ALA’s Annual Meeting in Chicago in June is becoming a distant memory as Summer Reading takes up most of my time and brain, but It is clear from attending several education sessions at ALA, as well as having casual chats with other conference goers, that the fight to maintain access to information and books that tell ALL stories is ongoing and we all need to stay informed. Librarians, authors, illustrators, publishers, and all others who value reading widely and providing access to accurate and unbiased information are winning some battles. But unfortunately, the list of challenged books continues to grow, with nonfiction titles growing in numbers as well as anything with queer content. This message was presented in an education session sponsored by the ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee, details of which were covered by School Library Journal.
“Toxic Exclusion: Banned Authors Share How to Support Children’s Access to Information” was a well attended education session moderated by the ALSC Intellectual Freedom committee’s co-chair Julia Nephew. Authors Jess Callans, Kit Rosewater and Jarrett Dapier each spoke about personal experiences with author visits being cancelled due to single complaints by stakeholders, threats to them and their families posted on social media, and having their books removed from school collections. Kit Rosewater, chair of Freedom to Read New Mexico, shared how her middle grade book The Derby Daredevils: Kenzie Kickstarts a Team (Amulet, 2020), selected as an all-grade read for New York City public schools, was pulled from Staten Island elementary schools in 2024 and found in school dumpsters. The complaint: the story contains a trans parent and a same sex crush. Jess Callans and Jarrett Dapier both spoke about ways they have used to support and empower readers and parents, choosing to “go quiet” and work under the surface more. Dapier said “we are much more” than the opposition.
Informal conversations are among the best parts of attending ALA Annual. While at lunch, a school librarian shared that a student was sent to her middle school library during a class reading of New Kid by Jerry Craft (HarperCollins, 2019) as the parent objected to the book and the school offered an opt-out. What did the student do? Checked out New Kid, then returned for the sequel. Kids know. If only they could be trusted.
Another conversation, again with a middle school librarian, was more chilling. A parent discovered their student looking up several subjects they thought inappropriate. The search was not in Google, but in a database. The solution was to pull funding for the database instead of learning how they differ from a browser. Now these students have their access to information curtailed .
It is clear that everyone and in particular youth, need and deserve to read what is meaningful to them, to grow into healthy, thinking adults. Books offer refuge to some, entertainment and enlightenment to others. It is our job to help keep these connections happening, and to requote Jarrett Dapier, “we are much more.”
Judy Ehrenstein is a children’s librarian in Maryland and an outgoing member of the ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee. This blog post covers Core Competencies I. Commitment to Client Group; IV. Collection Knowledge and Management; V. Outreach and Advocacy; and VII. Professionalism and Professional Development.
photo courtesy of A. Kaplan for the ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee.