1、 AMERICAS LIBRARIES 2023 MOST CHALLENGED BOOKS OF 2022 PAGE 7 A report from Li b r a r ie s adapt a n d innovate i n th e m i d st of r e c or d-b r e a ki n g censorship challenges.The State of AMERICAS LIBRARIES The State of 2023 From the Executive Director Tracie D.Hall This years edition of the

2、State of Americas Libraries fnds libraries literally and fguratively at the epicenter of the dialogue(and debate)about the wellbeing of our communities,the health of our economy,and the state of our democracy as the nation seeks to rebound from the enduring COVID-19 pandemic and recognizes expanding

3、 information and digital access as critical to that recovery.Many libraries and their stafs nationwideschool,public,college and university,special,carceral,and consortialfound themselves contending with reduced funding and stafng,threats to personal safety in the form of bomb scares and to professio

4、nal livelihoods from frings and job losses,and bills threatening to criminally charge librarians or defund libraries altogether for making certain materials available on their shelves or fndable through reference services.Despite these pressures,libraries have proven themselves to be among the most

5、adaptable of public and community-serving institutions.Just as they have faced numerous challenges,they have also found themselves needed in new and profound ways by their constituencies and,in responding to these rising demands,have found a way to innovate hybrid-service delivery models and program

6、s that increasingly seek to get to the root causes of information,education,and socio-economic inequities and create opportunities in those same spaces.Across the country,we have seen an emphasis on mental health and trauma resources,support for people who are neurodivergent or coping with memory lo

7、ss,job upskilling and business-entrepreneurship programs,school libraries advancing instruction,academic freedom advocacy in higher education,and an increasing push towards open access and digital instruction in libraries.Tough there is continued recognition and public support for the work that libr

8、aries do as well as the symbolic role that libraries play in the maintenance of our democratic values as a nation,the steep surge of legislation that increasingly positions and compels library workers on and to the frontlines of book banning and censorship challenges demands that the LIS sector(incl

9、uding LIS education)and the American Library Association(ALA)expand opportunities for education and training on the tenets of intellectual freedom.Such endeavors will help build the competencies and capacity needed by our current and future workforce to not only help us to protect the right to read,

10、but preserve library services more broadly.Towards that end,the information and data contained in this report,the presentation of new ALA platforms like Unite Against Book Bans and long-standing ones such as Banned Books Week or the review of the Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022 should not just

11、be seen as data to consume,but rather as tools that can help libraries convene,empower,and mobilize their campuses and communities.It is our greatest hope that this report inspires all who read it to more clearly understand the power and more deeply mine the potential of Americas libraries.Tracie D.

12、Hall is executive director of the American Library Association Contents 2 From the Executive Director 3 Introduction:Teres More to the Story 4 2022:A Year of Unprecedented Challenges 7 Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022 8 Censorship By the Numbers 9 Librarians on the Frontline:A Record Year for Ch

13、allenges in School Libraries 10 Forward Momentum:A Year of Adaptability and Innovation 14 A Lifeline for the Incarcerated 15 Advocates Make Progress for Federal Investment in Libraries 16 A Round of Applause for Americas Librarians 17 About Tis Report 2 April 2023 3 April 2023 State of Amer ica s Li

14、br ar ies 2023 INT RODUCT ION Theres More to the Story Lessa Kananiopua Pelayo-Lozada Over the last few years,our communities,our library workers,and our libraries have had to be braver than we ever thought possible.Living in the shadow of a global pandemic and navigating our new books,and to the li

15、brary.Te students themselves described books with queer characters and stories with swear words that made them feel seen.For students who visit the library sometimes multiple times a day,whether virtual or physicalit is their grounding place and will remain so throughout their lives.Te stories of th

16、ese students and normal,we have 2023 American Library Association|alastore.ala.org Celebrate NATIONALLIBRARY WEEK of their librarian motivate us to unite also continued to face unprecedented against book bans,be brave for our atempts to ban books and other assaults communities,and ensure access to o

17、n the freedom to read.In the face information for all.of these changes and challenges,our As a former childrens librarian,I libraries have found opportunity and our know that stories are the foundation communities have shown that theres of almost everything.As a mixed-race more to the story for ever

18、yone.Native Hawaiian woman born and Our brave communities have raised in the continental United States,used libraries to learn,be creative,and I know that access to my own stories gain access to information.Our brave and histories,as well as those of others,communities have used libraries to start i

19、s essential to creating the society we small businesses,record podcasts,and try to model in libraries.When we earn their high school diplomas.Our talk about inclusion and being seen,brave communities have used libraries as we mean included and seen in all the safe havens for all ages,where anyone ca

20、n intersectionalities of our lives,including be transported to Narnia or Wakanda and race,ethnicity,gender identity,religion,let their imaginations soar.ability,socioeconomic status,and Our library story is the story of more.When we talk about inclusion our communities.We grow,adapt,in libraries,we

21、take all of these into and change for their needs,and we account and take the wholeness and focus our services on the values and humanness of our communities into ALAs Celebrate National Library Week poster.ideals of our communities.As trusted institutions,libraries are the last bastion of democracy

