Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.
Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week. BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.

Some excerpts from the 2010 list:

Ehrenreich, Barbara
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting
by in America
Holt
Challenged at the Easton, Penn. School District
(2010), but retained despite a parent’s claim the
book promotes “economic fallacies” and socialist
ideas, as well as advocating the use of illegal drugs
and belittling Christians. Source: May 2010, p. 107.

Merriam-Webster Editorial Staff
Merriam-Webster Collegiate
Dictionary
Merriam-Webster
Pulled from the Menifee, Calif. Union School District
(2010) because a parent complained when a child
came across the term “oral sex.” Offi cials said
the district is forming a committee to consider
a permanent classroom ban of the dictionary.
Source: Mar. 2010, p. 55.

Meyer, Stephenie H.
Twilight series
Little
Banned in Australia (2009) for primary school students
because the series is too racy. Librarians have stripped
the books from shelves in some junior schools because
they believe the content is too sexual and goes against
religious beliefs. They even have asked parents not to
let kids bring their own copies of Stephenie Meyer’s
smash hit novels — which explore the stormy love
affair between a teenage girl and a vampire — to
school. Source: Nov. 2009, pp. 207–8.

Check out the document for the complete banned book list and ways to stay informed, protect your right to read and challenge censorship.

Adult Summer Reading Program Prizes

Forgotten Garden Book Discussion

They've already taken away so much...

A letter from the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Library Association:

No More Cuts to Libraries; Speak Up Now!

The deadline to pass a state budget is just days away. The effects of the recession have created a hole in the state budget in the range of $1.2 billion. If we are to avoid a repeat of last year’s 101-day late budget, Governor Rendell and legislators must pass a new state budget by June 30, one that fills this revenue gap either through increased taxes and fees, or more cuts to state programs—or both.

Raising taxes and fees in an election year with the recession lingering is a tall order. This reality increases the chances that the next budget might be balanced primarily through budget cuts, a possibility that could threaten library funding once again. No specific library funding cuts have been mentioned but library supporters need to stay informed and engaged.

Now is a key moment to speak up and urge all your friends to do likewise. Tell Governor Rendell, your State Senator, and your State Representative this one simple message: No More Cuts to Libraries. Tell them that cutting libraries again is unacceptable, especially during this recession when libraries are busier and more needed than ever. Remind them that in this year’s state budget, the four library line items already were cut this year by 3%, 21%, 51%, and 73% respectively.

Send the Governor and your legislators an email here: http://www.capwiz.com/ala/pa/issues/alert/?alertid=15111281

Join PaLA’s facebook page, “5.6 Million Pennsylvania Library Card Holders Can’t Be Wrong,” here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=123050057708453. Please share the link and invite your friends, too.

Here’s a chart detailing all library funding categories in the state budget: http://palibraries.org/associations/9291/files/State%20budg%20chart%20for%20website.pdf

Thank you for speaking out for libraries, and for spreading the word far and wide. Stay tuned for more updates as events change.

Glenn


Glenn R. Miller
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Library Association
220 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 10
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17055
phone: 717-766-7663
fax: 717-766-5440
e-mail: glenn@palibraries.org

There's still time to make your voice heard...

This is a letter that I wrote to Governor Rendell, Mayor McMahon and my local representatives, Michael O'Pake and Thomas Caltagirone. It's not too late to express your opinions (outrage? horror? disgust? at the very least righteous indignation?) regarding the situation.
The Pennsylvania Library Association has a Legislative Action Center that includes some helpful tools to expedite your letter writing, including several sample letters and an elected official finder.
Regarding the city's budget, the next council meeting will be held October 12; I'm sure the council members would love to hear what you have to say.

As a Reference Librarian at the Reading Public Library, I am seeing first hand every day the importance that libraries have in this uncertain economy. Our Internet computers are busier than ever with people filling out unemployment forms, creating resumes, searching for jobs, filing their tax returns or continuing their education. These people do not have the means to buy a computer and maintain an Internet connection, yet many employers require an online application to be completed, and I've heard horror stories from patrons who have tried to file for unemployment compensation by phone or by mail. These people come to us for help; I can’t count the number of times a patron has told me that they were referred to the library by businesses or other government and social service agencies because we would help them.
Now, the Reading Public Library is facing the closure of its three branches and bookmobile. This is the article from the Reading Eagle 9/25/2009 entitled "Funding cuts force Reading library to close three branches, shelve bookmobile," http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=158634. Only the Main Library will remain open; however staff cuts will force patrons to accept severely curtailed services even there.
The libraries are lifelines to citizens in need; we are not just purveyors of the latest Danielle Steel or James Patterson novel. In a depressed economy where so many other state services are being compromised, we are a place where people are able to exercise control over their lives, whether it be by applying for a job (and if you have never used a computer in your life, filling out an application online is a monumental feat in itself), or by learning how to use a computer, or by getting homework help, or by checking out a book on healthy diets or investment advice, or by engaging in a myriad of other constructive programs we offer.
As Carl Sagan in Cosmos said most eloquently, “the library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever were, with the best teachers, drawn from the entire planet and from all our history, to instruct us without tiring, and to inspire us to make our own contribution to the collective knowledge of the human species. I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries.
By forcing our libraries into this position, we are turning our backs on the health and future of our community.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Balas Bressler

IMPERILED

It's been a long time since I have contributed to the Reading Public Library's blog, principally due to the volume of other tasks that have piled up over the months, which kept me from making entries. I am making one today because the Reading Public Library as our patrons and staff have known it is about to be severely abrogated--perhaps permanently.

