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| Photo by Raphael Renter | @raphi_rawr on Unsplash |
But, while it seems bleak, there are things we can do.
1. Share the stories of queer joy.
2. Join the fight! Get involved. Attend meetings to show your support. Become an advocate.
3. Support queer book stores.
4. Put up Pride displays, and even better, include LGBTQ+ books in all of your displays.
What is your library doing to support Pride in your community?
Jeni Schomber's DPI Youth Services Weekly Reminders and Resources is an email newsletter chockfull of great resources we've come to rely on. If you are a WI youth library staffer and you don't receive this weekly missive in your email inbox, please contact Jeni (jennifer.schomber@dpi.wi.gov) to be placed on the list!
Here is the September 4, 2025 edition
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IFLS is presenting this webinar in October:
Friday October 3, 1-2 pm
The surge of book challenges in recent years has amplified conversations about library policies and procedures. Intellectual freedom issues have been the focus of staff trainings, discussed in public meetings, and debated in the news media. With all the big talk about book bans, there’s a quieter dialog happening about library staff self-censorship: the conscious, subconscious, and even self-conscious choices about purchasing, displaying and doing programming with certain titles. This judgement-free webinar will define self-censorship and explore ways to manage fear, bias, and tension as a public librarian today.
Presenters: Tessa Michaelson Schmidt, Director, Cooperative Children’s Book Center and Teresa Schmidt, Public Library Administration Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
This session will provide 1 contact hour for public library director certification. The session will be recorded, captioned, and available for 1 year to Wisconsin library workers who request it, and the recording will automatically be sent to all who register.
Yesterday, we highlighted a helpful national resource on "book resumes" that are a great source of information when books are challenged.
Coincidentally, yesterday the Badgerlink Bulletin published a post highlighting TeachingBook's "Book Resume" resource free to all WI libraries with Badgerlink subscriptions.
They write: "Support for your title selections can put a strain on already-limited time. New to BadgerLink resource TeachingBooks are Book Resumes—immediate, authoritative information about the children’s and young adult books in your collections. Now within seconds, library staff can produce and share a consistent, comprehensive report that includes full professional reviews, information about state and national award recognitions, reading levels, book samples, and so much more."
Check out the helpful blog post to get the scoop on how to access this home-grown resource.
To help in this effort, Unite Against Book Bans has teamed up with the publishing community to create a helpful resource called Book Résumés. Book Résumés share concise summaries of books that includes an overview of the plot or subject matter, insights from professional journals and critics, recognitions the book has received, a review of how the book contributes to learning and understanding, and information on how the title has been successfully retained in schools and libraries despite challenges.
"When faced with demands for censorship, having a well-prepared summary and evidence-based argument to share with book review committees, elected officials, board members and community members can make a significant difference,” said Kristie Hauer, WVLS Public Services Consultant. “Because they detail each title’s significance, educational value, and impact, Book Résumés serve as a powerful tool for librarians, educators, and all who champion the right to read.”
Kristie said book summaries are available in PDF format and easy to download, print and share.
Unite Against Book Bans collaborates closely with several publishers to create accurate and inclusive summaries of books. The initiative has garnered support from multiple publishers who recognize the importance of preserving diversity in literature. On February 20, Unite Against Book Bans released hundreds of book summaries.
More summaries will be released in time for National Library Week in April. There is a also a WVLS Digital Byte on this resource.
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She writes: "Apparently, it is almost 2024. It’s not right around the corner, but it’s closer than I am ready for. I have been thinking a lot about 2023 and what issues will become, or are and will continue to be, pressing issues for teen librarians in 2024. Here are my thoughts."
Stop here and see if you agree. [The Five Biggest Issues Teen Librarians Are Facing Moving into 2024. Jensen, Karen. Teen Librarian Toolbox blog, School Library Journal. November 16, 2023]
As seen in the August 2023 ALSC Newsletter:
In support of the right to free speech and against censorship and book bans, the Children’s Book Council has compiled relevant resources for librarians, teachers, and booksellers. The kit includes:- Keep Bans off Our Books sticker
- #FREADOM coloring page to copy
- The Pride Love & Acceptance poster created by Chan Chau, in partnership with School Library Journal. (Originally made available in fall 2022.)
- A page about a book teaching kids about banned books, by Pat Scales with ALA
- A letter from Raj Halder and Sourcebooks about their upcoming title, This Book Is Banned
Complete this form to request a free copy of the free speech kit.
If you have any questions regarding this resource, please email the Children's Book Council.
[YSS blog editor: You can also access more toolkits and information at the American Library Association's Unite Against Book Bans webpage, a rich resource to help you.]