22、 that is truly inclusive and free.Our professional values of intellectual freedom and social responsibility speak to the stories we can share in our librariesstories of success and rising above.When I visited Park View Middle School in Cranston,Rhode Island,librarian Stephanie Mills shared with me t

23、he stories of her students and how they embraced virtual and hybrid spaces to keep themselves connected to each other,to account,which is why we are the trusted institutions in our communities.It is also why,despite the pushback against us,we continue to be there for those who need us year afer year

24、.Tere is always more to the story,and the library is here to make sure those stories get heard.Lessa Kananiopua Pelayo-Lozada is 20222023 president of the American Library Association and Adult Services Assistant Manager at Palos Verdes(Calif.)Library District.4 April 2023 State of Amer ica s Libr a

25、r ies 2023 2022:A Year of Unprecedented Challenges Deborah Caldwell-Stone The American Library Associations(ALA)Ofce for Intellectual Freedom(OIF)has compiled information and data about eforts to censor books in libraries for more than 20 years,documenting how censorship in libraries has afected rea

26、ders,communities,and the profession.Overall,the story over the decades is one of uplif and perseverance.Libraries and library professionals who are commited to upholding the freedom to read provide a broad range of information resources to students and library users.Tey support early literacy activi

27、ties and homeschooling families;assure that there are programs to inform and provide cultural enrichment for all ages;and supply essential data and information to businesses and entrepreneursall while ensuring that digital tools and broadband connections are on hand to provide everyone access to the

28、 internet,including those seeking to access government services and benefts.But since the fall of 2020,reports submited to OIF document a precipitous rise in the number of atempted book bans in school and public libraries across the United States.In 2022,OIF received a record 1,269 book challenges,t

29、he highest number of demands to ban books reported to ALA since the Association began compiling data about censorship in libraries.Tis nearly doubles the 729 challenges reported to OIF in 2021.Censors targeted 2,571 unique titles in 2022,a 38%increase from the 1,858 unique titles targeted for censor

30、ship in 2021.Of those titles,the vast majority were writen by or about members of the LGBTQIA+community or by and about Black people,Indigenous people,and people of color.Nearly 51%of censorship demands targeted books,materials,displays,and programs in school libraries and schools;48%targeted public

31、 libraries.Most concerning,however,is the fact that 90%of the reported book challenges were demands to censor multiple titlesand of those demands to censor library books,40%sought to remove or restrict over These numbers.are evidence of a growing,well-organized,conservative political movement whose

32、goals include removing books addressing race,history,gender identity,sexuality,and reproductive health from Americas public libraries and school libraries that do not meet their approval.100 books all at once.But prior to 2020,the vast majority of challenges to library books and resources were broug

33、ht by a single parent who sought to remove or restrict access to a book their child was reading.Tese numbersand the list of the Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022are evidence of a growing,well-organized,conservative political movement whose goals include removing books addressing race,history,gend

34、er identity,sexuality,and reproductive health from Americas public libraries and school libraries that do not meet their approval.Using social media and other channels,these groups distribute booklists to their local chapters and individual adherents who then utilize the lists to initiate a mass cha

35、llenge that can empty the shelves of a library.Books are no longer the sole target of atacks orchestrated by conservative parent groups and right-wing media.Both school and public librarians are increasingly in the crosshairs of conservative groups during book challenges and subject to defamatory na

36、me-calling,online harassment,social media atacks,and doxxing,as well as direct threats to their safety,their employment,and their very liberty.In 2022,legislators and elected ofcials in 12 states initiated legislation to amend state criminal obscenity statutes 5 April 2023 State of Amer ica s Libr a

37、r ies 2023 in order to permit criminal prosecution of librarians and educators for distributing materials falsely claimed to be illegal and inappropriate for minors.For example:In Missouri,SB 775,signed into law in August 2022,requires school librarians to remove books claimed to be“explicit sexual

38、material”or face criminal prosecution.As a result,hundreds of works of classic and contemporary literature,as well as works pertaining to health,wellbeing,and the sciences,have been removed from Missouris school libraries.In December 2022,Louisiana Atorney General Jef Landry introduced a“Protecting

39、Minors”tip line for Louisiana residents to report librarians,teachers,school board members,district superintendents,and library supervisors who share books and resources addressing gender identity,sexual orientation,and materials addressing puberty,even as Landry admited that the books being challen

40、ged in Louisianas public libraries were legal,constitutionally protected materials.In communities and states where libraries,librarians,and board members have stood up against organized book challenges,there have been atacks on funding sources for libraries.Boundary County Library in Bonners Ferry,I

41、daho,closed when a group demanding the removal of books that were not even in the librarys collection threatened to sue,causing the librarys insurer to cancel its insurance.In Jamestown Township,Michigan,a vocal conservative and religious group campaigned to defeat Patmos Librarys funding levy as a

42、means of forcing the removal of six books with LGBTQIA+themes.Te group was successful,which means that Patmos access to life-changing services for job seekers,new computer users,budding readers,entrepreneurs,veterans,and tax flers will cease when Patmos Library runs out of cash.Missouri Secretary of

43、 State Jay Ashcrof and state legislators are threatening to deny essential state aid to Missouris public libraries if their demands to censor books that they deem inappropriate are not met,which will likely close small and rural libraries throughout the state,ending access to essential library servi

