Libraries: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

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Challenges Facing Public Libraries

Public libraries are facing challenges and censorship attempts, becoming a front in the ongoing culture war.
Conservatives target school and public libraries, raising concerns about books that they claim are damaging to children and promote child trafficking.
The American Library Association documented over 4,200 unique book titles challenged last year, with a 92% increase in censorship attempts at public libraries compared to the previous year.

Libraries follow a process called "weeding" to remove outdated or unpopular books, but current challenges focus on removing books based on their content.
Libraries have book challenge protocols, but there are legal limits on banning books, especially to protect children from certain ideas or images.
Some communities implement broad censorship policies, such as moving books with sexual content away from children's sections, including books about puberty and body parts.
Challenges to books often come from highly organized groups, often conservative and religious, who compile and share lists of books to oppose.
These groups target books with LGBTQ+ characters or themes, and many challengers admit to not having read the books in full.
Groups find problematic books by scanning websites and Facebook pages that list them, and one prevalent book-banning website is called "Moms for Liberty."
Book Looks rates books on a scale of least to most objectionable and sometimes includes charts noting the frequency of certain words.
Some books on the lists contain explicit content, but the content is often framed in misleading ways.
Activists have tried to get books banned from libraries without knowing what's inside them or if the library even has them.

Gender Queer, a graphic novel about an author's struggles with gender identity, is the most frequently challenged book in America for the last three years.
Some argue that books like Gender Queer should not be on library shelves because a child could find it, but librarians argue that if a child finds it, it's because they're somewhere they're not supposed to be.

The debate about restricting access to certain books becomes irrelevant when considering the easy access to explicit content on the internet through devices like phones.
Despite efforts to restrict books, these groups often resort to misleading tactics and campaigns to replace library board members with individuals who share their views.
Recent attacks on libraries have intensified, with over 100 bills introduced in state legislatures to ban or restrict materials in schools and public libraries.
Some states, like Alabama, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, have passed laws allowing the arrest or prosecution of librarians for providing access to certain content.
It is crucial to defend libraries and their role in providing diverse resources and serving the needs of their communities, especially in the face of attempts to push LGBTQ+ individuals out of public spaces.
Libraries need support to continue fulfilling their mission, including lending out various materials like air fryers, seeds, and popular books like "The Baron Steam Cheaters."