She writes: "Polarization, extremism, hate groups, conspiracy theories, misinformation…it’s all pretty overwhelming and more than a little scary. Families, caregivers, and communities need help to prepare for and respond to online hate and to hate groups recruiting young people via a whole variety of manipulative online tactics. Starting upstream is one of the best ways to do this.
One of the best resilience factors that allow kids and teens to resist becoming involved with radical hate groups is a sense of belonging in their communities. It sure seems like there is a role for libraries in there, doesn’t it?! It would be great to consciously think about how we can welcome and engage tweens and teens who might be vulnerable in such a way that they feel like they truly do have a place to belong."
To access the resource links she gathered and read the full post, please click here. [Building Resilience to Hate and Extremism - Resources!. Langby Leah. IFLS Keeping Up with Kids blog. August 2, 2023]
The Intellectual Freedom Special Interest Group of the Wisconsin Library Association sponsored a speaker at their online meeting on Monday July 24 featuring Amy Mitchell of the Beloit Public Library. She spoke about how their library navigated pushback against one of their programs. The IF SIG is sharing the slide deck with all WLA members. (Consider joining this SIG!)
They write:
Mark your calendar for the next IF SIG meeting scheduled for Monday, September 25 at 11:00 a.m. More details to follow soon!
Please reach out to IF SIG Co-Chairs Kristina Gómez and Steven Rice with any questions: intellectualfreedomsigwi@
The American Library Association (ALA) has announced the theme for Banned Books Week 2023: “Let Freedom Read!” Banned Books Week will take place October 1 – 7, 2023.
"As we’ve seen throughout National Library Week, as long as there are libraries, Americans’ right to read will not be overcome by censorship,” says Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada. “Our 2023 Banned Books Week theme – ‘Let Freedom Read’ – captures what’s at stake for our democracy: that the safety of our right to speak and think freely is directly in proportion to our right to read. ALA encourages libraries in every context to mark Banned Books Week by inviting other groups within their communities to celebrate and take action to protect our freedom to read all year long."
ALA offers a variety of “Let Freedom Read” downloads and materials, including posters, bookmarks, stickers, and buttons, as well as print-on-demand items such as apparel and drinkware. Evergreen assets without Banned Books Week dates and branding are available to encourage use and community engagement throughout the year.
--As seen in NFLS Nic News Newsletter, May 26, 2023
Sam Jones is the Youth Services Librarian at the Beaver Dam Public Library. She shares tips to make your job easier in her Tuesday posts.
All around the country, politically motivated challenges to library patrons’ freedom to read and library staff members’ ability to do their jobs are increasing. Many of these challenges have moved from simple complaints and removal requests to abusive, sometimes dangerous behavior.
In this new webinar, you’ll hear from Darcy Lipp-Acord, the Youth Services Librarian at Campbell County Public Library in Gillette, WY. As someone who has been on the front lines of this harassment, she will present information linking strategies of book challenging groups with abusive behaviors typically found in domestic relationships and offer strategies for dealing with those behaviors as front-facing library staff.
You’ll learn about common strategies used by political groups in their efforts to censor youth materials, how to identify and name these behaviors, and how doing so can empower library staff to develop proactive strategies for responding in ways that protect their safety and integrity.
After participating in this event, learners will:
Darcy Lipp-Acord is the Youth Services Librarian at Campbell County Public Library in Gillette, WY. Since July of 2021, she has been directly involved in dealing with a local group attempting to move youth materials out of childrens and teen areas of her library. The group, as many such challengers nationwide, has resorted to abusive techniques that demoralize staff. Lipp-Acord has researched the links between these techniques and abusive strategies often used in domestic situations, and presented her findings at the 2022 YALSA Symposium in Baltimore.
This event will be hosted in Zoom. Registration is limited to 1000 individuals who are ALA members. Automatic captions will be enabled for this event. This event will be recorded, and the recording will be freely available to all, including those who did not register for the live event or were not able to attend.
Please stop here at the ALA website to register for this free webinar.
Sam Jones is the Youth Services Librarian at the Beaver Dam Public Library. She shares tips to make your job easier in her Tuesday posts.
Last week, ALA shared their data regarding book challenges in 2022. ALA announced that reported book challenges had almost doubled since 2021. Most of the books that were challenged were written by people of color or members of the LGBTQ community. Read more about it here.
Book Challenge Hindsight: What You Wish You’d Known
"Launching on December 1, 2022, our new Books Save Lives campaign will employ a three-pronged strategy to directly address book bans and champion diverse titles. We will raise awareness, provide resources, and create positive change, all while supporting the educators, authors, and children most affected by the bans.