44、ces for many Missourians.Nevertheless,librarians,library users,and library champions are standing up to the censors and defending the freedom to read in libraries.With the assistance of the Missouri ACLU,the Missouri Library Association and the Missouri Association of School Librarians have gone to

45、court to challenge the constitutionality of SB 775,arguing that no 6 April 2023 State of Amer ica s Libr ar ies 2023 Unite Against Book Bans Instagram graphic.2023 Unite Against Book Bans school librarian should be required to violate their students First Amendment rights under threat of criminal pr

46、osecution.Citizens in Llano County,Texas,successfully sued in federal court to require the county and public library board to reinstate books removed from library shelves.And in Virginia Beach,Virginia,a state court dismissed an action fled by a local political candidate seeking to declare two books

47、 obscene for viewing by minors,holding that there was no evidence presented that either book(Gender Queer and A Court of Mist and Fury)was obscene.Local residents are joining with librarians,library trustees,board members,parents,and library advocates from all walks of life to form groups like Texan

48、s Right to Read,Louisianans Against Censorship,FReadom Fighters,and more across the country.And thousands of individuals have joined Unite Against Book Bans since its debut in April of 2022.Unite Against Book Bans,an ALA initiative,is a broad coalition of more than 65 national partners,state afliate

49、s,local organizations,and more than 10,000 individuals who trust people to make their own decisions about what to read.Tey have harnessed their collective power to stand up together to fght censorship.Tey are standing up for libraries and library workersthe very people who protect the First Amendmen

50、t rights of readers of all ages and ensure that everyone is able to use and access the librarys resources,making the promise of the freedom to read a reality.“At a time when government,civic institutions and even facts themselves have come under withering partisan atack,our libraries have become mor

51、e important than ever.Teir solemn place as safe spaces for truth and learning help nurture our kids,making for stronger citizens,stronger families and stronger communities.Tere are few beter places for a child to spend time,and fewer worse places to make a political scapegoat.”Te Tampa Bay Tribune E

52、ditorial Board,March 10,2023.Deborah Caldwell-Stone is director of ALAs Ofce for Intellectual Freedom.MOST CHALLENGED BOOKS OF 2022 3 THE BLUEST EYE by Toni Morrison REASONS:rape,incest,claimed to be sexually explicit,EDI content 4 FLAMER by Mike Curato REASONS:LGBTQIA+content,claimed to be sexually

53、 explicit 2 ALL BOYS ARENT BLUE by George M.Johnson REASONS:LGBTQIA+content,claimed to be sexually explicit 1 GENDER QUEER by Maia Kobabe REASONS:LGBTQIA+content,claimed to be sexually explicit 5 LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green REASONS:claimed to be sexually explicit,LGBTQIA+content THE PERKS OF BE

54、ING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky REASONS:claimed to be sexually explicit,LGBTQIA+content,rape,drugs,profanity 7 LAWN BOY by Jonathan Evison REASONS:LGBTQIA+content,claimed to be sexually explicit 8 9 10 THE ABSOLUTELY OUT OF A COURT OF CRANK ME AND EARL THIS BOOK TRUE DIARY OF DARKNESS MIST AND F

55、URY by Ellen Hopkins AND THE IS GAY A PART-TIME by Ashley Hope Perez by Sarah J.Maas REASONS:claimed DYING GIRL by Juno Dawson INDIAN REASON:claimed REASON:claimed to be sexually explicit,by Jesse Andrews REASONS:by Sherman Alexie to be sexually explicit to be sexually explicit drugs REASONS:claimed

56、 LGBTQIA+content,REASONS:claimed to be sexually explicit,sex education,to be sexually explicit,profanity claimed to be profanity sexually explicit The American Library Association tracked 1,269 challenges to library,school,and university materials and services in 2022.Of the 2,571 unique titles that

57、 were challenged or banned in 2022,here are the top 13 most challenged.NUMBER OF UNIQUE TITLES CHALLENGED BY YEAR 2,000 1,000 1,858 2021 2,571 2022 305 339 223 2003 2012 2020 48%Public libraries 41%School libraries 10%Schools 1%Higher education libraries and other institutions Statistics based on 1,

58、264 cases with known locations.82%Books,graphic novels,and textbooks 6%Displays and exhibits 4%Programs and meeting rooms 1%Films 7%Other(Includes filtering,access,databases,magazines,online resources,artwork,social media,music,pamphlets,student publications,and readinglists)30%28%Parents Patrons 17

59、%Political/religious groups 15%Board/administration 3%Librarians/teachers 3%Elected offcials 4%Other(Includes non-custodial relatives,nonresidents,community members without library cards,etc.)Statistics based on 1,207 cases with known initiators.BY THE NUMBERS In 2022,the American Library Associatio

60、n tracked the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago;2,571 unique titles were challenged last year,up from 1,858 in 2021.Learn more at ala.org/bbooks WHO INITIATES CHALLENGES?WHERE DO CHALLENGES TAKE PLACE?BOOKS AND B

