and of itself raises obstacles. Either way, these are unethical barriers to information that only some students are required to navigate, while other students have unfettered access to state-favored resources. That's censorship and treats some people disparately from others.

The court's rationale is also inherently problematic and potentially unconstitutional as viewpoint discrimination because the court's position prioritizes the views of some books over others. It is acknowledged that no library is able to purchase and provide access to every book. Yet, this policy favors some students and families over others by the nature of the resources that tend to be removed under bans of this nature, i.e books that include references to issues and characters of color or that are LGBTQ+-related.]

[Excerpt]

"The court’s 100-page decision in Little v. Llano Countydevotes much discussion to school library book challenges. Notably, the court expressly overruled its own 1995 precedent that suggested students could challenge the removal of books in their schools.

“Removing a library book does not deny anyone the chance to read it,” says the majority opinion by Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan, an appointee of President Donald Trump. “The book has not been ‘banned.’ … People who want the book can buy it or borrow it from somewhere else.”

The majority also rejected the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1982 decision in Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District v. Pico, which stemmed from a New York state school district’s 1976 removal of books from school libraries including Black Boy by Richard Wright, Soul On Ice by Eldridge Cleaver, and Go Ask Alice by an anonymous author."

New documentary reveals history of public libraries, features Wisconsin librarians and patrons; Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR), May 5, 2025

 AVERY LEA ROGERS, Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR); New documentary reveals history of public libraries, features Wisconsin librarians and patrons

"What began a decade ago as a mission to learn about the history of public libraries around the country is now a documentary airing on PBS. 

Dawn Logsdon is the director of “Free for All: The Public Library.” A lifelong public library patron, she told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that she grew tired of hearing people question the value of public libraries in the internet age. 

“You can only think that way if you haven’t been in a library in about 30 or 40 years,” Logsdon said. “They’re not just a place to store books. They’re a place for people to come together and read, learn, get information, all kinds of things.”...

The documentary is now available to stream on the PBS website or app."

Beyond Outreach: How a Bookmobile Supported Maui’s West Coast Community After the Fires | Climate Crisis; April 10, 2025

Lisa Peet , Library Journal; Beyond Outreach: How a Bookmobile Supported Maui’s West Coast Community After the Fires | Climate Crisis

"The Lāhainā Public Library, which served a population of roughly 22,000 across 51 miles, was destroyed in the fire. The Maui Holoholo Bookmobile, however, which has served the island’s six branches since 2016, was spared. Three weeks after the fire was contained, Jessica Gleason, bookmobile librarian at the Wailuku Public Library, and bookmobile driver Michael Tinker, hit the road to support Maui’s West Side community. Together with Lāhainā branch manager Chadde Holbron, the bookmobile team has been providing books, Wi-Fi, goods, story times, and programming in schools, community centers, civic buildings, and parks—needed services in a time of hardship."

ALA Releases State of America’s Libraries 2025 Report; American Libraries, April 8, 2025

 American Libraries ; ALA Releases State of America’s Libraries 2025 Report

Report looks at censorship attempts, artificial intelligence, and sustainability in US libraries

"On April 7, the American Library Association (ALA) released its State of America’s Libraries 2025 report, an annual snapshot of library trends. The report is published during National Library Week, this year taking place April 6–12.

As in recent years, the 2025 report documented censorship in libraries from the previous year. In 2024, ALA recorded 821 attempts to censor library books and other materials across all library types. This is a decrease from the 1,247 attempts that were recorded in 2023 but still the third-highest number since ALA began tracking library censorship in 1990."

"Reading builds empathy": The case for saving America's libraries; Salon, March 30, 2025

MELANIE MCFARLAND,

Salon; "Reading builds empathy": The case for saving America's libraries

"Libraries are the nexuses of democratized access to culture, community expertise, diverse perspectives on history and the instruments that further that knowledge. They also are gathering spots and safe spaces for the vulnerable.

“People who are in library leadership, on boards, and certainly librarians even today, are not interested in limiting, shaping, prescribing how that creative and generative expression should be had,” says John Chrastka, Executive Director and founder of the non-profit advocacy organization EveryLibrary. “They're just interested in making sure that everybody's got a fair shake to get to it.”

This may be why the Trump administration is set on starving our nation’s libraries to death, or close enough to it."

Demonstrators hold silent protests at 17 North Dakota libraries to oppose bill removing content; North Dakota Monitor, March 3, 2025

MICHAEL ACHTERLING, North Dakota Monitor ; Demonstrators hold silent protests at 17 North Dakota libraries to oppose bill removing content

"About 1,000 silent protesters read from their books in front of North Dakota libraries Saturday to protest a bill that would force the removal of sexually explicit and obscene content from school and public libraries.

Senate Bill 2307, sponsored by Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, would force the removal of that content from public areas of the library to areas “not easily accessible” to minors. The bill passed the Senate in February on a 27-20 vote and will now be considered by the House of Representatives. 

Right to Read ND, an organization opposing library censorship, led the reading protests at 17 libraries across the state with the largest drawing an estimated 275 people at the Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library."

