A challenge to a monstrously regressive Florida state law that makes it easier for books to be pulled from school libraries is making its way through a federal circuit court in Atlanta. The appeal was brought by a group of publishers, authors, and parents who say their First Amendment rights are being trampled by Florida’s House Bill 1069, which became law in 2023.

Pro-literary and pro-library groups like Authors Against Book Bans and Florida Freedom to Read Project are warning of major, nationwide impacts if the court rules in favor of Florida State.

When House Bill 1069 became law, it required books and other materials to be taken out of school libraries and classrooms if anyone files any objection claiming the material is pornographic, harms minors, or contains descriptions or depictions of sexual conduct. The onus is on schools and libraries to resist this censorious overreach, which takes time and resources, and many have chosen to preemptively remove books rather than face a legal or public challenge. This creates an environment where book banners are empowered to threaten schools, and make it easier than ever to remove books and other materials. It’s a tool that right wing book censors are reaching for repeatedly, with little that under-resourced students, parents, and districts can do to stop them.

The law was swiftly challenged in 2024, and the appeal is currently being decided on in the Eleventh Circuit U.S. District Court based in Atlanta, which oversees district courts in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. The legal challenge was brought by the Big Five publishers, Sourcebooks, The Authors Guild, a number of authors, and two parents. These plaintiffs argue that Florida’s law infringes on their First Amendment rights, doesn’t recognize the expertise of teachers and librarians, and allows for the unconstitutional prohibitions of books and other materials.

The state of Florida’s defense of the bill in response to this appeal is chilling. Their lawyers are arguing that since public school libraries and classrooms are government entities, they represent “government speech,” which is exempt from First Amendment protection. They also claim that public school libraries are a “government benefit” which the state is not required to provide.

I often think about the observation that if public libraries didn’t already exist, their invention would be condemned as a socialist plot.

Florida is proposing a dark future, where public libraries are an unnecessary entitlement and schools must be compelled—even more than they already are—to represent a state agenda. This dismal outlook is already finding nationwide traction. Florida’s case has been supported by 21 other states who send in amicus briefs: Arkansas, Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

To make matters worse, Florida’s legislature is now considering HB 1119, a bill that expands on HB 1069 to further enable book banners. The bill “requires schools to judge books by isolated passages rather than by the work as a whole,” empowering the censoring tactic of plucking language out of context to make it seem maximally salacious.

If you’re in Florida, contact your local representatives to ask them to oppose this bill. But for the ongoing legal challenge to HB 1069, we’ll all have to wait for a ruling. In the meantime, you can get connected with groups like the Florida Freedom to Read Project and Authors Against Book Bans who have lots of ways to get plugged in and champion the cause of reading and libraries.

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Libraries are Scrambling for Books

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. 404 Media covered why it might be harder for all of us to get new releases from our local libraries. We’ve been talking about the shuttering of one of the largest distributors of books to libraries, Baker & Taylor, and the storm brewing for these essential public spaces. This is one of the most comprehensive articles I’ve seen about the distributor’s downfall and the fallout of its closure being experienced by libraries now. Most frustrating for library staff is the lack of transparency about the state of the books distributor from B&T itself, with news of the shuttering breaking on a Reddit thread instead of via a statement. Read all about the debacle and what it means for libraries and library patrons like you.

A Sweet Scholastic Treat for Your Friday

It’s Friday. It’s Halloween. Let’s read something that’ll warm the cockles and send us into a festive spirit. Jami Attenberg writes about popping into a Scholastic Book Fair sponsored by her online group writing accountability project #1000wordsofsummer. Through the sponsorship, students at bilingual school Esperanza Academy received stacks of books and enjoyed the full book fair experience. My colleague, Danika Ellis, has written about the inequality of school book fairs, and Attenberg’s project is one small but beautiful way to get books into the hands of more kids. You can hear Attenberg talk about putting together a book fair where every kid walks away with a book here.

Today In Books

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Happy Halloween!

The day has arrived at last. Here are some great books and a fun quiz to drop into your Halloween book bag:

What makes for a good October read? You need some pumpkin spice romance in there, but also some thrillers or horror novels to get your heart racing. Adding in werewolves and vampires doesn’t hurt, either. That’s just about the shape of the top five most read books of October on Goodreads, though I think it’s a shame that horror doesn’t make an appearance on even the top 50 list.

Before we get into the top five, let’s talk about some new releases that came out in October that deserve more attention.