61、EYOND ALAs Offce for Intellectual Freedom tracked 1,269 challenges in 2022.Heres the breakdown:CENSORSHIP ON THE RISE The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubled the number reported in 2021.The number of unique titles targeted marked a38%increase over 2021.CENSORSHIP S

62、TATISTICS COMPILED BY:Librarians on the Frontline A Record Year for Challenges in School Libraries 2022 saw an unprecedented increase in book bans and challenges especially in school libraries.And standing at the frontlines against these attacks to defend the freedom to read for hundreds of thousand

63、s of young readers were school librarians.The national press took notice.With Rising Book Bans,Librarians Have Come Under Attack New York Times,July 6,2022 Alumna Who Fought Book Ban as School Librarian Receives National Award Rutgers University,July 22,2022 The School Library Used to Be a Sanctuary

64、.Now Its a Battleground CNN,October 31,2022 School librarians vilified as the arm of Satan in book-banning wars Te Los Angeles Times,January 27,2023 N.J.librarian who fought book banning co-creates app to help others do the same NJ.com,September 13,2022 Schools nationwide are quietly removing books

65、from their libraries:Meet the librarians fighting bans and scrambling to preserve childrens freedom to read Washington Post,March 22,2022 10 April 2023 State of Amer ica s Libr ar ies 2023 Forward Momentum A Year of Adaptability and Innovation Edited by Phil Morehart 2022 was a year of continued cha

66、nge:Te global COVID-19 pandemic entered its third year;book bans across the U.S.surged beyond numbers recorded over the last two decades;political,economic,and digital divides grew.But despite these upheavals,libraries thrived specifcally because they addressed these and many other challenges,while

67、pivoting to ofer new and updated services to their communities.Adaptation and innovation shined in 2022,proving that there truly is“more to the story”at libraries.Here are some standouts:Connecting the unhoused to tech Te COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact communities in 2022,particularly in term

68、s of digital equity.Libraries took the reins masterfully,ofering technological and connectivity assistance to those in need.When Las VegasClark County Library District(LVCCLD)in Nevada closed its doors at the start of the pandemic,the technological barriers that existed within the community were lai

69、d bare,especially those afecting people facing homelessness.In April 2022,LVCCLD launched its Cellphone Lending Program,an innovative approach to providing access to needed services and social connection.Since its inception,LVCCLD has provided more than 400 smartphones to unhoused people,ofering the

70、m a lifeline to family,support systems,and critical social services.Te phones are loaned for an 18-month period and have unlimited calls and 5G hotspot capability.Each phone is programmed with more than 50 social service provider contacts,ofering easy assistance with food,healthcare,housing,and othe

71、r general services,as well as fve of the most used library apps.For those who needed help with their smartphones,LVCCLD and its partners organized a vendor fair alongside the phone distribution,which included training,a Q&A session,and other resources.At the end of the lending Each phone in Las Vega

72、sClark County(Nev.)Library Districts Cellphone Lending Program was loaded with more than 50 social service provider contacts.Photos:carballo/Adobe Stock(person);Las Vegas-Clark County(Nev.)Library District(phone)period,recipients are able to keep their phones and phone numbers and can arrange a cont

73、ract with any telecom provider at their own expense.“Access to technology is a basic human right,”Kelvin Watson,LVCCLD executive director,told American Libraries.“Our Cellphone Lending Program is an example of how public libraries empower and uplif members of underserved communities by fnding innova

74、tive ways to expand that access.”Enhanced library cards increase access Photo identifcation is an essential part of American life.But for large swaths of the populace,photo IDs can be difcult,if not impossible,to obtain.Enhanced library cards can be an alternative.Tese cards are designed to address

75、the need for 11 April 2023 State of Amer ica s Libr ar ies 2023 Patrons display their new enhanced library cards afer April 6,2022,sign-up event at the Fairbanks branch of Harris County(Tex.)Public Library.Te cards ofer another form of ID.Photo:Nancy Hu/Harris County(Tex.)Public Library photo IDs,of

76、en displaying the holders photo,name,date of birth,address,and gender.Many public libraries in Texas are leading the way on geting these cards into peoples hands.Te demand for enhanced library cards gained urgency in early 2018,with the onset of then-President Donald Trumps immigration policies and

77、the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals(DACA)program.Also in 2018,Texas Gov.Greg Abbot signed into law SB4,known as the“show me your papers”law,which requires local governments and law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration ofcers.In addition to immigrant an

78、d undocumented communities,the cards can be benefcial for unhoused people,formerly incarcerated individuals,those working toward ID recovery following fraud or a natural disaster,and LGBTQ+people in need of gender-afrming identifcation.Libraries are uniquely equipped to provide this form of identifc

79、ation,say advocates of the IDs,because public libraries protect patron privacy and are not subject to SB4.In Harris County,Texas,a county commissioner contacted Harris County Public Library(HCPL)to ask if the library could legally issue these photo identifcation cards.Afer consulting with county ato

80、rneys,HCPL determined it could issue cards but with a crucial stipulation:Neither the library nor Harris County has the authority to say that anyone is required to take it as legal identifcation.Te library was approved for$297,000 to implement the project.Te funds cover hardware,sofware,and supplies