The recession (and I staunchly maintain we are in a national recession, despite whatever edicts come floating out of Washington and Wall Street that claim we are on the road to recovery) has ravaged economies across the board. Funding for public libraries from the national, state, county, and local level has been slashed. It's the same for many libraries across the nation, but Pennsylvania has particularly endangered the status quo of every public library due to the ineptitude of our lawmakers in Harrisburg and their futility in striking an adequate budget deal.

I use the word "imperiled"as this blog's entry because 1) it's not a term one hears at all and 2) it is foreboding enough to match the tone of what horrific circumstances are afoot.

The Reading Public Library staff met this morning and were informed by the Director and the President of the Library Board just what measures will be taken in the very near future to attempt safeguarding some reduced kind of future existence for our institution. We are already in a position where we are not procuring any new material--or at least with extremely limited exceptions, like blockbuster bestelling authors. Staff has been reduced--and before the end of the year, we will likely be cut to such bare bones that a multitude of our services will be terminated.

It's gloomy. It's depressing. It is, however, also reality.

***

During World War II, the British War Office created and disseminated propaganda posters to try and raise the morale of the English people as they faced brutal invasion by the Nazis. One such poster stated the following:

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

A staff member from the Children's Department actually made copies of this sign and shared them; I think it's brilliant. I take this as my personal motto as the Reading Public Library staff endeavors to face a future fraught with uncertainty and dread. I believe most of us will be facing the unemployment line due to the budgetary nightmare our library is facing. And our public--who have needed us this year more than I've ever seen, with people arriving in droves to utilize internet stations for job searching, drafting resumes on our word processors, and checking out books, music CDs, and DVDs by the thousands--shall have to contend with a library hobbled by reduced circumstances. As for my colleagues and co-workers who are still here, we will stand shoulder to shoulder and try--bravely--to execute our duties until we are no longer able to be retained.

+++++++++++++++++++

UPDATE. An official press release to the Reading Eagle was made this afternoon (09/25/09) by the library's Director. The three branch libraries--Northeast, Northwest, and Southeast--as well as the City Bookmobile will be shut down by the end of the year.

And this is only the beginning...

We Need Your Help

The following letter is from Glenn Miller, the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Library Association. Between the ongoing budget debate in Harrisburg and the City of Reading's budget dilemma, the Reading Public Library is in extremely dire straits. Any of the existing proposed budgets would be devastating to Pennsylvania libraries, eliminating core services and crippling our ability to serve our patrons in a time when it is most needed.
Please write or call your representatives; your efforts can make a difference.

Good morning library supporters.

Thank you for your great work last week during PaLA Call-In Week. Without question, our message is being heard and it is your determination and commitment that makes the difference. Our challenge now is keep up the pressure for as long as it takes.

As you probably know, face-to-face budget negotiations are underway. Unfortunately all signs point toward an extended process before agreement will be reached. More on those details a bit later. For now, please know this: The library message IS GETTING THROUGH.
Just today, library funding was one of only three education topics discussed at
the House-Senate Conference Committee. Over the last two weeks, libraries
were frequently mentioned during floor debate in both the House and
Senate. What’s more, in an interview that aired yesterday (July 30) on the
cable channel, PCN, Governor Rendell discussed libraries at length describing
them as “lifelines for our communities” and “lifelines for our kids.” It seems now that libraries are a frequent topic in budget meetings, news accounts, and on TV. This is a very positive and encouraging sign and it’s all because YOU are doing a magnificent job making the case for our libraries.

