Purge of LGBTQ+ Children’s Books from a Kansas Public Library is “Deeply Disturbing”
“This blatantly discriminatory action has deprived the residents of St. Marys of ready access to a wide range of literature, and it forced the library director into an impossible… More
Celebrate America’s Founding Bibliophiles on the First Day of July!
A loud minority demanding censorship has put a target on libraries— and library workers— demanding book bans on queer and trans authors and writers of color, the dismantling of… More
Proposal to Restrict Some Books Deemed “Obscene” from Minors in Huntington Beach, CA Is “Nothing Short of Censorship,” Says PEN America
Allison Lee, PEN America’s Los Angeles director, said: “Government officials weighing in on the minutiae of library collection management is nothing short of censorship. What Van Der Mark is… More
PEN America and PEN International Denounce Book Removals From Hong Kong’s Public Libraries
“We have been following with alarm the ongoing removal of books from Hong Kong’s public library system. The right to access literature with a diversity of thought and opinion… More
Sweeping Ban on Certain Topics for Library Books in League City, TX has “Harmful Implications”
Jonathan Friedman, director of Free Expression and Education programs at PEN America, issued the following comments: "Restricting the purchase and circulation of library materials by government edict is anathema to… More
PEN America Urges NO Vote By Greenville, S.C. County Council on Vaguely-Worded Resolution to Censor Childrens’ Books in Libraries
Jonathan Friedman, director of PEN America’s Free Expression and Education program, made the following comments: “If passed, this resolution would be an exercise in censorship--ordering the Greenville County Library System… More
New Bill Politicizing Libraries in Kentucky is a Massive Alarm Bell for the Freedom to Read
Summer Lopez, Senior Director of Free Expression programs at PEN America, stated: "Though often unheralded as such, public libraries are the beating heart of democracy, making access to the… More
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