81、 needed to print the cards and can be used to cover additional supply-related expenses for several years.HCPL distributed more than 2,000 enhanced library cards in the two months following its mid-March 2022 launch.“Te response has been more brisk than I anticipated,”Fred Schumacher,circulation serv

82、ices manager at HCPL,told American Libraries.12 April 2023 State of Amer ica s Libr ar ies 2023 An oasis in a food desert Hinton,West Virginia,population:2,800,faced an ongoing problem in late 2021:Misused and abandoned shopping carts were strewn all around the small town.Some community members cons

83、idered the buggies an eyesore,and stores were fnding it hard to recover lost property.Te police threatened disciplinary measures for what it referred to as the unlawful removal of buggies.Summers County Public Library Director Austin Persinger saw the situation diferently.“I read this story through

84、the lens of a rural librarian conducting a reference interview,”Persinger wrote in American Libraries.“What I was being told was that the city and stores sufer because people steal and abandon shopping buggies.But the story that I heard was that there are lower-income people in our community who tak

85、e these carts because they live in a food desert and lack reliable transportation.”“Stores in Hinton lie at the botom of a steep hill.Te sidewalk is inadequate and dangerously close to trafc.Depending on where someone lives in the city,going to the store might be one-to-six miles round trip,”Persing

86、er said.“Tere is no simple or comfortable way for people to carry their groceries home.Buggies make the trip marginally beter,but when theyre being pushed uphill on a broken sidewalkinstead of on the polished foors they were designed forthe trip still isnt easy.Afer walking many miles to get groceri

87、es,walking many more to return a shopping cart seems exhausting and unreasonable.”Persinger tackled the problem using the Library of Tingsa growing movement showing that our institutions can loan so much more than booksas a framework.He solicited donations on diferent Facebook pages and through the

88、local newspaper to purchase a feet of lightweight utility wagons for about$100 each.Te library had a fundraising goal of$1,200 and ended up raising$2,000,checking out six wagons within a month.Digital beehives teach kids about the natural world Wright Brothers School,a public elementary school in Ne

89、w York City,took a unique and high-tech approach to teaching students about nature and sustainability when it implemented its digital beehive in partnership with the Savannah Bee Company.Patron Xander Dianen returns a wagon to Summers County(W.Va.)Public Library.Te wagons help users without access t

90、o transportation carry groceries up a steep hill.Photo:Austin Persinger/Summers County(W.Va.)Public Library Library media specialist Lauren Ginsberg DeVilbissone of 10 recipients of the 2023 I Love My Librarian Awardleads conversations and lessons on pollinators,sustainability,food,and the importanc

91、e of bees,using digital screens that replicate the cross section of a beehive full of active,working bees.Te“hives”allow students to witness frsthand how bees work from the safety and comfort of the school library.Ginsberg DeVilbiss supplements her digital beehive instruction with videos,books,and s

92、ongs about bees.And beekeepers at the Savannah Bee Company visited with the burgeoning young entomologists at the school to answer questions and teach about honeybees,climate justice,and other sustainable practices.For Ginsberg DeVilbiss,the beehive shows students the librarys full capabilities whil

93、e also being very fun.“Te library is more than four walls,”Ginsberg DeVilbiss told CBS2 New York.“Its how many experiences can my children get from the time they come here in pre-k to the time they leave here in ffh grade that is exposing them to anything,”she said.Creating virtual worlds for med st

94、udents Medical students at Augusta University(AU)in Augusta,Georgia,can now“experience”conditions that they may have 13 April 2023 State of Amer ica s Libr ar ies 2023 to treat in future patients thanks to librarians at the universitys Greenblat Library.Jennifer Davis,instructor and scholarship data

95、 librarian,Lachelle Smith,health sciences librarian,and Gail Kouame,former assistant director of research and education services at AU and now director of Charles M.Baugh Biomedical Library at University of South Alabama in Mobile,developed a 3D virtual-reality(VR)pilot program that emulates vision

96、defcits,from things like macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy,as well as the efects of Parkinsons disease.By using VR,students can virtually do tasks like open a pill botle,open a shampoo botle,and turn on the shower.Tere is also a simulation for post-stroke rehabilitation.Te librarians told

97、 American Libraries that they conceived of the program to help build empathy in health sciences students who would be dealing with patients with those issues.Tey also built a virtual reality escape room game to teach data management skills to health sciences students.“Te advantage of VR is its very

98、experiential and very immersive,”Kouame said.”It allows a person to experience a situation as though it were almost real.To me,its as close as you can get to sending somebody into,say,an elderly persons apartment and having them open a pill botle.”Keeping families together Parents and child caregive

99、rs ofen juggle multiple roles,with work and family time commingling throughout the day.Fairfeld Area Library(FAL)in Henrico,Virginia,addressed this issue by helping to make onsite technology access easier for these patrons.FAL installed innovative workstations designed to help caregivers of small ch

100、ildren use the librarys computers more efectively.Each station includes a computer desk with an adjacent play enclosure connected to it,leting a caregiver work while the child plays nearby.Te play space includes interactive play panels that support early literacy and low set mirrors that encourage t

101、ummy time for babies.Te workstations reinforce the fact that libraries are for everyone,providing a space that helps facilitate learning and working for adults and their very young.“Tis should be in all sorts of spaces where adults have to be stationary,and they need to also be able to keep an eye o