No Questions Asked: Public libraries build no-return collections for addiction and mental health support; American Libraries, January 2, 2025

Aviva Bechky, American Libraries; No Questions Asked: Public libraries build no-return collections for addiction and mental health support

[Kip Currier: Kudos to the service-forward information professionals and public library systems that envisioned and brought to life these collections of barrier-free materials.]

[Excerpt]

"These patrons are participants in Read to Recovery, an SFPL program that has been providing free addiction recovery materials since spring 2023. The initiative is a way to quietly get thousands of books into the hands of people who need them, ensuring that barriers such as a lack of a library card or hold times don’t get in the way.

San Francisco isn’t the only city with a program like this. Other public libraries across the US are designating shelves with titles that address mental illness, addiction recovery, and other stigmatized topics—materials they intend to give away or don’t expect to see returned.

Brianne Anderson, youth services manager at Ames (Iowa) Public Library (APL), says she views these programs as an extension of libraries’ fundamental mission: making information accessible.

“Nobody has to ask questions, you don’t have to identify yourself in any way, and you can still get the information that you need,” Anderson says. “That’s how you build a welcome space.”

Stocking the shelves

At SFPL, staff members are trained to use Narcan to reverse opioid overdoses. But Horstin says, with the city in the throes of an addiction crisis, this isn’t enough.

“We can’t just administer Narcan and not do anything else,” [Doreen] Horstin [manager of San Francisco Public Library’s (SFPL) Park branch] says. “We’re all about books. That’s what we do. It’s still the number one service that we offer.”...

Anderson, Horstin, and Pickett agree that getting started doesn’t have to be complicated: Libraries can start a program just by adding more workbooks or setting aside a shelf. All say they hope other libraries follow their lead.

“It’s about helping people get the information they want,” Pickett says. “But it’s also about letting people know this is what we’re here for.”"

Rochester library faces ethics complaint after allegedly advocating for failed tax rate referendum; WCIA.com, December 6, 2024

Danny Connolly, Theodora Koulouvaris, WCIA.com; 

Rochester library faces ethics complaint after allegedly advocating for failed tax rate referendum

"A public library district in Sangamon and Christian Counties faces dozens of ethics complaints accusing officials of using their government office to promote a referendum."

Looking for a Superhero? Check the Public Library.; The New York Times, September 23, 2024

Margaret Renkl, The New York Times; Looking for a Superhero? Check the Public Library.

"One of the most absorbing books I’ve read this year is “That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America” by Amanda Jones, a school librarian’s account of being targeted by right-wing extremists in Louisiana for speaking in defense of diverse books...

There are actual groomers among us, a crime Ms. Jones takes care to decry, but the only “crime” she committed was speaking in defense of intellectual freedom at a public meeting. For that she was bombarded with unrelenting condemnation and death threats...

“All members of our community deserve to be seen, have access to information, and see themselves in our public library,” she said when it was her turn to speak at the meeting. “Just because you enter a library, it does not mean that you will not see something you don’t like. Libraries have diverse collections with resources from many points of view, and a library’s mission is to provide access to information for all users.”"

South Carolina implements one of US’s most restrictive public school book bans; The Guardian, June 30, 2024

Olivia Empson, The Guardian; South Carolina implements one of US’s most restrictive public school book bans

"South Carolina has implemented one of the most restrictive book ban laws in the US, enabling mass censorship in school classrooms and libraries across the state.

Drafted by Ellen Weaver, the superintendent of education and close ally of the far-right group Moms for Liberty, the law requires all reading material to be “age or developmentally appropriate”. The vague wording of the legislation – open to interpretation and deliberately inviting challenge – could see titles as classic as Romeo and Juliet completely wiped from school shelves.

South Carolina’s recent regulation is part of an alarmingly broader nationwide fight against literature exploring race, sexuality, or anything seemingly contentious or divisive. The severity of this particularly draconian law, however, sets it apart from what is happening in most other states.

The broad-reaching policy took effect automatically on 25 June despite not being debated or voted upon by the state senate or house, as the process typically necessitates."

Banishing Captain Underpants: An investigation of the 3,400 books pulled in Iowa.; Des Moines Register via USA Today, June 6, 2024

Samantha HernandezTim WebberChris HigginsPhillip SitterF. Amanda TugadeKyle WernerDes Moines Register via USA Today; Banishing Captain Underpants: An investigation of the 3,400 books pulled in Iowa.

"The data also exposes the breadth of pulled books, including the American classic “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the Newbery Medal novel “The Giver” by Lois Lowry and “Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot,” a popular children's book with an LGBTQ+ character, by Dav Pilkey.

The removals in Iowa are emblematic of a national trend in which thousands of unique titles – many of them classics or modern children's favorites – are being targeted for removal from public schools and libraries. Data from the American Library Association shows a dramatic increase in book removals in recent years: In 2022, 2,571 titles were targeted, which was, at the time, a record high. Last year, the number soared to 4,240 unique books, the ALA found."

