My $3 monthly membership tier on Ko-Fi helps cover the costs of Underground Bookshelf programming and gets you a free book at the end of each year!

#books #bookbans #reading #literacy #literature #diversity #lgbtq #disability

https://ko-fi.com/lauraundergroundbookshelf/tiers

In the summer, I give away #secondhandbooks to anyone who comes to my booth at community events. This is a way for me to support access to #diverse #literature during a renewed culture of #bookbans

I believe in doing this for free because not everyone can get certain types of books at their #library or purchase #books for themselves.

But I can't afford to do this by myself. Tabling fees can cost anywhere from $50-$300. Even a dollar would help so much!
#bookstodon

https://ko-fi.com/lauraundergroundbookshelf

@chriscorrigan

How does a gay kid stay gay despite eight thousand books and 95% of movies telling them how great cis sex is during all waking hours? I mean have you seen Sleepless in Seattle?

But 7 gay positive books on 20,000 feet of library shelves make a cis person gay?

#nazisBanBooks #cult #cultists #librariescreatecivilization
#libraries #bookbans #orgasm #lgbtq2i #lgbt

Alberta schools pull at least 160 titles.
“Turk, of CFE, said school book removals give Alberta the dubious distinction of accounting for nearly three-quarters of the known book challenges documented in 2025 at all Canadian libraries”
#BookBans #Canada #cdnpoli
#Alberta
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-school-book-ban-order-graphic-novels-9.7118495

Sign the @everylibrary petition against H.R. 7661, the Federal Book Ban Bill

Don't Let the Federal Government Regulate Your Reading #books #bookstodon #BookBans #libraries #PublicLibrary #USp

https://action.everylibrary.org/hr_7661

Now shipping! Designed as a real-world reference, the newest edition of OIF's "Intellectual Freedom Manual" offers clear, up-to-date insights on protecting intellectual freedom, fighting censorship, safeguarding privacy, and many other key IF topics. https://alastore.ala.org/ifm11

#ALA #AmericanLibraryAssociation #LIS #MLIS #libraries #librarianship #InformationScience #library #intellectualfreedom #censorship #bookbans

Some good news on the #bookBans front...
https://wyofile.com/measure-to-ban-explicit-books-from-libraries-falters-as-clock-runs-out-in-wyoming-senate/

RE: https://journa.host/@winnipegfreepress/116177449448090283

#Books #bookBans #Canada #Palestine

Aux États-Unis, la censure de livres pourrait devenir nationale
https://actualitte.com/article/129592/international/aux-etats-unis-la-censure-de-livres-pourrait-devenir-nationale
#bookbans #censure #livres #etatsunis #bibliotheque #bibliotheques

#MediaEcologyWakingUp #BookBan #BookBans #PublicLibrary
#FWakeBookBan #BanHappy #BookBurning #Anal1902
#FWakePBS #PBS #Library #FWakePublicLibrary /\

"They think that God is a tiny, little conservative being who would point guns at people's heads just for going to school." - July 12, 2013. ملاله یوسفزۍ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywQOCY-qDzE

Canadian Publishers Speak Out Against Recent Book Bans in School Libraries

Despite the concerns raised by teachers, librarians, and publishers, a ministerial order signed in September by the Minister of Education and Childcare has been implemented, resulting in the removal of titles across the province of Alberta. 
The post Canadian Publishers Speak Out Against Recent Book Bans in School Libraries appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/02/canadian-publishers-speak-out-against-recent-book-bans-in-school-libraries/

#BookBans #Canada #CanadianPublishersCouncil #LiteraryPressGroupofCanada #TheAssociationofCanadianPublishers

‘The Librarians’: Meet the heroes fighting against conservative book bans in the South

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.advocate.com/news/culture/the-librarians-book-bans-documentary

“So you banned all those books, Sadie said, and the teacher had blinked twice at her over her glasses. Oh no, sweetie, she said. People think that sometimes, but no. No one bans anything. Haven’t you ever heard of the Bill of Rights? The class giggled, and Sadie flushed. Every school makes its own independent judgments, the teacher said.”

― Celeste Ng, "Our Missing Hearts"

#Zitatemontag
#Zitate
#Quotes
#Quotations
#Novels
#Books
#BannedBooks
#Bookban
#Bookbans
#Bookstodon

✍️ 📖 🇺🇸 📚

Shock Democratic upset in Texas shows voters still hate book bans

Running against Moms for Liberty is a winning 2026 strategy

https://www.salon.com/2026/02/06/shock-democratic-upset-in-texas-shows-voters-still-hate-book-bans/

#Democrats #Texas #bookbans #MFL #Republicans #MAGA #GOP #Trump #politics #press

New details show vigorous, pricey process to identify explicit books in #EdmontonSchools -
School division paid $43,000 to hire 11 teachers for 4-week summer project
#ScoolLibraries #Libraries
#Books #BookBans #BookCensorship
#Edmonton_Alberta #Alberta #Canada

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-edmonton-books-banned-9.7059069

Here are the secret lists of banned books from Alberta's 2 largest school boards https://www.readtheorchard.org/p/here-are-the-secret-lists-of-banned

#ABLeg #ABEducation #BookBans

The TLDR version: librarians are not ok, and here is why. #Libraries #Librarians #MentalHealth #SocialServices #BookBans #Censorship https://bookriot.com/the-state-of-librarian-mental-health/

“Pizza Parties Don’t Fix Burnout”: The State of Librarian Mental Health – Book Riot

“Pizza Parties Don’t Fix Burnout”: The State of Librarian Mental Health

By Kelly Jensen, Jan 20, 2026

We know that the constant demands put upon libraries and their workers take a toll. That’s why the intersection of trauma and librarianship has become a significant research and discussion topic, especially over the last six years.