102、n their kids,”Shay Ramsey-Martin,Childrens Public Supervisor at the Fairfeld Area Library,told WRIC.Fostering new business and changing lives An innovative new program at Gwinnet County Public Library(GCPL)in Georgia has been helping to foster new businesses in the community,with a specifc focus on

103、those started by formerly incarcerated individuals.Funded by Google in partnership with ALA as a part of the Associations Libraries Build Business initiative,GCPLs New Start Entrepreneurship Incubator provides the formerly incarcerated with the tactics and tools needed to develop a small business an

104、d overcome barriers to professional success.Its third cohort ran from July to December 2022;over the course of the 6-month program,the 15 participants received assistance with developing business ideas,learned what is needed to run a successful business,and received one-on-one support from successfu

105、l entrepreneurs and business experts.“Te whole idea is to ease their transition back into society and make sure that theyre successful and that they dont return to prison,”said GCPL Executive Director Charles Pace.“Each person that goes through this program and completes it,Ive seen their lives be c

106、hanged and altered in a very profound and signifcant way.Its programs like this that really alter the trajectory of peoples entire life.”GCPLs incubator gives new life and energy to people who are ofen thrust back into the world post-incarceration to face an unforgiving world.“Coming out into societ

107、y and trying to fnd normality again is very hard,”said incubator graduate Charles Barber.“Something like this gave me confdence to know that its a new day.It also gave me the push to excel and do what I wanted to do.”Libraries contribute to economic vitality in virtually every community across the c

108、ountry.Nearly half of libraries in the U.S.provide free services to entrepreneurs who wish to start and grow a business.Tis ranges from ofering free access to market trends databases and hosting business coaching classes to providing incubation space and providing seed capital through business-plan

109、competitions.Simply being an entry point to the entrepreneurial ecosystem by connecting individuals to agencies and resources as well as organizing relevant information is a crucial contribution to local economiesand something at which many libraries already excel.Phil Morehart is communications man

110、ager for the American Library Association 14 April 2023 State of Amer ica s Libr ar ies 2023 A Lifeline for the Incarcerated Payal Patel Libraries can be a lifeline for people who are incarcerated or detained at a time“when mass incarceration has now come to represent the likelihood that nearly 50 p

111、ercent of all adults in America have an immediate family member who has been incarcerated in a jail or prison for at least one night,and this percentage is even higher for Black and Latinx adults in the United States”(Jeanie Austin,Library Services and Incarceration:Recognizing Barriers,Strengthenin

112、g Access,ALA Neal-Schuman,2022).Te impact of incarceration on the communities that libraries serve is incalculable.In recognition of this harsh reality,a working group of American Library Association(ALA)membersincluding librarians for incarcerated people,formerly incarcerated librarians,and other j

113、ustice-involved members came together to work on a historic reimagining of ALAs 1992 Library Standards for Adult Correctional Institutions.Building on important foundational documents,such as the recently updated ALA Statement on Prisoners Right to Read,the new ALA Standards for Library Services to

114、the Incarcerated or Detained underscores the tenets of equity,diversity,inclusion,and accessibility,heeding the current phenomenon of mass incarceration;the inequitable incarceration rates of Black,Indigenous and People of Color;and the rising rates of incarceration of womenespecially women of color

115、LGBTQIA+individuals,undocumented people,and youth in jails,prisons,and other detention facilities.Reginald Dwayne Bets,founder and executive director of Freedom Readsan organization working to transform access to literature in the prison systemofers a shining example of the power of accessibility to

116、 books and information in prisons and other detention facilities.Afer serving nine years in prison,Bets,a critically acclaimed writer,Yale Law School graduate,and a MacArthur Fellow,now works to bring micro libraries and literary ambassadors into prisons to create communities around books.“Even befo

117、re prison,I was convinced that if you could read enough books,it would allow you to survive,”Bets shared at“Defending the Fifh Freedom:Protecting the Right to Read for Incarcerated Individuals,”a program at ALAs 2022 Annual Conference&Exhibition in Washington,D.C.“I deeply believe At ALAs 2022 Annua

118、l Conference in Washington,D.C.,a broad range of stakeholders came together to participate in a historic hearing that continues to inform the revision of the Library Standards for Adult Correctional Institutions.that literature is our access point to the humanity we cannot touch.”In 2022,ALA announc

119、ed a$2 million grant from the Andrew W.Mellon Foundation that would help advance this work and support a collaboration between San Francisco Public Library(SFPL)and ALA aimed at improving and expanding library services for incarcerated individuals both locally and nationally.Co-led by SFPLs Jail and

120、 Reentry Services team,the Expanding Information Access for Incarcerated People initiative includes a comprehensive survey of existing models for library services to people in jails and prisons and a revision of outdated standards in collaboration with formerly incarcerated people and librarians.Add

121、itionally,the project is piloting digital-literacy training to support people in the process of reentry.Jeanie Austin,author and jail and reentry services librarian at SFPL,recognizes that the path for this work is not easy,but it is possible through ongoing innovation.“We need to look outside of wh

