Library friends, welcome back. We have some major censorship and federal administration updates that are worth a closer look. Let’s dive in.
An update on censorship in Knox County Schools
After facing significant public backlash, the Knox County (TN) superintendent said he is put roots back to school shelves After consultation with legal experts. What’s more, school board passed a resolution Calling on the Tennessee General Assembly to amend the state’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act. Specifically, the school board is asking that they be allowed to evaluate books overall rather than by individual paragraphs, as well as differentiate by grade, since what is appropriate for a high school student is quite different from what is appropriate for a kindergartner. I can hardly believe this law was passed without these criteria, but here we are.
University of Nebraska at Kearney bans textbook on human sexuality
In more censorship news, University of Nebraska at Kearney has banned a textbook on human sexuality One student complained that the textbook exposed him to “pornography”. Additionally, an internal investigation found that the textbook did not violate state law, but the university banned it nonetheless. Jonathan Freedman, managing director of the US Free Expression Program at PEN America, said it best: “College students are mature enough to understand the difference between educational material and pornography… (and) censoring the use of certain textbooks and images will not prepare students for real-life scenarios they will encounter in careers in medicine or healthcare.”
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House bill would limit presidential appointments to the Library of Congress
the house of Representatives passed a bill that would limit The President appointed the heads of the Library of Congress and the Government Publishing Office, which, if you remember, was a big deal last year. When Trump fired then-Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. However, the bill would also give the President new power to appoint the copyright register, which was also a big deal last year when Trump fired Sherla Perlmutter, and Perlmutter filed suit.
Federal budget seeks to defund IMLS
It’s a story as old as time (or at least as old as Trump’s time as president): the proposed federal budget. Wants to deprive the Institute of Museum and Library Services of funds. Publishers Weekly points out that Trump has tried to save IMLS every year during his two administrations, and this latest effort comes after several lawsuits were successfully filed to block Trump’s executive orders against IMLS through 2025.
