MBLC Blog

Author: Celeste Bruno

  • Massachusetts and the nation wrestle with book bans, challenges, and protests in libraries

    According to the American Library Association (ALA) Library staff in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2021, resulting in more than 1,597 individual book challenges or removals. Most targeted books were by or about Black or LGBTQIA+ persons. Recently, ALA submitted comments about the impact to the House Oversight Committee.
    Massachusetts has also seen a dramatic surge in book challenges and disturbances. Combined formal and informal challenges, objections, disruptions have nearly quadrupled since 2021, going from combined total of 20 in 2021 to 78 in 2022.

    Below are issue-related *articles. The most recent are listed first.

    Massachusetts based news stories:

    Groups urge schools to resist book bans
    January 24, 2023
    (The Salem News)  BOSTON — Civil liberties groups are urging state and local education officials to push back against “coordinated” efforts to ban books, warning that pulling any controversial titles from libraries could run afoul of anti-discrimination laws.
    In a letter to the state’s public school districts, the Massachusetts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders cited a recent uptick in library book challenges from parents and conservative groups targeting titles related to LGBTQ issues, communities of color, and other marginalized groups.
    Read Full Story

    White supremacists protest Taunton drag queen story time, police say
    January 16, 2023
    (ABC, News6) Police said over two dozen members of NSC-131, a white nationalist group, gathered outside the library Saturday to protest the event.
    The protesters dressed in black masks and khaki pants waved a painted banner that read, “Drag queens are pedophiles.”
    This group is also believed to be responsible for the racist flyers that have been dispersed throughout Rhode Island in the recent months.
    Full story

    Chelmsford Public Library reinstates ‘pastor story hour’ after church claims rights were violated
    January 12, 2023
    (Boston Globe) The Chelmsford Public Library has reinstated a pastor’s story hour that was planned for Friday morning but abruptly canceled Thursday afternoon after library officials said the church that organized the event misrepresented its plans.
    A lawyer for The Shepherd’s Church had claimed the library bowed to public pressure after it became known that the event was planned in response to drag queen story hours.
    Read full story

    Neo-Nazis disrupted a drag event in Fall River. Organizers said they won’t be discouraged.
    December 15, 2022
    (The Herald News) FALL RIVER — A group of organized neo-Nazis disrupted a children’s event featuring a drag artist in Fall River this past weekend, with organizers vowing to not be discouraged from putting on future events.
    “It was the most unsettling thing I’ve seen with my own eyes in a really long time,” said Sean Connell, President of the Fall River Pride Committee. “I think it’s so imperative to stay out here in the face of hate like this.”
    Read full story

    Christmas tree dispute at library has pitted ‘neighbor against neighbor,’ Dedham officials say
    December 9, 2022(Boston Globe) “Unfortunately, a recent social media post expressing disagreement with the decision to display a holiday tree at the library has quickly evolved into a polarized environment and has led to the harassment and bullying of town employees,” the town said in a statement Thursday. “We wholeheartedly condemn this behavior as it tears at the fabric of our community and cannot be tolerated.”
    Read full story

    Book challenges on rise in Mass. amid culture wars
    November 27, 2022
    (Eagle Tribune)Massachusetts librarians are fielding a dramatic uptick in the number of book “challenges” from parents and outside groups who are upset about what they view as inappropriate content on sexuality and racism for younger readers.
    A recent survey conducted by the Massachusetts Library Association found that informal challenges, disruptions and objections “quadrupled” between 2021 and 2022.
    More than 100 libraries that responded to the group’s annual survey reported at least 78 book challenges so far this year — up from only 20 last year.
    Read full story

    National news stories:

    America’s culture warriors are going after librarians
    December 21, 2022
    (.coda) It’s a tale playing out in cities and states across the country, as a book-banning fever courses through the country’s body politic. Nationally, attempts to remove books from school and public libraries are shattering previous records. The effort is being driven by a loose collection of local and national conservative parents’ groups and politicians who have found a rewarding culture war battle in children’s books about gender, diversity and sexuality. The majority of these groups were created during the pandemic as part of a broader “parents’ rights” movement that formed in opposition to Covid-related masking and remote learning policies in schools and that has since widened its focus to include challenging library and classroom books about race and LGBTQ issues.
    Read full article

    Kirk Cameron declares a ‘win’ over two public libraries that denied him story hours but now have ‘caved’
    December 19, 2022
    In comments to Fox News Digital over the weekend, actor and writer Kirk Cameron declared that he has “won” against two public libraries in this country that previously denied him the space and opportunity to hold a children’s book story hour program in their facilities — and that now are offering to work with him on room bookings after he challenged their denials and threatened to “assert” his “rights in court.”
    Read full story