122、at a library is and think of a whole support system,”Austin said.“We have to dream really big in this work.”Payal Patel is interim director of the American Library Associations Communications and Marketing Ofce 15 April 2023 State of Amer ica s Libr ar ies 2023 Advocates Make Progress for Federal In

123、vestment in Libraries Shawnda Hines Libraries in 2022 saw two federal budgets passed,but the year brought mixed results for library programs.Te combined outcome for Fiscal Year(FY)2022 and FY 2023 was a net gain for the Library Services and Technology Act(LSTA),the leading source of federal funding

124、for Americas libraries.Te FY 2023 congressional appropriations cycle concluded on December 24,2022,nearly three months into the 2023 fscal year(which ofcially started on October 1,2022).LSTA received an increase of$13.5 million,which raised the program to$211 million.Te boost for LSTA in FY 2023 was

125、 encouraging to library advocates afer a lackluster close to the FY 2022 budget.Te Innovative Approaches to Literacy(IAL)program,a U.S.Department of Education program designed to support school library literacy initiatives,saw similar modest support.Te$1 million increase in FY 2023 made up for the F

126、Y 2022 loss of the same amount,with IAL ending the calendar year at$30 million.Taken together,the results for the two fscal year budgets passed in calendar year 2022 represented a return to normal political life as compared to the unprecedented hundreds of millions of dollars libraries saw in supple

127、mental funding during the pandemic,during which additional funding into the trillions was made available.In March 2023,nearly six months into the fscal year,the fnal budget agreement between the administration and House and Senate leadership resulted in funding for many library programs signifcantly

128、 below levels originally proposed by Congress.Compared to other domestic programs,level funding for LSTA in FY 2022 was a win.Considered alongside 6%infation rates,the level funding for IAL and modest increase for LSTA over the two fscal years amounted to a loss.Te results of FY 2022 were not due to

129、 the lack of efort from library advocates.During the same period,libraries saw incremental gains in other areas,including modest increases for library-eligible educational programs such as Education Title IV,the National Endowment for the Arts,the National Endowment for the Humanities,and the Librar

130、y of Congress.Advocates made long-term progress on two fronts.ALA ventured a request for Congress to allocate at least$20 million in FY 2023 for a new national program to improve library facilities,inspired by the Build Americas Libraries Act(S.127/H.R.1581).Although the House bill did not include t

131、he requested funding,one of the draf proposals released by the Senate Appropriations Commitee did include the funding.While the fnal FY 2023 appropriations law did not include the requested funding for library facilities,it did include language supporting eforts to assess the condition of library fa

132、cilities.Members of ALA and the American Association for School Librarians(AASL)also made progress by advocating for the Right to Read Act(S.5064 and H.R.9056),introduced in October 2022 by Senator Jack Reed(D-RI)and Representative Ral Grijalva(D-AZ-03)to support and highlight the work of school lib

133、rarians.Introducing the bill late in this Congress was intended to set up a more vigorous campaign to advance the bill in the 118th Congress that began in January 2023.Te Right to Read Act was designed to ensure all students,including low-income and minority students,children with disabilities,and E

134、nglish-language learners have access to an efective school library stafed by a certifed school librarian.Te act would have increased student access to fully stafed and appropriately resourced school libraries and authorized funding to meet those needs and would have supported recruitment,retention,a

135、nd professional development for state-certifed school librarians.Te legislation also reafrmed that First Amendment rights apply to school libraries and would have extended liability protections to teachers and school librarians facing challenges to books and employment.Tousands of library advocates

136、participated in a thank-you campaign to the bills cosponsors,solidifying their support for legislation focusing on school librarians.While the disappointing federal funding results for libraries in FY 2022 were superseded by increases to key programs in FY 2023,the outcome for 2022 is a wake-up call

137、 for library advocates not to rest on past success,but to work even harder to make the case for libraries on Capitol Hill in an increasingly competitive political climate.Shawnda Hines is deputy director of communications at ALAs Public Policy and Advocacy Ofce.16 April 2023 State of Amer ica s Libr

138、 ar ies 2023 Becky Calzada and Carolyn Foote Photo:Allie Leepson and Jesse McClary A Round of Applause for Americas Librarians Chase Ollis The impact of Americas librarians ripples throughout the communities they serve.From defending the freedom to read to teaching digital literacy skills to providi

139、ng access to everyday needs,librarians are making it happenand geting recognized for it.Check out some highlights from the past year of librarians making national waves for their work in their communities.Fighting for#FReadom and the Right to Read Martha Hickson For her successful eforts in fending

140、of multiple atempts to ban books and protecting her students right to read in the school district,as well as her work in raising awareness about censorship among the general public,Martha Hickson,a librarian at North Hunterdon High School in Annandale,New Jersey,was awarded the Judith Krug Outstandi

141、ng Librarian Award by the National Coalition Against Censorship.Amanda Jones Amanda Jones,the embatled school librarian from Live Oak Middle School in Denham Springs,Louisiana,who became a target of advocacy groups in 2022 afer speaking out against censorship at Livingston Parish Public Librarys boa

142、rd meeting,was awarded the American Association of School Librarians Intellectual Freedom Award.“Amanda works hard to ensure that every child in her school is seen and heard,and that their lives are not only refected in the books on the shelves,but they are able to fnd books into other worlds and wa

