Public Libraries

Public Libraries

Iowa election 2023: Pella Public Library retains independence

Pella voters keep library independent by slim margin following failed 'Gender Queer' challenge

In a tense battle over book censorship, Pella residents voted Tuesday to protect the local library board’s independence.

About 51% of voters cast ballots against a measure to give City Hall officials oversight of the library’s actions and budget, according to unofficial results. The non-binding referendum reached the ballot after some residents petitioned the library board to remove a graphic novel about gender fluidity, mirroring a national debate driven by conservatives over what books taxpayer-funded libraries should carry.

Just 87 votes separated the two sides, according to unofficial results.

Thanks Robin !

November 9, 2023 by Politics Public Libraries

A door at a Swedish library was accidentally left open 446 people came in, borrowed 245 books. Every single one was returned

A door at a Swedish library was accidentally left open — 446 people came in, borrowed 245 books. Every single one was returned
They say a reader does not steal and a thief does not read. In the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, that’s definitely true.

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei November 9, 2023 in News, Offbeat
When Anna Carin Elf arrived at her workplace in Gothenburg, she immediately realized something was not right. She works at a library, and she was greeted by several visitors, just like any other day. But this was not any other day — the library was supposed to be closed.

“They were surprised. They thought it was a bit empty,” she says. “The people in the library behaved as usual. Many were sitting reading newspapers, some families were in the children’s section and others were searching for books on the computer.”

November 9, 2023 by Public Libraries

In St. Joseph, local GOP pressured lawmakers to block approval of gay library board member

The Buchanan County party leader threatened not to allow city council members to run as Republicans if they approved the appointment of a gay pastor to the city’s library board. The controversy has created a push for broader change in St. Joseph.

In St. Joseph, local GOP pressured lawmakers to block approval of gay library board member

“This transgender and homosexual propaganda is pure evil, It is designed to destroy the family, to undercut traditional American values and our way of life, and ultimately institute governmental control that will undermine our city, county, state, and nation.”

August 21, 2023 by Politics Public Libraries

How librarians, kids and the country are paying for the ongoing rancor : NPR

It’s been a year since the start of what one librarian here calls "The Troubles." That's when once-boring meetings of the Livingston Parish Library Board of Control started devolving into bitter brawls over books that some consider to be too sexual and harmful to kids. Meetings have been laced with insults, interruptions and the kind of profanity that would probably get you kicked out of the library.

The plot thickens: The battle over books comes at a cost

August 11, 2023 by Censorship Public Libraries

John Green book pulled from young adult shelf at Hamilton East library

Author John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars" has joined hundreds of books that are no longer on Hamilton East Public Library's teen shelves thanks to a new policy that targets books deemed not "age appropriate."

Green, who lives nearby in Indianapolis, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to respond to HEPL's policy and decision, saying moving the book is an embarrassment for the city of Fishers.

John Green book pulled from young adult shelf at Hamilton East library

August 10, 2023 by Books Censorship Public Libraries

Michigan Library Association begins campaign to combat book banning

The Michigan Library Association is starting a new campaign to rally against book banning.

MI Right to Read is a six-month campaign designed to build a coalition of people in support of libraries. It comes at a time when people nationwide are calling for the removal of books that deal with themes of sexual orientation and gender identity.

"What we saw in the last couple of years is a more coordinated effort by outside groups to ban certain types of materials," said MLA President Scott Duimstra.

August 6, 2023 by Censorship Public Libraries

Getting Lost in the World’s Largest Stack of Menus

The Buttolph collection of menus at the New York Public Library continues to inspire a new generation of researchers, chefs, and restaurant fans.

The library provided Buttolph no budget and no salary. But she kept collecting, even placing advertisements in restaurant trade and hotel magazines to solicit menus from readers, stressing that their condition must be immaculate. Buttolph could only lure donors with the satisfaction of contributing to a historic archive, but she continued to receive menus from admirers across the country and overseas, including one from a London banquet celebrating King Edward VII’s coronation in 1902.

January 8, 2023 by Public Libraries Special Collections

Hidden books in NSW town Braidwood taking kids on literary treasure hunts to encourage reading – ABC News

Kids find a book sealed in a plastic sleeve, take it home to read, write their name in it, and then re-hide it or pass it on to a friend.

The books are hidden in shop windows, parks and around the streets.

The concept is simple and follows the global painted rocks craze, where kids hunt for painted rocks around their local neighbourhood.

Mum of 10, Samantha Dixon, started the trend after seeing it on a community Facebook page overseas.

“We had a bookshelf full of books the children had already read,” she said.

January 4, 2023 by Books Public Libraries

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