Look to the need for public libraries to become a place where unhoused people can spend their days; how they are expected to put their safety on the line to be warming centers during cold snaps and cooling centers during heat waves; how they continued to need to provide in-person services during the height of a deadly pandemic; and how they have begun in recent years to hire staff social workers to help with the ongoing mental health crisis faced by community members who may have no other viable access to support. 

Libraries are not essential services, despite the demands made upon them to provide essential services. These are roles that library workers take on because they view their job as meeting the needs of their communities, and if they choose not to, it could mean their budgets being slashed in the next round of cuts. Both things can be true, just as it can be true that library workers enjoy the challenges present to them and are directly impacted by them on a personal level. Librarians experience compassion fatigue and significant stress throughout their days, and that is without being faced with book bans or people showing up to board meetings calling them groomers. We also know that the physical state of America’s public libraries is poor: the Government Accountability Office found that 61% of U.S. libraries have at least one building system or feature that poses a potential health or safety concern in a report put out in December 2025.

Last year saw tremendous budget slashing in all types of libraries nationwide. It wasn’t just public or school librarians who saw their jobs and resources end. Academic libraries were on the chopping block, sending yet another message about the ways that access to verifiable facts, the historical record, and resources that advance knowledge aren’t priorities. They’re instead simply “nice to have.” It’s a confounding message, especially in an era of fake news, disordered information, and the ongoing push to integrate Artificial Intelligence into every aspect of life. It’s also a confounding message, given all the ways libraries are expected to fill in the gaps left by budget cuts elsewhere, and to do so without pushing back.

All of this has a direct and material impact on the mental health of library workers.

I wanted to know how much of a toll the job takes on library workers when I sent out a lengthy survey last summer, from July to August 2025. The survey asked library workers of all backgrounds, experiences, and demographics to get honest about where and how library work intersected with their mental health. Respondents were asked to share their experiences in a free-form style, highlighting what they perceived as the most significant stressors in the field, where and how they’ve managed their mental health in relation to their job, and what kinds of solutions they think would be helpful. Those who took part were welcome to write as much or as little as they’d like.

The results were even more surprising than expected.

The State of Library Worker Mental Health

This was by no means a controlled survey. It was self-select, but it did represent the field well. A total of 213 library workers responded: 77% worked in public libraries, 16% in academic libraries, 3% in special libraries, 2% in school libraries, 1% in government/state libraries, and 1% were retired/former. The weakness here is school libraries, but that’s likely due to the survey being sent during the summer, when the majority of school librarians are not in the office. Survey respondents were composed of 42% urban library workers, 42% suburban, 12% rural, 4% exurban, 5% mixed/multi-type systems. Library workers in the survey averaged 17 years in the field, with a median of 14 years. No degree or official “librarian” title was required to participate, just that the individual worked in a library.

The data was analyzed broadly, meaning that certain responses were grouped. Percentages in the responses will add up to more than 100% because library workers often mentioned several things that were arranged thematically. In other words, consider these responses representative and accurate, if not precise–that was not the goal.

The Biggest External Stressors in Libraries Right Now

Five big themes emerged in at least half the responses when it comes to the most significant outside stressors for libraries:

• 95% of responses noted budget cuts, layoffs, closures, and defunding as the most significant concerns from outside the library
• 80% of library workers noted stress came from the expectation that the library operates as a social service provider
• 75% mentioned book bans, censorship, and political interference
• 50% mentioned the rising costs of materials, specifically the high costs of digital materials. Libraries pay significantly more to purchase ebooks than the average consumer, and digital platforms like hoopla are a budget drainer.

Mission Creep was the single-most day-to-day stressor mentioned.

DrWeb note: Valuable and in-depth article, look online for the rest of the story.

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: “Pizza Parties Don’t Fix Burnout”: The State of Librarian Mental Health

Today in Labor History January 18, 1920: A New York judge ruled that teachers could be fired for Communist Party membership. For the past few years, teachers in Florida could be fired for saying the word “gay.” Then they started firing teachers across the country for criticizing the fascist, Charlie Kirk, and for expressing any support for Palestinians. And now the ICE Gestapo is tear-gassing schools and abducting children from the streets, their family’s cars, and their places of work.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #communism #civilliberties #freespeech #teachers #trump #immigration #racism #education #transrightsarehumanrights #lgbtq #censorship #bookbans #ice #gestapo #fascism

This is ridiculous! #bookbans

https://pen.org/why-ban-books-about-cats-dogs/