143、ys of life to be more empathetic citizens.”Kelsye Baudoin,2022 Louisiana School Librarian of the Year Honoring its work in protecting and defending the First Amendment right to read and the right of library workers to serve their communities,the Los Angeles Times awarded the Freedom to Read Foundati

144、on its 2022 Innovators Award Book Prize,which spotlights eforts to bring books,publishing,and storytelling into the future.“Created to support and defend librarians,the organization is as important and relevant today as it was at its inception in 1969.”Los Angeles Times Deputy Managing Editor of Ent

145、ertainment and Strategy Julia Turner#FReadom Fighters People featured the critical work by Texas librarians Becky Calzada and Carolyn Foote,organizers of the#FReadom Fighters campaign,which has been pushing back against eforts by government ofcials to ban books in the state.Calzada and Foote,along w

146、ith#FReadom Fighters co-organizer librarian Nancy Jo Lambert,were also recipients of the American Association of School Librarians 2022 Intellectual Freedom Award.“Books shouldnt be contraband.”Carolyn Foote 17 April 2023 State of Amer ica s Libr ar ies 2023 Digital Literacy and Information Access f

147、or All Te National Book Foundation recognized Tracie D.Hall,executive director of the American Library Association(ALA),with its 2022 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community for her years of service and advocacy to eradicate information poverty,provide equitable a

148、ccess to information for incarcerated individuals,and improve digital literacy skills.“Tracie D.Hall is a courageous champion for readers and libraries.Her accessibility and resource-driven advocacy is especially important at this moment when books are increasingly under atack nationwide.We are so p

149、roud to recognize Halls tremendous work supporting the individuals and communities who depend on libraries servicesin other words,everyone.”Ruth Dickey,executive director of the National Book Foundation Honoring his distinguished career dedicated to confronting injustice and promoting library servic

150、es to non-traditional communities,ALA awarded retired librarian Dr.Kenneth A.Yamashita with the 2022 Joseph W.Lippincot Award.Yamashita,who also serves as president of the Joint Council of Librarians of Color,is the frst and only Asian American to receive the award to date.Meet Americas Favorite Lib

151、rarians Why do communities love their librarians?From bringing services outside of the librarys walls to meet patrons where they are to helping families in need access clothes and groceries to teaching critical literacy and research skills,the myriad ways librarians go above and beyond for their com

152、munities is an inspiration.In 2022,thousands of library users across the country told us why they love their librarians,and 10 stood out from the crowd.Te recipients of the 2023 I Love My Librarian Award are:Tracie D.Hall Dr.Kenneth A.Yamashita I Love My Librarian Honorees Kathryn Blackmer Reyes,San

153、 Jos State University in San Jos,California Vikki Brown,Highlands County Library System in Sebring,Florida Cara Chance,Lafayete Public Library in Lafayete,Louisiana Tara Coleman,Kansas State University in Manhatan,Kansas David Etinger,George Mason University in Washington,DC.Julie Marie Frye,Childs

154、Elementary School in Bloomington,Indiana Lauren Ginsberg DeVilbiss,P.S.28 Wright Brothers School in New York City,New York Jamie Gregory,Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville,South Carolina Roseanna Gulisano,P.S.11 Highbridge School,in Bronx,New York Elacsha Madison,Evanston Public Library in

155、 Evanston,Illinois“Even in these unprecedented times and as our nations library workers face historic levels of intimidation and harassment due to an ongoing wave of book censorship,librarians continue to empower their patrons,teach critical literacy skills,promote inclusion in their space and colle

156、ctions,and provide vital services for their communities.”ALA President Lessa Kananiopua Pelayo-Lozada Chase Ollis is communications manager for the American Library Association State of Amer ica s Libr ar ies 2023 About This Report Production Team Authors:Tracie D.Hall,Executive Director,ALA;Lessa K

157、ananiopua Pelayo-Lozada,2022-2023 President,ALA and Adult Services Assistant Manager,Palos Verdes(Calif.)Library District;Deborah Caldwell-Stone,Executive Director,Ofce for Intellectual Freedom,ALA;Payal Patel,Interim Director,Communications and Marketing Ofce,ALA;Phil Morehart,Communications Manage

158、r,ALA;Chase Ollis,Communications Manager,ALA;Shawnda Hines,Deputy Director of Communications,Public Policy and Advocacy Ofce,ALA Content editor:Payal Patel,Interim Director,Communications and Marketing Ofce,ALA Project coordinator:Jan Carmichael,Senior Communications Manager,Communications and Marke

159、ting Ofce,ALA Design:Tim Cliford,Manager of Production Services,ALA;Lauren Ehle,Senior Production Editor,Production Services,ALA About ALA Te American Library Association(ALA)is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their

160、 communities through essential programs and services.For more than 140 years,ALA has been the trusted voice of libraries,advocating for the profession and the librarys role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all.For more information,visit ala.org.Press Contact Reporters should contact:Communications and Marketing Ofce American Library Association cmomediaala.org How to Cite This Report American Library Association.Te State of Americas Libraries 2023:A Report from the American Library Association.2023.18 April 2023