Librarian’s Pet: Public libraries add robotic animals to their collections; American Libraries, May 1, 2024

Rosie Newmark , American Libraries; Librarian’s Pet: Public libraries add robotic animals to their collections

"Liz Kristan wanted to bring four-legged friends to patrons who needed them the most.

Kristan, outreach services coordinator at Ela Area Public Library (EAPL) in Lake Zurich, Illinois, knew that the presence of pets has been associated with health benefits like reductions in stress and blood pressure. In 2022, she introduced robotic pets to the library’s collection, taking them on visits to assisted living and memory care facilities to entertain older adult residents.

“We’ve seen people with advanced dementia in near catatonic states actually light up, smile, and begin speaking when we place a pet in their lap,” Kristan says.

Libraries like EAPL have been adding these animatronics to their collections in recent years to bring companionship and health benefits to patrons, especially older adults. Compared with live animals, robotic pets require less upkeep and pose fewer allergy concerns. They are interactive and often lifelike, with some reacting to touch by purring, meowing, licking paws, barking, panting, and wagging tails."

An attorney says she saw her library reading habits reflected in mobile ads. That's not supposed to happen; The Register, May 18, 2024

Thomas Claburn , The Register; An attorney says she saw her library reading habits reflected in mobile ads. That's not supposed to happen

"In December, 2023, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign information sciences professor Masooda Bashir led a study titled "Patron Privacy Protections in Public Libraries" that was published in The Library Quarterly. The study found that while libraries generally have basic privacy protections, there are often gaps in staff training and in privacy disclosures made available to patrons.

It also found that some libraries rely exclusively on social media for their online presence. "That is very troubling," said Bashir in a statement. "Facebook collects a lot of data – everything that someone might be reading and looking at. That is not a good practice for public libraries.""

Public Libraries Saw 92 Percent Increase In Number of Titles Targeted for Censorship Over The Previous Year; American Library Association (ALA) Press Release, March 14, 2024

American Library Association (ALA) Press Release; Public Libraries Saw 92 Percent Increase In Number of Titles Targeted for Censorship Over The Previous Year

"The number of titles targeted for censorship surged 65 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching the highest levels ever documented by the American Library Association (ALA). The new numbers released today show efforts to censor 4,240 unique book titles* in schools and libraries. This tops the previous high from 2022, when 2,571 unique titles were targeted for censorship. 

ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom documented 1,247 demands to censor library books, materials, and resources in 2023. Four key trends emerged from the data gathered from 2023 censorship reports: 

• Pressure groups in 2023 focused on public libraries in addition to targeting school libraries. The number of titles targeted for censorship at public libraries increased by 92 percent over the previous year; school libraries saw an 11 percent increase.
• Groups and individuals demanding the censorship of multiple titles, often dozens or hundreds at a time, drove this surge.  
• Titles representing the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals made up 47 percent of those targeted in censorship attempts. 
• There were attempts to censor more than 100 titles in each of these 17 states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

“The reports from librarians and educators in the field make it clear that the organized campaigns to ban books aren’t over, and that we must all stand together to preserve our right to choose what we read,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “Each demand to ban a book is a demand to deny each person’s constitutionally protected right to choose and read books that raise important issues and lift up the voices of those who are often silenced.  By joining initiatives like Unite Against Book Bans and other organizations that support libraries and schools, we can end this attack on essential community institutions and our civil liberties."

ALA will unveil its highly anticipated list of the top 10 most challenged books in the U.S. on Monday, April 8, which is Right to Read Day of National Library Week, along with its full State of America's Libraries Report.

"Every challenge to a library book is an attack on our freedom to read. The books being targeted again focus on LGBTQ+ and people of color. Our communities and our country are stronger because of diversity. Libraries that reflect their communities' diversity promote learning and empathy that some people want to hide or eliminate,” said ALA President Emily Drabinski. “Libraries are vital institutions to each and every community in this country, and library professionals, who have dedicated their lives to protecting our right to read, are facing threats to their employment and well-being." 

In response to the surge of book challenges and efforts to restrict access to information, ALA launched Unite Against Book Bans, a national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship. The coalition will mark its second anniversary during National Library Week.

For more information about ALA and its intellectual freedom efforts, visit www.ala.org. For a breakdown for censorship challenges by state visit this heat map."

Olympian Johnny Weir funds Quarryville library after Fulton Twp. cuts gift over LGBTQ+ content; Lancaster Online, November 6, 2023

JACK PANYARD , Lancaster Online; Olympian Johnny Weir funds Quarryville library after Fulton Twp. cuts gift over LGBTQ+ content

"When figure skating icon and Quarryville native Johnny Weir heard Fulton Township supervisors were defunding the borough’s library because it offers materials about LGBTQ+ life and culture, he decided to step in.

Weir, an avid supporter of both his hometown and LGBTQ+ causes, announced over social media Saturday that he would cover the township’s annual $1,000 allocation to the library for as long as he could, saying via Instagram that he wanted to “help save a community that raised me and to make sure the library represents everyone, not just the few.”

Weir’s generosity has become contagious."