The comments section is moderated according to our community guidelines. Please check them out so we can maintain a safe and supportive community of readers!

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July 8, 2025, 2:25pm

Amongst all of the terrible and regressive decisions and shadow docket orders the Supreme Court spewed forth this term, there was a rare, small win for libraries and schools.

The story got a little buried, but the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold the Universal Service Fund, a bundle of FCC-overseen subsidies including the E-Rate program, which provides billions for broadband access to schools and libraries. The Fund was challenged by conservatives as an unconstitutional overreach by giving control of the fund to the FCC, but the Court ruled that Congress was within its bounds. It seems obvious that Congress should be allowed to assign control of programs to agencies, but these days, who knows. I’m just glad to see that SCOTUS is letting the government improve peoples’ lives and granting power to something other than the Executive.

E-Rate has been very successful since it was implemented in 1996. Over half of all American public libraries apply for this subsidy every year, and over 100,000 schools had participated by 2005. The discounts for broadband can be as high as 90%, so the fact that it’s survived is a big win, especially for underserved communities.

Pro-library groups like the American Library Association are celebrating the decision. The ALA has long advocated for the program, and its President Cindy Hohl described E-Rate as “a lifeline for public libraries and millions of Americans, especially in rural and underserved communities.”

Around 20% of American households don’t have broadband internet at home, so the access that libraries provide is essential, especially as so much of work, social, and civic life has moved online, for better and for worse.

It’s a rare win for libraries, especially from this ultra-conservative Supreme court. I wonder if the lack of a culture war angle to this case kept it from being a target for the Court’s majority. It’s a small comfort, but I’m glad that allowing schools and libraries to maintain a high level of service for their communities fits into the Court’s vision for America.

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June 11, 2025, 1:13pm

Another win for freedom to read legislation on the West Coast this week, as Oregon’s state House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 1098 on Monday, a bill that will protect access to books in school libraries. It’s great news: books can no longer be banned solely because they discuss sexuality, religion, or other topics, nor can books be removed because they are written by someone from a protected class. SB 1098 now goes to the governor, who is expected to sign it into law.

The successful legislative effort got a big lift from a coalition of advocates and citizens, including the ACLU of Oregon, Basic Rights Oregon, and Authors Against Book Bans, a organization with a great track record in fights like these.

Cat Winters, an author and the co-leader of the Oregon chapter of Authors Against Book Bans, told me that the bill will “give school librarians and teachers a much-needed tool to protect the freedom to read.”

“When this bill becomes a law,” Winters added, “it will prohibit individuals and groups from removing books from classrooms and school libraries simply because they don’t want students reading about the existence of LGBTQIA+ people or people from different races, religions, etc.”

The bill passed along party lines, with one Republican, Cyrus Javadi, voting in for the bill. Javani broke from the dominant right-wing obsessions and spoke out against the culture of book banning that’s become all too prevalent in his party. “Let’s not flatten our libraries out of fear, let’s not confuse discomfort with danger, and let’s not teach our kids that their stories are too controversial to belong on the shelf,” he said.

The bill’s supporters emphasize that this doesn’t mandate that any particular books must be included in libraries, nor that the libraries can’t be curated to be age appropriate. Instead, SB 1098 makes it clear that you can’t remove books just because you don’t like what’s in it or who wrote it. This is important, because as Winters pointed out, in Oregon and elsewhere “challenged books have been disproportionately by and/or about people from protected classes.”

The ALA has been tracking similar Right to Read bills, and Oregon now joins Colorado, Washington, California, Vermont, Minnesota, Illinois, Maryland, Washington, and others in protecting libraries and library workers.

It’s an exciting win, and a glimmer of hope. “I am proud of our Oregon AABB members for providing moving, personal testimony, both in person and in writing, to convey the importance of books in the lives of our young readers,” Winters told me. “Diverse books show kids they’re not alone and that their lives have value.”

The work of advocating for books and reading is also a demonstration of a community’s principles, Winters said, and a project that is looking to the future of Oregon and beyond: “We have a strong, compassionate community of readers, writers, educators, and activists here in Oregon—a community that understands that giving kids the freedom to read better prepares them for the world.”

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March 18, 2025, 12:54pm

Image from the New York Public Libraries Digital Collections

The hogmen and shock troops of the Trump-Musk administration have gone after another essential and beloved mainstay of public life: libraries. Trump signed a broad executive order last Friday that puts libraries in existential danger by dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) which supports and funds libraries and museums all across America.