Here's how you can help:
In this recent post she explores the concept of libraries as "book sanctuaries." She writes: "If “book sanctuary” is a new phrase to you, it’s likely because it is a new phrase more broadly. Book sanctuaries are institutions committed to upholding the First Amendment Rights of all citizens, wherein book bans and challenges must follow through a specific procedure to be considered. They are places where books and the right to read them remains at the forefront of what an institution does, and well-funded, well-connected political groups do not get to wield their power in changing what is available."
To read the full post, stop here. [What's a Book Sanctuary: Book Censorship News. Jensen, Kelly. Book Riot blog. October 14, 2022.]
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| Image by Marisa Sias from Pixabay |
As a collection development specialist she has some important things to say in light on the censorship efforts around the nation. One aspect of "the solution" the book banners propose is that librarians read every book before purchase.
Karen writes: "As you may be aware, there are groups of people pushing for widespread censorship and book banning in our libraries. Though they are often focused primarily on public school libraries, public libraries are sometimes targeted as well. One of the continually proposed possible resolutions to this problem is to have librarians read every book before they purchase it for a library. Today, I am here to tell you why that is not possible in any way, shape or form."
To read her post, stop here. [Jensen, Karen. Things I Never Learned in Library School: You WOn't Get Paid to Read and You Will Never Read Anything in Your Library Collections (See Also: Why we can't pre-read the books we purchase, even when facing massive book bans). Teen Librarian Toolbox. School Library Journal. June 12, 2022]
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The response on the Twitterverse to this information from Follett was swift and impactful - spreading the word and prompting strong pushback from the library community, including boycotts of the company and cancellation of their library management products and systems. A petition was started and librarians in school and public libraries responded through that as well.
By the end of the day Friday April 1, Follett had walked back their planned module development according to a School Library Journal update published on April 2. [Follett Changes Course on Proposed Destiny Changes in Response to Library Outcry. Kara Yorio. School Library Journal. April 2, 2022].
It speaks to the power of many voices rising together to fight back efforts to censor speech and materials. It's a powerful example of how librarians together can effect change through advocacy.
Just a quick reminder that this upcoming YSS/IF SIG hour-long webinar is coming up on Tuesday April 5 at 2:00pm. There is still time to register.
YSS and the newly revitalized WLA Intellectual Freedom Special Interest Group (IF-SIG) are planning a helpful webinar free to WLA members on Tuesday April 5 from 2:00-3:00 pm.
The cost for non-members is $25 (but it's easy to become a member and share in member benefits. Just stop here to become a WLA member!)
Unofficial and official challenges have been on the rise all over the country, but there are a lot of steps that library staff can take to be prepared to respond to these concerns. Join WLA on Tuesday, April 5, from 2-3pm for a look into how to navigate these often tricky and emotional situations. Megan Schliesman will kick the webinar off with an overview of what challenges are looking like and the services available from the CCBC to support library staff. Melissa Prentice from Mead Public Library will walk through a book challenge her library recently went through. WLA Executive Director will briefly address support that is available from the Library and Legislation Committee (LD&L). Finally, Kristina Gómez will cover how one library responded to pushback on a program, as well as an update on the work of the Intellectual Freedom Special Interest Group. Come ready to learn and ask questions!
YSS and the newly revitalized WLA Intellectual Freedom Special Interest Group (IF-SIG) are planning a helpful webinar free to WLA members on Tuesday April 5 from 2:00-3:00 pm.
The cost for non-members is $25 (but it's easy to become a member and share in member benefits. Just stop here to become a WLA member!)
Unofficial and official challenges have been on the rise all over the country, but there are a lot of steps that library staff can take to be prepared to respond to these concerns. Join WLA on Tuesday, April 5, from 2-3pm for a look into how to navigate these often tricky and emotional situations. Megan Schliesman will kick the webinar off with an overview of what challenges are looking like and the services available from the CCBC to support library staff. Melissa Prentice from Mead Public Library will walk through a book challenge her library recently went through. WLA Executive Director will briefly address support that is available from the Library and Legislation Committee (LD&L). Finally, Kristina Gómez will cover how one library responded to pushback on a program, as well as an update on the work of the Intellectual Freedom Special Interest Group. Come ready to learn and ask questions!
Intellectual Freedom SIG Monthly Meeting
Monday, March 28, 11:00 a.m.
At this month’s meeting we will explore ways to support Intellectual Freedom at the 2022 WLA Annual Conference (Nov 1-4, 2022 in Lake Geneva). With a theme of “Rising to the Challenge,” the annual conference gives an opportunity to support staff from around the state with in-depth workshops on a variety of topics. Help us craft an Intellectual Freedom track for this year’s conference! SIG meeting attendees will have the option to join one of five breakout rooms to brainstorm possible conference workshops: Policy Development, Staff Training & Support, Trustee Relations, Media Relations / Shaping the Narrative, and “None of those but I have a cool idea!”
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/92607836678?