    Kirk Cameron is denied story-hour slot by public libraries for his new faith-based kids book
    December 7, 2021
    (Fox News) With a new children’s book out that celebrates family, faith and biblical wisdom, actor-writer-producer Kirk Cameron cannot reach scores of American children or their families in many U.S. cities via the public library system because over 50 public libraries have either outright rejected him or not responded to requests on his behalf.
    Read full story

    A Fast Growing Network of Conservative Groups Is Fueling a Surge in Book Bans
    December 12, 2022
    (New York Times) Some groups are new, some are longstanding. Some are local, others national. Over the past two years they have become vastly more organized, well funded, effective–and criticized.
    Read full story

    Opinion: The school library used to be a sanctuary. Now it’s a battleground
    October 31, 2022
    (CNN) In September 2021, protesters ambushed the board meeting of the New Jersey school district where I have worked as a high school librarian since 2005. The protesters railed against “Gender Queer,” a memoir in graphic novel form by Maia Kobabe, and “Lawn Boy,” a coming-of-age novel by Jonathan Evison. They spewed selected sentences from the Evison book, while brandishing isolated images from Kobabe’s.But the real sucker punch came when one protester branded me a pedophile, pornographer and groomer of children. After a successful career, with retirement on the horizon, to be cast as a villain was heartbreaking.
    Read full story

    After Her Book Displays Drew Criticism, Librarian Elissa Malespina Lost Her Job. She’s Here to Say “I’m Not OK with This.”
    October 13, 2022
    (School Library Journal) Elissa Malespina was shelving books in the library at her new school. She started with the biography section, arranging titles to make the shelves more appealing to students at Union (NJ) High School, where she is the new school library media specialist.
    Barack Obama. Rosa Parks.
    She paused and debated which book to select next.“I better go with Colin Powell,” she thought. “Because then it’s a more conservative approach.”
    That decision was not wrong, says Malespina, but the creeping doubt is new.
    Read full story

    Links provided to external (non-MBLC) news stories are done so as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the MBLC. MBLC bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.


  • Melrose Moves Forward With Library Project After Cost Increase

    (Patch) Melrose’s long-awaited library renovation project recently took a step forward with the signing of a contract to begin the project’s construction phase, Mayor Paul Brodeur announced on Wednesday.
    Following uncertainty over potential cost increases in recent months, Brodeur confirmed that the cost of the city’s contract with the Massachusetts-based Castagna Construction Corporation is roughly 12% higher than estimates available when the City Council approved the project last year.
    The city has adjusted, though, with officials saying this week that a combination of state, federal and Library Trustees money has allowed the project to proceed without a need for new city bond funding.

    Read more from Patch



  • Book challenges up Nationwide and in Massachusetts Libraries

    According to American Library Association (ALA), there have been a record number of book challenges across the nation. In 2021 ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services, resulting in more than 1,597 individual book challenges or removals. Between January 1 and August 31, 2022, ALA documented 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources, and 1,651 unique titles were targeted.

    The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), the Massachusetts Library Association (MLA), and the Massachusetts Library System (MLS), and the Massachusetts School Library Association (MSLA) are working together to understand how local libraries are affected, support libraries, and respond in a united way. In September a short survey was emailed to librarians to get a better understanding of the formal book challenges and informal objections or disruptions happening in Massachusetts libraries.

    The survey asked:
    Has your library experienced a formal book challenge (in 2021 and in 2022)? Which titles?
    Has your library received informal objections from patrons or experienced disruptions related to books, displays, or programs (in 2021 and in 2022)?

    The response:
    103 libraries responded; Combined formal and informal challenges, objections, disruptions have nearly quadrupled since 2021, going from combined total of 20 in 2021 to 78 in 2022.

    In 2022:
    10 libraries reported 16 formal challenges
    55 libraries reported 62 informal objections/disruptions (estimated count from included comments)

    In 2021:
    1 library reported 1 formal challenge
    12 libraries reported 19 informal objections/disruptions (estimated count from included comments)

    Challenged titles include:

    • It Feels Good to Be Yourself
    • Jay’s Gay Agenda
    • Camp
    • Gender Queer
    • Lawn Boy
    • People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present [Comment included with this title: (the person challenging it completely misunderstood what the book is about)]
    • Girls of Fate and Fury
    • My Heart Is On the Ground
    • Razzmatazz
    • Hot Dog Taste Test
    • Not My Idea

    MBLC, MLA, MLS, and MSLA continue to meet regularly to discuss ways to support libraries including training, support during a challenge, and potential statewide activities.

