October 1, 2023

Brooklyn Reader: Brooklyn Public Library Announces Expansion of Books Unbanned Program

Brooklyn Reader: Brooklyn Public Library Announces Expansion of Books Unbanned Program. “The library recently debuted a new podcast series titled ‘Borrowed and Banned.’ Created by award-winning producer Virginia Marshall, the seven-episode series investigates the alarming rise in book bans over the years. The podcast will feature conversations with authors that have been impacted by book bans, including Maia Kobabe, George M. Johnson, and Mike Curato, to name a few. BPL has also launched a new page on its website that gives teens the opportunity to submit their past experiences with censorship, including the potential dangers they face as they seek the freedom to read, according to the library.”

Tweaks & Updates 0
September 28, 2023

Turning the page on banned books: LA libraries widen access to restricted titles (USC Annenberg Media)

USC Annenberg Media: Turning the page on banned books: LA libraries widen access to restricted titles. “In response to increasing book challenges in California schools, a new motion from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors aims to widen access to restricted titles by giving every California resident access to LA County libraries’ e-book database.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0
September 8, 2023

Temple University: Temple researchers examine patterns of inequality in banned books

Temple University: Temple researchers examine patterns of inequality in banned books. “Since July 2021, more than 1,500 books of contemporary literature have been banned in the United States. Now a team of Temple researchers is looking for patterns across these books to understand what may be causing them to be targeted. The team is made up of Temple faculty, library staff, and undergraduate and graduate English students who are using text mining to understand patterns of representation in these books.”

Research & Opinion 0
August 20, 2023

WIRED: How an Iowa School District Used ChatGPT to Ban Books

WIRED: How an Iowa School District Used ChatGPT to Ban Books. “Using ChatGPT’s guidance, the Mason City Community School District removed 19 titles—including Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Toni Morrison’s Beloved—from its library shelves. But there is another truth: Educators who must comply with vague laws about ‘age-appropriate’ books with ‘descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act’ have only so many options.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
August 10, 2023

West Volusia Beacon: Quakers give away hundreds of Black-history books

West Volusia Beacon: Quakers give away hundreds of Black-history books. “The Quakers had been collecting books for months as a response to the widespread culling of Black-history books from school libraries in reaction to the Anti-Woke Act promoted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and passed by the Florida Legislature, making it a felony to teach or lend books on Black history not vetted by the Florida Department of Education. We were hoping to get 100 books. But books kept coming. We were stunned to receive nearly 500 books in the mail, delivered by UPS, and left on doorsteps. A woman in Pennsylvania donated $100 by PayPal.”

Other Things I Think Are Cool 0
August 5, 2023

Mother Jones: Authors Like Me Are Fighting the Book-Ban Zealots. We Need Help.

Mother Jones: Authors Like Me Are Fighting the Book-Ban Zealots. We Need Help.. “…fans of the right to read freely tend not to show up at school board meetings and statehouses the way the book banners do, either because they take their constitutional freedoms for granted or because they’re cowed by the vitriol the censors might throw their way. Without an engaged local press, too, many people are unaware of books being challenged in their backyard. But when readers do show up in force and resist, they can make a big difference.”

Research & Opinion 0
August 3, 2023

Gothamist: A ‘teen council’ at the Brooklyn Public Library combats book bans nationwide

Gothamist: A ‘teen council’ at the Brooklyn Public Library combats book bans nationwide. ‘A teen from New Mexico recently had an urgent message for his peers in New York City: “You always think it can’t happen to you until it does.” Ivan Torres, 18, shared his experience with local students through the Brooklyn Public Library’s Intellectual Freedom Teen Council. The unique program connects kids from the most populous U.S. city with teens from states where book bans are roiling communities.’

Other Things I Think Are Cool 0
July 23, 2023

PR Newswire: Digital Public Library of America Launches The Banned Book Club to Ensure Access to Banned Books

PR Newswire: Digital Public Library of America Launches The Banned Book Club to Ensure Access to Banned Books (PRESS RELEASE). “The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) has launched The Banned Book Club to ensure that readers in communities affected by book bans can now access banned books for free via the Palace e-reader app. The Banned Book Club makes e-book versions of banned books available to readers in locations across the United States where titles have been banned. The e-books will be available to readers for free via the Palace e-reader app.”

New Resources 0
June 3, 2023

NBC News: Arkansas librarians sue to block new law that could jail them over explicit books

NBC News: Arkansas librarians sue to block new law that could jail them over explicit books. “Arkansas is one of four states that recently passed laws that make it easier to prosecute librarians over sexually explicit books, a designation conservatives often use to target books with descriptions of gender identity and sexuality. On Friday, a coalition led by the Central Arkansas Library System, based in Little Rock, filed a federal lawsuit it hopes will set a precedent about the constitutionality of such laws.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
April 29, 2023

BPL’s Viral Books Unbanned Initiative Celebrates New Milestone during National Library Week; Teens In All 50 States Checked Out 100,000 Books from Brooklyn Public Library’s Digital Collection Over Last Year (Brooklyn Public Library)

Brooklyn Public Library: BPL’s Viral Books Unbanned Initiative Celebrates New Milestone during National Library Week; Teens In All 50 States Checked Out 100,000 Books from Brooklyn Public Library’s Digital Collection Over Last Year. “Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) announced a new milestone today in the fight against censorship and book banning: more than 6000 young people, ages 13 to 21, have applied for a free BPL library card over the last year, providing them access to the Library’s entire digital collection of half a million items. In total, they have checked out 100,000 books via BPL’s Books Unbanned initiative.”

Tweaks & Updates 0
April 28, 2023

KUOW: Seattle joins effort to give young readers access to banned books

KUOW: Seattle joins effort to give young readers access to banned books. “The initiative, called Books Unbanned, was started by the Brooklyn Public Library last year in response to an increase in books being removed from schools and libraries around the U.S. A majority of those books are written by, or about LGBTQIA+ and communities of color. The Seattle Public Library will provide free access to its entire collection of e-books and audio-books, to youths ages 13-26 regardless of where they are in the U.S.”

New Resources 0

The ResearchBuzz Firehose is regular RB content presented as individual posts.
For digest-type posts a couple of times a day, please visit ResearchBuzz.

Want to know how to best use the Firehose for content discovery?
Check out this handy article.

Get RB Firehose Via EMail

Enter your email address to subscribe to ResearchBuzz Firehose and get a firehose of new posts straight to your email.

Join 2,020 other subscribers

Recent Posts

Popular Posts

Latest ResearchBuzz Gizmos

Stephen’s Cloud Seeder
Search Mastodon Instances for Two Hashtags at a Time
Search Wikipedia for Mastodon Accounts with WMT
RSStodon v2
Mastodon Username Helper

Brought to you by Calishat.