What does it take to create a literary activism story? A lot of time, energy and effort. Not every story about book censorship or library challenges makes the cut for the weekly link roundup, as each story is examined for as much context and insight as possible. For news to be reported, time and energy goes into conducting significant research, which may include on or off the record interviews, background interviews and research that may never make the story, and, where possible, using public records information obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
There have been times when that research leads to a story worth writing and publishing. There are times when that research reaches a conclusion or completely changes the story. For example, last year, I was told the story of a library employee who was fired for having “too much” in the children’s area for a Pride celebration; Upon investigating the story more deeply – including a call with the community’s attorney – it was not a story about censorship, but, rather, a human resources issue that had no reason to escalate and publish here.
Last week, in the Literary Activism Weekly News Roundup, I included a link and reference to that article. You can see the unedited screenshot here.
There is an error in the text, so it has been edited from the original part. New York Public Library (NYPL) Is Collaborated with Brooklyn’s Books Unbanned program. It was my fault for not being clear in that last line. NYPL Books is not part of the unbanned digital card program; That is, they do not provide digital access to their collections to youth across the country. NYPL has worked with Books Unbanned, including the National Day of Action and Freedom to Read rally in 2024. You can read the updated version here.
literary activism
News you can use plus tips and tools to fight against censorship and other bookish activism!
However, what has not been edited or modified is something else.
I began hearing stories of censorship at the NYPL from multiple sources at the American Library Association conference last month. I did exactly what I do with any story I hear that’s worth sharing: I developed a list of key words that came up in those conversations, and I started researching. I scoured the library’s website for information on how to submit a FOIA—called the Freedom of Information Act (FOIL) in New York State. As a publicly funded institution, it would seem the most direct way to obtain information is if that information is written down or recorded in some way. Public records are a tool that anyone can demand from publicly funded institutions. Laws vary from state to state And some records requests may cost the requestor some money depending on the size and deliverability of the request, but most of the time, anyone from anywhere can request records from any public institution they want.
In trying to figure out how to fail the NYPL, I discovered that you can’t. Despite being publicly funded, NYPL is actually registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The library receives funding from both taxpayers and private entities, and operates in partnership with the city, not as a city government division.
According to a 2003 legal memorandumBecause the library itself is listed and enrolled not as a government division but as a non-governmental non-profit, it is not subject to FOIL laws.
I am not the firstNor will I be the last one to discover it The largest municipal public library in the United States not subject to public records laws.
This made it difficult for me to confirm the stories I was hearing at the conference. However, the search for insight or context about what I was hearing didn’t end there. Did anyone publish anything about this? We know it takes a lot of bravery for anyone to share stories of censorship, and that goes double for any library worker who fears that their whistleblowing could lead to retaliation or losing their job for speaking out.
so when This carousel, posted by the Prison Library Support Network, was sent to me several times-People were asking if I could verify with FOIL records -I had to do two things. The first was to inform them that the library is not subject to FOIL laws and thus, no, I could not check the public records. The second was to decide whether or not to include links in the weekly roundup of literary activism.
Given how much that carousel matched what I had heard, given that it came to me through multiple reliable sources, and given that it was an action-oriented carousel that asks people who care about the library, its work, and its staff to speak out about the issues within it, I decided to include it. This is the same process I use to include any link in the roundup, and it is the same process I use when I write a story that cites library workers without naming them or revealing their location. That the carousel was a call to action was consistent with the goals and purpose of the column.
Weekly Links Roundup in Literary Activism began in 2021. Many times I have been sent a link to share in response or I have received a response to a story in later weeks and included it as a followup.
Within hours of last week’s literary activism link roundup post going live, a spokesperson for the NYPL’s communications department sent an email (to my personal email – something really unusual) expressing disappointment that they were not asked to comment and an “urgent” request for a phone call.
Public records are powerful because they do not put any particular spin or narrative on documents or discussions that occur in public institutions. Public relations is meant to showcase the great work an organization is doing and serve as a point of contact for questions about those things or the organization. Public records are for public evaluation. Public relations is for public consumption. That’s why I didn’t contact the NYPL communications team. It was about being unable to request public records.
I extended the offer to share what NYPL had to say in response to the carousel link. After this the spokesperson once again asked me for my phone number with a request to remove the link. I did not remove the link, although I did again offer the link for any public response they might give.
Obviously, we do not pull or censor our link roundups to allow individuals or entities to respond to information linked to these sources. Where appropriate, responses have been included in the Literary Activism Links roundup.
On Saturday afternoon, an NYPL spokesperson emailed an unlinkable statement refuting the claims made in the carousel shared by the Prison Library Support Network. An NYPL communications spokesperson did not link to a statement posted on its press information page; It was only sent as text to my personal email.
Not being subject to NYPL’s FOIL means you can’t ask to see email discussions nor documents used to make decisions related to book lists; This means you can’t see where and how leadership has directed frontline staff to act, speak, or behave when representing the library.
Instead, you will have to reach out to the press office, where there is no obligation to produce any records you see. The press office is not required to show these emails as they are under no obligation to do so.
It is neither Book Riot’s policy, nor that of most media outlets, to reach out to the press office or public relations team of an institution in the absence of FOIL. They are not the same thing. They clearly serve different purposes, and in situations where potential censorship is concerned, the press office is acting on behalf of the best interests of the institution, not those of the people the institution serves.
Calling for censorship of an outlet in response to a link about potential censorship within an institution is certainly an option. If I had asked him about this, the response would have been from a public relations standpoint, not a public record standpoint.
While we’re still waiting for NYPL’s public statement to share as a follow-up link, I’ve made a correction: As mentioned above, NYPL has worked with Brooklyn’s Books Unbanned program and, most notably, participated in the National Day of Action and Freedom to Read rally in the fall of 2024.
What I didn’t misunderstand is this: There is no ability to thwart the NYPL, and thus, no way to authenticate what appeared in the carousel, nor any way to refute them.
