ALA Day 1: A Focus on Censorship
The ongoing dangers of book banning, and the work being done to resist it, ran as a prevalent theme through the first day of #alaac25. Before any panels or presentations were even available, the tall-ceilinged space of the registration lobby featured, at its center, an art installation called Writer’s Block. Made up of a quintet of caged typewriters, the piece first created by Sheryl Oring in 1999 was a visual symbol of Nazi book burning, and Oring was in attendance to talk about the work.
When first creating cubes, Oring asked people to donate unwanted typewriters, and thanks to people’s generosity, she soon had more than she knew what to do with. The piece included standard typewriters, typewriters with buttons for mathematical fractions, a lowercase typewriter, and even an Arabic typewriter. Both the typewriters themselves and their cages have aged significantly since their original creation—giving a rusted, tattered look—but the worn nature provided a historied feel that added to the impact of the piece.
The Nazi book burnings were referenced again in the afternoon screening of The Librarians, a documentary about the work of librarians over the past years to fight against the many book bans specifically targeted at books with black or LGBTQ+ characters. The imagery of the old book burnings was shown alongside footage of a more recent US book burning just a few years back. Librarians in the interviews spoke on how they were fired for refusing to remove books, even when doing so would go against their libraries’ rules.
A large focus was put on how groups like Moms for Liberty will influence schoolboards to remove books with diverse content, claiming that LGBTQ+ inclusion amounts to “grooming” and “pedophilia.” A larger focus though, was put on the heroic librarians and other community members who worked to protect readers on the front lines. The film makers, in attendance after the screening, took many questions, and said the best way people can help is by donating to their cause or by attending school board meetings themselves.
All these events happened, of course, the same day as the Supreme Court decision that schoolteachers must, before having lessons with LGBTQ+ storybooks, give parents the opportunity to opt their children out—a topic touched on by the opening session speaker Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The concept of “parent’s rights” was also discussed during the documentary just before, and is contentious as something that may be advocated for when it comes to LGBTQ+ book censorship, but advocated against (usually by the same people) when it comes to parent’s rights to provide their kids with gender affirming care.
ALA President Cindy Hohl, at the opening session, also touched on the erosion of libraries, though more specifically through the sudden and drastic cuts to IMLS. She was adamant that ALA could not and would not give up on getting their funding back, and moved carefully but powerfully through her speech, pausing to absorb the emotions resonating through the thousands in the library community before her. The themes of threats to libraries’ resources, and the work being done in resistance, are certain to echo as the conference continues.
(All photos taken by William Stieglitz)
William Stieglitz (he/him/his) is a children’s book author with Paw Prints Publishing who also writes local journalism. This will be his first year attending ALA Annual, where he will be an EMIERT AuthorFest panelist. His upcoming early-readers, the Rachel and Abby books, center on two Jewish-American sisters as they solve the mysteries of the adult world, and take inspiration from how his own family, while celebrating Judaism in many different ways, would find the most meaning in the time they spent together. He is looking forward to meeting with and hearing the stories of others at the conference, and especially values how librarians work both to educate and to create an environment that really is for everyone.
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.
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The post ALA Day 1: A Focus on Censorship appeared first on ALSC Blog.
The ongoing dangers of book banning, and the work being done to resist it, ran as a prevalent theme through the first day of #alaac25. Before any panels or presentations were even available, the tall-ceilinged space of the registration lobby featured, at its center, an art installation called Writer’s Block. Made up of a quintet of caged typewriters, the piece first created by Sheryl Oring in 1999 was a visual symbol of Nazi book burning, and Oring was in attendance to talk about the work. When first creating cubes, Oring asked people to donate unwanted typewriters, and thanks to people’s generosity, she soon had more than she knew what to do with. The piece included standard typewriters, typewriters with buttons for mathematical fractions, a lowercase typewriter, and even an Arabic typewriter. Both the typewriters themselves and their cages have aged significantly since their original creation—giving a rusted, tattered look—but the worn…
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