Stand Against Book Bans

I've been meaning to create a thread about recommended actions. This will replace an accidental duplicate post. — May 6, 2022

The American Library Association has a website for Unite Against Book Bans, its national initiative to "empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship."

I personally don't feel empowered visiting it, as the recommendations ignore common obstacles; however, the site succinctly explains what's happening in the censorship movement. The blurbs could be useful.

You might also find on it a toolkit the contains the following sections:
Talking Points | Contact Officials | Contact Media | Spread the Word | Petition Decision Makers | Social Media Tools

https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/toolkit

edited later for clean up

Focusing on national advocacy can be very intimidating, especially for book lovers who are ineligible to vote in federal elections or whose representatives in Washington, D.C. are hostile to constituents who speak out.

We Need Diverse Books, a non-profit advocacy organization for children's publishing, offers advice that's more community oriented.

https://diversebooks.org/how-to-support-diverse-books-during-a-book-ban/

Some common misconceptions

First, it is important to correct some common misconceptions about book bans and challenges. A book challenge is what happens when a complaint is raised about a book. Or, as ALA defines it: “A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials.” Many books are challenged, but most do not end up being permanently banned or removed.

• Myth #1: “You should buy copies of banned books.”
Reality: Purchasing banned books is usually our first instinct, but on its own, it’s nowhere near enough. As Karen Jensen of Teen Librarian Toolbox writes: “Buying the book will help keep it in publication, but it doesn’t necessarily help libraries, school or public.” Ultimately, it depends on what you’re planning to do with the books that you purchase, which leads us to Myth #2.

• Myth #2: “You should donate banned books to local libraries or schools.”
Reality: Not all libraries are able to accept donations. Often, libraries need books to be in a particular format, with special binding that comes from specific vendors. For those that do accept book donations, challenges may prevent any donated books from being used. Schools that are being told to remove a book from their library shelves will likely not be able to give out free copies of that same book to their students. And more importantly, giving away copies of one banned book won’t prevent other books from being challenged or removed.

• Myth #3: “If a book is banned at school, students can just go to the public library instead.”
Reality: Public libraries are not nearly as common as they should be. Many students live far away from their local library, and they may not have access to reliable transportation. Students may also have difficulty obtaining a library card, which often requires proof of a permanent address. Additionally, book challenges are beginning to affect public libraries, as well.

• Myth #4: “Having a book banned or challenged is a badge of honor.”
Reality: Having a book banned or challenged can be incredibly traumatic for authors, especially those from marginalized backgrounds. Pouring their heart into a book with a unique main character and story, only to see it declared “inappropriate” or somehow wrong for being different, can be devastating. It also sends a horrible message to any writer or reader who can relate to that main character: “Your kind of story isn’t welcome here.”

• Myth #5: “Having a book banned or challenged will lead to increased sales.”
Reality: Having their book banned or challenged can have a huge impact on an author’s livelihood. Authors could lose one of their primary sources of income: School and library visits. Most authors are unable to live off book advances or royalties alone. Once a book is seen as “controversial,” an author could be dropped from events, or they may be asked to talk about a book or topic that is more “appropriate.” It is also possible that library workers will engage in “soft censorship” with these books, deciding not to purchase a book if it might potentially lead to challenges or controversy.

That's what not to say.

After considering the page and what I've heard from library workers who have been attempting to protect diverse books, I've rephrased Adriana Lebrón White's advice at Diverse Books for what to do locally when possible.

• Pay attention to what's happening.

• Research what others are doing and get organized to do more.

• Show interest in the books at your public library: Request book purchases. Borrow those books. Read them. Recommend them to others. Request more. Repeat.

• Support your library workers: show appreciation for what they do, {donate to the places accepting donations,} and vote to protect their funds.

• Get involved in your local school board: show up, vote in the elections, and run for a seat.

• Get involved in your local library board: show up for meetings and apply for a seat.

A school board has decision-making power over the policies and practices of school libraries and classrooms in its district. What oversees the public library/libraries in a city, county, or service district is the library board.

https://bookriot.com/why-you-should-sit-on-your-library-board/

Question (multi-part): Has anyone here recently been a speaker at a meeting for a library board, school board, student body government, judiciary court, or anything similar to advocate for books under review or being removed for content? What was your experience, and do you have tips to share?

I've witnessed these meetings but not prepared to speak at one before. I'm curious about whether or not speaking from outside an authority role is worthwhile in this political climate.

For the few people who might see this post in the next six months—

"Activists skirt book bans with guerrilla giveaways and pop-up libraries" Tovia Smith recently shared within NPR's Morning Edition.
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/23/1164284891/book-bans-school-libraries-florida

{M}any people opposed to {public school book} bans are taking it upon themselves to find creative ways to put those books where young readers will see them — outside of schools. Pop-up banned-book libraries, banned-book giveaways and even a banned bookmobile have appeared around the nation in an ad hoc kind of counteroffensive.

There's also been a spike in Little Free Libraries stuffed with banned books. The number of those curbside boxes on posts rose during the pandemic and climbed even higher last year as book bans spread around the nation.

{...}even booksellers are getting into the business of giving books away.

{...}Publishers and authors are also getting in on the action {by offering freebies}.

The nonprofit Fleming founded, In Purpose Educational Services, which has collected some $50,000 in donations and has given away some 5,000 banned books, has recently started including a kind of curriculum to accompany them.{...}

None of it will get at the root problem, says Andrew Karre, senior executive editor at Dutton Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House.

"People can signal their opposition to bans by making protest purchases" and making them available to teens, Karre says. "I make my living in publishing, so I want people to buy books. But if I could choose what people do in response to a book ban, my first choice is to go to a school board meeting or library board meeting and to vote. Showing up politically is the better bet."