  • Keen Eye for Detail Sets Shrewsbury Apart

    Shrewsbury’s revamped library held its grand opening on September 21. This renovation and expansion project made room for more computers, a new community meeting space, group meeting areas, and a courtyard adjoining the children’s room.

    The new space configuration and furniture setup pays homage to the design details and charm of the historic 1903 building while also accommodating the needs of present-day patrons. Self-checkout machines, plentiful power outlets, and many options for seating – whether visitors want to read for hours, charge their devices, study, or just relax in front of the window for a moment – allow for customizable, user-centered experiences in the library.

  • Banned Books Week 2016

    It’s humpday of Banned Books Week 2016. This year’s focus is on diversity in literature; books that get banned or challenged are disproportionately written by diverse authors.

    celebrate diversity for banned books week, september 25-october 1, 2016

    For the uninitiated, Banned Books Week is “an annual event celebrating the freedom to read… it highlights the value of free and open access to information, [and] brings together the entire book community; librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types, in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.” More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982, according to the American Library Association (ALA).

    Throughout the U.S. at libraries, schools, universities, and other institutions, “read-a-thons” and “read-outs” of books banned over the years will increase awareness of both censorship and the importance of the freedom to read. This year, virtual read-outs from around the country are featured on their own YouTube channel as well.

    the top ten most challenged books of 2015 - titles & authors listed below image

    2015 Book Challenges in Detail

    (from the Banned Books Week website)

    1. Looking for Alaska, by John Green
      Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.
    2. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James
      Reasons: Sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and other (“poorly written,” “concerns that a group of teenagers will want to try it”).
    3. I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
      Reasons: Inaccurate, homosexuality, sex education, religious viewpoint, and unsuited for age group.
    4. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin
      Reasons: Anti-family, offensive language, homosexuality, sex education, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“wants to remove from collection to ward off complaints”).
    5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
      Reasons: Offensive language, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“profanity and atheism”).
    6. The Holy Bible
      Reasons: Religious viewpoint.
    7. Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
      Reasons: Violence and other (“graphic images”).
    8. Habibi, by Craig Thompson
      Reasons: Nudity, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.
    9. Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, by Jeanette Winter
      Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group, and violence.
    10. Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan
      Reasons: Homosexuality and other (“condones public displays of affection”).

  • Globe-Horn Book Awards Kick Off Children’s & Young Adult Award Season

    Editor’s note: This post was written by Shelley Quezada, the MBLC’s Consultant to the Unserved.

    Here in New England, September marks both the beginning of fall and the start of the children’s book award season, recognizing some of the most excellent books for young readers published in the past 12 months. A perennial favorite with youth services librarians, authors, and publishers, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards Ceremony will take place on Friday, September 30 at Simmons College in Boston. The Boston Globe Horn Book Awards has been presented annually since 1967 and is considered among the most prestigious honors in the field of children’s and young adult literature.

    Selections are featured in three categories: Picture Book, Fiction and Poetry, and Nonfiction. Additionally, each category includes two honor books. Unlike many American Library Association awards, the winning titles may be written or illustrated by citizens of any country as long as they are published in the United States. Awards are chosen each year by an independent panel of three judges appointed by the editor of The Horn Book.

    This year’s award winners were announced by video on the Horn Book website in May. However, next Friday’s ceremony is especially exciting because it features speeches by the award winners, followed by a book signing.

    2016 Award & Honor Winners

    covers of the three 2016 horn book award winners. titles are listed below

    Nonfiction Award Winner

    Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin (Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan)

    Fiction Award Winner

    The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams)

    Picture Book Award Winner

    Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph written by Roxane Orgill, illustrated by Francis Vallejo (Candlewick Press)

    covers of the 2016 horn book honor award winners. titles and authors follow below in text.

    Nonfiction Honor Books

    • Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M. T. Anderson (Candlewick Press)
    • Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Ekua Holmes (Candlewick Press)

    Fiction Honor Books

    • The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick Press)
    • Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House)

    Picture Book Honor Books

    • Thunder Boy Jr. written by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Yuyi Morales (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
    • One Day, the End: Short, Very Short, Shorter-than-Ever Stories written by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illustrated by Fred Koehler (Boyds Mills Press)

    Attendees at the Friday ceremony are in for a treat: with the exception of authors and illustrators Frances Hardinge, Sherman Alexie, and Yuyi Morales, all awardees will be on hand to give presentations to the audience. Many of these authors will also participate the following day at the 2016 Horn Book Colloquium “Out of the Box” that will also be held at Simmons College.

