I’m by no means an expert when it comes to authoritarian take overs, however, I find it demoralizing and degrading that stories containing view points and lives that political authorities don’t agree with or that authorities don’t want people to be aware of are being banned from public access and from schools.
I’m not a journalist or a librarian or a constitutional lawyer. The best thing for me to do is link to people who’ve put time in the field engaging with the people enacting the bans, along with the people who are in litigation to undo the bans themselves, as well as people who have focused their academic studies on books and law.
Links:
American Library Association: https://www.ala.org/
- Read this article from the ALA on the de-funding of the Institute of Museum and Library Services aka the IMLS, which is the only federal organization that funds public school and various other special libraries. The list of grants they have awarded in the past is here: https://www.imls.gov/grants/awarded-grants.
- Read this article from the ALA’s website that timelines their lawsuit against Keith Sonderling, the current acting director of the IMLS who was appointed by Trump despite having “no prior library or museum experience:” https://www.ala.org/advocacy/IMLS-lawsuit?utm_source=PPA&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=flhomepage.
Going forward as things are now, the IMLS will only be able to request money in order to shut down.
=+Here are some things you can do to help your libraries:+=
Note: Do not contact a representative or senator if you are not their constituent.
1. Tell the senators on the Senate Committee on Appropriations, who are the group of senators tasked with making proposals on how to use the money in the United States Treasury, to fund libraries. Here is the list of senators on the Committee.
2. Tell your representatives, who are tasked on voting yes or no on such proposals, to vote to fund libraries.
Agencies and Programs previously funded by Appropriations bills
List of senators and representatives who did and didn’t sign to fund the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) and the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). which “supports libraries of all types through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and its grant programs, including direct-to-state grants,” according to the ALA.
What you can do to help when you aren’t represented in the Committee on Appropriations: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/show-up-for-our-libraries?utm_source=PPA&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=flhomepage
ALL INFORMATION IN THIS SECTION FOUND ON THE ALA WEBSITE, WIKIPEDIA PAGES, AND U.S. GOVERNMENT WEBSITES. SOME OF THE GOVERNMENT WEBSITES HAVE BEEN CUT, CHANGED, OR SCRUBBED.
Every library: https://www.everylibrary.org/
The Institute of Museum and Library Services:
https://www.imls.gov/find-funding/funding-opportunities/grants-to-states/state-allotment-data
https://ncac.org/: National Coalition Against Censorship
MTSU Lambda”MT Lambda is the oldest LGBTQIA+ higher education student organization in the state of Tennessee.”
Rutherford County Library Alliance: https://www.rclibraryalliance.org/
Intermittent Library Cat Break (RIP PBS)
#1 Free Access means freedom.
Restricting access to information is placing limitations on freedom. Libraries remove the monetary barriers to information that prevent people from accessing that information. (insert link to a cat in a library here)
It is painful to me that there are people who would want to remove this freedom from our society.This service allows people who would not make the choice to spend money on a book about gender identity over paying off their credit debt the ability to eat and read a book. It’s important for everyone to have access to a variety of viewpoints and information. That is what freedom is. The freedom to learn. Taking away people’s options is taking away their freedom. If you have issue with that or arguments against that, I suggest you realize that you are justifying lack of freedom in other areas of society as well. Leave, think about it, and come back later.
#2 Libraries aren’t outdated; they haven’t been replaced by the internet.
Libraries are not outdated. Librarians are constantly adding new books to the shelves and looking at which books should be removed.
They allow you access to news articles that would otherwise require a subscription.
The internet is controlled by corporations who have profit in mind, and it is becoming increasingly pay-per-view.
#3 Varied information means a richer knowledge and understanding of the world.
A wider range of information is going to give people a better understanding of the world. It is better to know how to use
Book Ban Breakers 