The order takes an axe to seven different government bodies, instructing that “the non-statutory components and functions … shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” Basically, “destroy yourself in a way that won’t blow back on us.”

This will be devastating for libraries, which get a majority of their federal funding through the IMLS. The American Library Association swiftly put out a statement castigating the order: “By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer.” (Their complete statement is below.)

As the ALA lays out, more than 120,000 libraries across the country receive nearly $200 million in funds from the IMLS. The loss of this funding will have a brutal impact. And this isn’t just books. Libraries help with job applications, homework, veterans’ telehealth, and so much more. Any time I’ve talked to a librarian and asked them what they’ve done lately, it’s not shushing and late fees: the answer is always a long list of essential social services.

Libraries welcome people and provide what help they can, regardless of where a person comes from. They’re one of the few truly public spaces left in American life. It doesn’t strike me as a coicidence that this executive order targets the IMLS along with other equity oriented agencies like the Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and the Minority Business Development Agency. Any way that America might offer a hand in help is being smote down.

Trump loves to say that he is just doing what he was asked to do by Americans, that he has a vast mandate to bleed everything dry. But that’s all crap, especially in this case. Americans love libraries — a 2022 survey found that a majority of people support them: 90% of voters across all parties have a favorable view of librarians, 89% said public libraries play an important role in communities, and 92% said the same about school libraries.

People also hate book bans, another of the GOP’s favorite cudgels: “(71%) oppose efforts to have books removed from their local public libraries, including majorities of Democrats (75%), independents (58%), and Republicans (70%).”

And libraries are good for people and communities, providing not just books, but essential resources and services. No one wants this, but this administration isn’t interesting in popular, only in savage displays of wanton power. Taking a wrecking ball to libraries is garishly cruel, which I’m sure is exactly the appeal. Is it legal? It doesn’t seem to matter anymore, especially since it’s rare to see an elected official on any side of the aisle willing to stand up against anything.

If you want to step up where electeds have stepped aside, Authors Against Book Bans has a call script and the ALA has a site with lots of different ways you can show up for your libraries, including forms to email your representatives, graphics to share on social media, and tools to speak up for libraries.

I have a hard time knowing how to describe this country any more. It’s happening here, right now, and we only have each other. Solidarity with librarians everywhere, from your neighborhood, to Palestine, and everywhere in between.

Here’s the ALA’s complete statement:

Americans have loved and relied on public, school and academic libraries for generations. By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer:

– Early literacy development and grade-level reading programs
– Summer reading programs for kids
– High-speed internet access
– Employment assistance for job seekers
– Braille and talking books for people with visual impairments
– Homework and research resources for students and faculty
– Veterans’ telehealth spaces equipped with technology and staff support
– STEM programs, simulation equipment and training for workforce development
– Small business support for budding entrepreneurs

To dismiss some 75 committed workers and mission of an agency that advances opportunity and learning is to dismiss the aspirations and everyday needs of millions of Americans. And those who will feel that loss most keenly live in rural communities.

As seedbeds of literacy and innovation, our nation’s 125,000 public, school, academic and special libraries deserve more, not less support. Libraries translate 0.003% of the federal budget into programs and services used by more than 1.2 billion people every year.

ALA implores President Trump to reconsider this short-sighted decision. We encourage U.S. Congressmembers, Senators and decision makers at every level of government to visit the libraries that serve their constituents and urge the White House to spare the modest federal funding for America’s libraries. And we call on all Americans who value reading, learning, and enrichment to reach out to their elected leaders and Show Up For Our Libraries at library and school meetings, town halls, and everywhere decisions are made about libraries.

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January 28, 2025, 11:23am

Science has backed up what many of us have long been saying: the library rocks. A study from the New York Public Library surveyed 1,974 users on how the library makes them feel and how it affects their lives, and the results are overwhelmingly positive.

The researchers’ analysis (which used positive psychology’s PERMA model, if that means anything to you) discovered that libraries are good for people, their well-being, and their communities. Not only that, but the positive societal impacts are more pronounced in lower-income communities, even more reason to make sure we’re funding and supporting libraries. Don’t let the ghosts of Reagan and Thatcher tell you otherwise, government can help people!

