Ousted Montgomery County library director sues county judge, commissioners for alleged discrimination
Rhea Young said she decided to file the lawsuit because she believes her termination was in retaliation for not wanting to segregate and limit access to books that contain LGBTQ+ themes or ideas.
New Texas law makes it easier to bring charges against teachers, librarians
Senate Bill 412, which takes effect Sept. 1, removes affirmative defense protections for teachers and librarians. They could be charged with crimes for providing children with material that is deemed inappropriate.
Fort Bend library website targeted by cyberattack to be fully restored by September, county officials say
Patrons have been unable to log into their accounts and use the online catalog for months after a cybersecurity attack in February.
Fort Bend County library catalog, accounts could remain unavailable for months after cyberattack
Library Director Roosevelt Weeks says there is no evidence that patrons’ personal data has been breached as part of the cyberattack, which the county became aware of in late February. During a special session on March 6, Fort Bend County commissioners approved more than $2.6 million in IT contracts under an agenda item titled "library update."
Texas school boards could remove library books under bill on governor’s desk
Texas' Senate Bill 13 empowers school boards to decide which books are permitted in their school libraries. It also allows parents to submit a list of books their children are prohibited from checking out. The controversial measure in now sitting on Gov. Greg Abbott's desk.
Katy ISD students call for repeal of book and gender policies following school board election
James Cross’ May 3 victory against school board president Victor Perez, who had championed conservative policies regarding gender identity and library materials, means a majority of the seven-member board might be interested in overturning those policies.
Texas libraries could lose $12.5M following Trump executive order
The Institute of Museums and Library Services was targeted in a recent executive order. Here's how that could affect North Texas libraries.
Fort Bend County DA’s Office investigating library cyberattack
Fort Bend County commissioners have approved nearly $3 million in library-related IT contracts in the aftermath of the cybersecurity attack. The county has not confirmed whether those contracts are related to the attack.
Fort Bend County Libraries system faces website outage after ‘cybersecurity incident’
The library collects patrons’ names, phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth and addresses when they sign up for library cards. Library staff said there’s no evidence to suggest that this data has been compromised during the cyberattack.
Texas may change how schools select library books. Critics say it could lead to more bans
Senate Bill 13 would create school library advisory councils largely made up of parents. It would give school boards, rather than librarians, the final say over new books.
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