Posted on June 27, 2023 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
Legislative action on published materials — specifically, who can access them and how — continues to unsettle freedom-to-read advocates in Texas and Florida.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a bill that requires book suppliers who sell to school libraries, librarians, and teachers to rate the content in each book — in the future and retroactively.
While its supporters touted HB9000 as empowering parents, groups like the American Booksellers Association's American Booksellers for Free Expression and PEN America criticized the new law as a governmental restriction on access to materials.
You can read more about the response to HB9000 in Shelf Awareness.
Over in Florida, the firing of one college library employee has sent chills down the spines of many others.
Slate covered the dismissal of Helene Gold, an associate dean at the New College of Florida’s Jane Bancroft Cook Library.
Gold was fired weeks before the academic year ended, and many (including Gold) believe her outspoken opposition to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's various legislative priorities led to her ouster.
Read more about what Florida college librarians are worrying about nowadays in Slate.
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Categories: Today in Books