Some top-line statistics from the study:

– 92% of respondents reported feeling somewhat to very “calm / peaceful” after visiting the Library
– 74% of respondents reported that their library use positively affects how equipped they feel to cope with the world
– 90% of respondents reported that their Library use positively affects how much they love to learn new things
– 88% of respondents reported that their Library use has supported their personal growth

Those are some big numbers and some uniformly good news — people are not only feeling better about themselves and their world after a visit to the library, but they’re feeling more secure in their world too.

The individual outcomes are undeniable: 89% of respondents said that the library had a positive effect on them having “more appreciation for things [they] did not know much about before” and 77% said the library made them feel “that what [they] do in [their] life is valuable and worthwhile.” You can get books at the library, but you can also fight your existential dread.

People are also moving away from doomerism in the stacks: 82% of visitors said use of the library “positively affects how optimistic they are about the future.” That’s not just for people visiting the brick-and-mortar library either: 58% of e-only users also get a sense of optimism from library interactions. It honestly feels like a miracle that anything connected to the internet would make people feel good, so this is a big win.

The community feelings the library engenders are very encouraging too: 75% say libraries gave them more positive feelings of “empathy towards others who may be different from [them],” 72% said it made them feel more connected to others, 66% felt “seen and heard,” and 70% felt like they are “part of a community.” Most touching to me is that 59% said the library had a positive effect on their “feeling that there are people in your life who really care about [them].”

What I find most charming in this study are the quotes, which the researchers highlight in “Patron Voices” sections. They’re full of great little lines, like people calling the library “a touchstone” and “a place to rely on,” and that “knowing it’s there makes me feel better about my life in the city.”

I really had to hold myself back from including too many of these patron quotes, because in a month when I’ve been feeling so, so down, reading all the nice things people have to say about the library felt like a hug from an old friend. Here are just some of them:

– “Space where I can just be me”
– “Books transport me”
– “Islands of calm, and I find balance within them”
– “It offers us hope that we can do something, that we can make a change, that we can advance”
– “Surrounded me with life’s possibilities”
– “Makes me feel useful”
– “The library gives you a sense of direction”

Tell me you didn’t tear up at that, and pal, I’ll show you a liar. Also these quotes are a great opportunity for some uplifting found poetry, if anyone’s looking for a new chapbook project.

So the takeaway? If you’re feeling unmotivated and unconnected, the library has now been scientifically proven to improve your well-being, the perfect antidote to all the push alerts and doomscrolling that’s bringing you down.

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The Most Borrowed Books in New York City Libraries in 2024

It is one of the greater strangeness of New York City that it’s libraries are more a confederation that an an integrated system, but one interesting effect is that because of this, data is collected by borough, which shows how the different parts of the city do seem to read differently:

Chief Librarian Brian Bannon said he noticed a number of differences in genre preference by borough while scanning NYPL’s list.

“The Bronx is more like thriller, memoir, historical fiction. Manhattan — literary fiction, social contemporary, relationship driven. Queens, I saw fantasy, thriller, diverse voices, and then Staten Island — thriller, family drama, comfort reads.”

The top book overall was Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, though in Queens it was The Women and in The Bronx it was The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.

Speaking of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, it is getting a real-world, multi-pronged marketing campaign in the UK this season, headlined by Magic Eye billboards with secret messages via QR codes in them. (When I was in London and around Scotland in the summer of 2023, the book was featured prominently in almost every bookstore I went in, though during my summer trip this year through Germany and more Eastern Europe, I don’t recall seeing it anywhere.)

This follows a major old-school publicity and marketing push earlier this fall for Intermezzo in the UK. We don’t seem to see these sorts of things in the U.S., and I don’t have a particular good theory about why. Perhaps the centrality of a few cities in the UK to the broader national attention makes real-world promotions like this more powerful? This supposes that they work even over there, I suppose.

It does show, though, the rich-get-richer aspect of marketing books. If a book does well and has gets some awareness, follow-on efforts are easier to justify. Still, a campaign of this complexity and scale for a book that’s been out more than a year is something of a unicorn.

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Daphna Blatt, the NYPL’s Senior Director of Strategy & Public Impact and one of the people involved in the study, underscored the significance of confirming through scientific method what many library lovers have known for awhile, saying, “Libraries & Well-Being is an innovative study in how it applies positive psychology frameworks to the library world, to show for the first time that library usage positively contributes to externally validated measures of well-being. Our research found that patrons experience refuge, joy, connection, purpose, and expansion through their library use.”

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