Action Needed:
(1) Message
(2) Budget Deal Makers
(3) Q&A Background

MESSAGE
Keep the pressure on. Recruit any and every library supporter, young and old, to write a note, place a call, attend a town meeting, or send an email. Even if you’ve written before, this process is so long that a second or third message is A-OK. From this point forward, our basic message—asking that libraries be a priority for level funding in any final budget deal—remains in place but the delivery strategy
changes just a bit.
1. Thank your Senator, Representative and the Governor for her/his past support of public libraries.
2. Because libraries are a lifeline for the unemployed and their families, urge her/him to support library funding as one of the priorities for level funding in the negotiations for a new state budget.
3. Tell her/him that public libraries all across Pennsylvania are busier than ever during this recession serving those looking for work, many without Internet access at home, and hundreds more of their constituents and families who need the library open more hours not fewer. (If you can, offer some specifics about just how
much the library means to you in these tough times.)
4. Remind her/him that the drastic, steep cuts (55%) included in the Senate amendments to the budget bill will force library closings and service cutbacks at a time when their constituents need libraries to be fully open and equipped to serve.
5. Inform her/him that Pennsylvania stands to lose between $1.9 million and $4.3 million in federal money if any of the budget plans currently under consideration pass with deep cuts in library funding.
6. If your State Senator or State Representative is on the list below (“Top 10 State Budget Deal Makers”), urge her/him to support libraries as a priority for level funding in the conference committee budget negotiations.
7. For everyone else whose Senator and State Representative is not on the Top 10 list below, the message is slightly different. You should urge your Senator and Representative to contact the budget negotiators from their caucus and urge them, in turn, to make libraries a priority for level funding in any final budget deal.
8. When you contact the Governor, urge him to make level funding for library services a priority in keeping with his strong commitment to education, to the unemployed, and to Pennsylvania’s children.

STATE BUDGET DEAL MAKERS
Here are the Top 10 State
Budget Deal Makers:
1. Representative Dwight Evans (D) Philadelphia—Budget Conference Committee member
2. Representative Todd Eachus (D) Luzerne Co. —Budget Conference Committee member
3. Representative Sam Smith (R) Jefferson Co. —Budget Conference Committee
member
4. Senator Dominic Pileggi (R) Delaware Co. —Budget Conference Committee
member
5. Senator Jake Corman (R) Centre Co. —Budget Conference Committee
member
6. Senator Jay Costa (D) Allegheny Co.—Budget Conference Committee member
7. Senator Joseph Scarnati (R) Jefferson Co—President of the
Senate
8. Representative Keith McCall, (D) Carbon—Speaker of the House of
Representatives
9. Senator Robert Mellow (D) Lackawanna—Senate Minority (D) Floor Leader
10. Representative Mario Civera (R) Delaware—House Minority (R) Appropriations chair

If your Senator or Representative is on this list, urge her/him to make libraries a priority for level funding in the next state budget.

If not on this list, urge them to support libraries and ask them to contact the negotiators from their own caucus to urge for level funding for libraries.

If you’re not sure who represents you, following this link and type in your zip code in the upper right-hand corner: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/index.cfm.

Q&A
BACKGROUND
Here’s some additional Q&A that you should know for advocacy
in the immediate future:
Q. Since the budget debate is now in a small committee, what’s the point of contacting my State Senator and Representative?
A. The six main budget negotiators will listen to the priorities advocated by their colleagues. The more such pressure we can garner for libraries, the better.
Q. What is the difference in approach between the two sides?
A. In brief, the Governor and Democrats first want to establish priorities and needs for the state and then figure out how much money is needed. The Republicans prefer first to establish how much money is likely to be available in the next year and then fit spending priorities within that revenue total.
Q. What is the difference in dollars between the two sides?
A. Most analysts believe that the sides are between $800 million and $1.6 billion apart, a sizable gap.
Q. Regardless of what happens in the budget conference committee, aren’t we going to be stuck with either the 15% cut in the Democratic plan or the 55% cut in the Republican plan?
A. No! Absolutely, positively, not. The budget conference committee can choose any amounts in the final budget. That’s why keeping up the pressure on behalf of libraries is so crucial.
Q. What is all this talk about a stopgap or “bridge” budget?
A. On Tuesday, August 4, the House will OK the Senate-passed budget bill (S.B. 850) and send it to the Governor but only as a stopgap/bridge vehicle NOT as a state budget. When the bill hits the Governor’s desk, he then promises to use his line-item veto authority to eliminate all program amounts leaving only the budget lines needed to keep state government open and insure that state workers get paid.

As always, thank you so much for your amazing resilience and great energy. Our chances for a better outcome increase if we can keep the consistent message coming from all directions from many people for as long as it takes.

And one last thing to remember throughout—a cut of 55% is not “sharing the pain” but, in fact, shouldering the burden. Why libraries, which represent three-tenths
of one percent (0.3%) of the entire state budget, face cuts of 55 percent is beyond comprehension. But more to the point, libraries are the emergency room for the unemployed and their families, and we are busier than ever. Forcing libraries to close during these hard times simply slams the door of opportunity shut in the faces of thousands and thousands of Pennsylvanians who need open libraries to find work, apply for work, and gain professional advice and training for their job search. And this is why level funding is needed and justified, even in a bad economy.

We’ll do our best to keep you updated through email and our website, and we expect to add some new advocacy tools very soon. Stay tuned.

Glenn


Glenn R. Miller
Executive
Director
Pennsylvania Library Association
220 Cumberland Parkway, Suite
10
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17055
phone:
717-766-7663
fax: 717-766-5440
e-mail: glenn@palibraries.org