This is the video by the Troy Library that was linked in the last post - I thought it was good enough/awesome enough to get its own standalone post.
For deaf/hoh followers - the transcribe audio is not perfect, but it is decent enough to capture the gist of what the video is discussing.
Harper Lee was born on this day in 1926!
Read her letter about book banning here.
— Jeanette Winterson brings the heat in The New York Times’ Sunday book review. (via millionsmillions)
BOOM. points to jeanette.
Filthy Books Demeaning To Republic Education
Do not read this unless you want to get very angry indeed.
The most frequently challenged library book of 2010 (and 2008, 2007, and 2006— it was #2 in 2009), according to the American Library Association.
A Dirty Little Secret: Self-Censorship
Self-censorship. It’s a dirty secret that no one in the profession wants to talk about or admit practicing. Yet everyone knows some librarians bypass good books—those with literary merit or that fill a need in their collections. The reasons range from a book’s sexual content and gay themes to its language and violence—and it happens in more public and K–12 libraries than you think.
The Connecticut Four & The USA Patriot Act
Thought I’d dredge up this case in honor of Banned Books Week.
Four librarians were issued National Security Letters under the Patriot Act, and along with it, a gag order so they couldn’t even talk about it. This case went to trial, and when the librarians were outed by the Times, the government waited six weeks to drop the case until the Patriot Act was reauthorized so that the gag order could be continued.
It’s a good case to know about, and also to remember that librarians are constantly fighting for your right to privacy.
“As a librarian, I believe it is my duty and responsibility to speak out about any infringement to the intellectual freedom of library patrons,” said Peter Chase, Director of the Plainville Public Library and Vice-President of Library Connection in Connecticut. “But until today, my own government prevented me from fulfilling that duty.”