  • Happy Read an eBook Day!

    Did you know today, September 16th, is Read an eBook Day? I didn’t either, but I just so happened to download the electronic version of Stacy Schiff’s The Witches: Salem, 1692 this morning, and OverDrive let me know what’s up.

    I live in Somerville and The Witches is our city’s community reads title for 2016. Last night, I checked out the 400+ page hardcover tome and immediately dreaded lugging it around town. Luckily, Minuteman Library Network’s OverDrive collection came to the rescue – I now have the ultra-portable ebook version on my phone, too. Woohoo!

    There’s even a hashtag, #eBookLove, for y’all to wax poetic and join in the celebration. What are you e-reading right now? Let us know!

  • Massachusetts Libraries (libraries.state.ma.us) Relaunches

    Massachusetts Libraries (libraries.state.ma.us), the online portal for statewide library resources & services first launched in 2007, has been completely redesigned. We wanted to keep it simple and user-friendly while also offering personalized access to catalogs and collections.

    screenshot of massachusetts libraries website homepage

    Visitors are first prompted to find their local library by entering a zip code, town, or library name. The new site is then customized with access to their home network’s catalog and the Commonwealth Catalog, making it easy to search both locally and throughout the state. It also helps visitors find ebook collections and provides immediate access to online articles. And there’s a new A-Z title list of all research journals, magazines, and newspapers available through our statewide subscription.

    In the Your Local Library section, visitors can find out about classes, events, and workshops – such as summer reading and early learning programs, high school equivalency exam prep, and English learning groups – at nearby libraries and literacy centers. The Digital Collections page highlights digital libraries and special online collections, great resources for teachers and students looking to explore history in Massachusetts and beyond.

    We’ll be testing the site with users and consistently making adjustments throughout the coming months, so we welcome any and all feedback on the new site! Send your thoughts and comments to answers@mblc.state.ma.us.

  • Fall Library Conferences & Meetings in New England

    Ah, autumn in New England – the return of students, crisp air, and an overabundance of pumpkin-flavored things. And… lots and lots of library and archives conferences and events!

    Here’s just a handful of the upcoming options for professional development, networking, and skill-building around the area.

    The New England Assessment in Action Symposium
    presented by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)/New England Chapter & Massachusetts Library System (MLS)
    Tuesday, September 13
    Assumption College, Worcester, MA
    “Assessment in Action: Academic Libraries and Student Success is an initiative to help academic librarians build skills in carrying out data-driven assessment projects. Join your New England colleagues who participated and learn how the academic library community might build on its success at the national and regional level.”

    Special Library Association (SLA) New England Fall Conference: Building Skills, Creating Value
    Friday, September 30
    Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center
    “Sessions from SLA members focusing on measuring value, working with stakeholders, and career transitions. Our keynote speaker for the conference is Tracy Z. Maleeff (@LibrarySherpa), the principal of Sherpa Intelligence, a research and social media consulting firm in the Philadelphia area.”

    Society of American Archivists (SAA): Privacy and Confidentiality Issues in Digital Archives
    Thursday, October 13
    Hampton Inn Hadley-Amherst (MA)
    “This course covers privacy and confidentiality legal issues specific to archives of digital material. You’ll examine the intersection of (and the tension between) privacy/confidentiality, free speech and freedom to research/write, and focus on how electronic records and the digital realm have altered the scene.”

    New England Archivists (NEA) Fall 2016 Meeting: Bridging the Gaps
    Friday, October 14
    Yiddish Book Center, Amherst, MA
    #NEAfall16
    “NEA’s Fall 2016 Meeting will offer inspiring examples of how archivists, associated professionals, and record stakeholders are working to bridge gaps in collection development and accessibility of materials.”

    New England Library Association (NELA) Annual Conference: Imagining Tomorrow
    October 16-18
    Doubletree by Hilton, Danvers, MA
    #NELA2016

    Massachusetts Library System 2016 Annual Meeting (“save the date” link)
    November 7
    College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA
    Keynote speaker: John Palfrey, author of Bibliotech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google
    More details to come, but presentations include final projects from this year’s ProjectSET (Skills, Empowerment, Talent) participants and the MLS Strategic Plan for 2017-2019.