IMPORTANT RESOURCES
Everyone deserves the right to access information freely. Adults as well as students have rights under the First Amendment. Here we've gathered some great resources to help you get started in the fight against disinformation and book banning efforts. And, of course, you can always Contact Us.
Intellectual Freedom
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution
What is Intellectual Freedom? Why is it important?
Why Book Ban Efforts Are Spreading Across the US
GLAAD & NCAC Media Fact Sheet on School Censorship
Judy Blume's Thoughts on Censorship
National Council of Teachers of English
-Statement Regarding Rating or "Red-Flagging" Books
Coalition Statement: The Attack on Books in Schools
Teen Librarians Are Not Pornographers
Banned in the USA: PEN America's Report on The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools (great source for statistics)
Banned in the USA: State Laws Supercharge Book Suppression in Schools
Toolkits
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Book Bans – A Guide for Community Response and Action
Created by GLAAD, this toolkit was created in response to the fact that the vast majority of book bans target books by and about members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The kit gives information and examples of recent censorship stories, as well as specific steps to take when starting your own anti-censorship action group.
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Get Ready, Stay Ready - A Community Action Toolkit for Parents & Caregivers
A great resource packed with information, slide decks, video presentations, scripts, & other training materials for learning how to fight against book and materials challenges in your community.
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Created by grassroots organization Red, Wine, & Blue, you can download this resource full of information like how to organize locally, how to use social media to your advantage, and how to speak at board meetings.
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The Kids Right to Read Action Kit for Students and Parents
Developed by the National Coalition Against Censorship, this guide "explores the most common motivations behind book challenges and suggests strategies to counter them."
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A survival guide for librarians and library workers packed with information on surviving the current wave of book challenges, defunding crises, and personal attacks. Includes sections on the history of censorship, best practices for school and public libraries, the current legal landscape, programming ideas, community activation strategies, and more!
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National Coalition Against Censorship
We promote freedom of thought and inquiry and oppose censorship. When controversy occurs, we encourage and facilitate dialogue between divergent voices and perspectives, including those that have historically been silenced.
Unite Against Book Bans
Unite Against Book Bans is a national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship.
PEN America
PEN America’s free expression and education program works to reconcile these tensions by working with schools, colleges, and universities to ensure robust protections for academic freedom and freedom of speech are balanced with advancements in diversity and inclusion, as well efforts to redress legacies of discrimination and inequity. Our team of experts engage in research, advocacy, trainings, public events, and youth programming, and we have developed specialized resources for college administrators, faculty, and students.
The ACLU of Louisiana
Since 1956, the ACLU of Louisiana has worked to advance and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States and the State of Louisiana. We are part of a nationwide network of affiliates that fights tirelessly in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.
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The ACLU of Louisiana's Open Letter on Library Censorship
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Werk the Lege: ACLU of Louisiana's Activism Guide
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The Louisiana Library Association
Every successful professional association provides an environment where networking, continuing education, peer support, advocacy, and professional development can thrive. The Louisiana Library Association has provided this environment since 1925. The Louisiana Library Association's main objective is to promote library interests of the State of Louisiana.
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Setting the Record Straight - LLA's Response to AG Landry's "Protecting" Innocence Report
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Setting the Record Straight, Again - LLA's Statement on SB7
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The Louisiana Association of School Librarians
The mission of LASL shall be to promote and to maintain high standards of school librarianship, to serve as a medium for the exchange of ideas, and to encourage a continuing and critical evaluation of school library service.
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EveryLibrary - Fight For the First
Fight for the First draws on the power of people just like you to create a movement for long-lasting change, giving you the tools to build a local or national campaign to fight for the First Amendment.
Freedom to Read Foundation
The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) is a non-profit legal and educational organization affiliated with the American Library Association. FTRF protects and defends the First Amendment to the Constitution and supports the right of libraries to collect - and individuals to access - information.
American Library Association
The staff of the Office for Intellectual Freedom is available to answer questions or provide assistance to librarians, trustees, educators, and the public about the First Amendment and censorship. Areas of assistance include policy development, minors’ rights, and professional ethics. Inquiries can be directed via email to oif@ala.org or via phone at (312) 280-4226.
Penguin Random House Banned Books Resources Hub
At Penguin Random House, we believe in the right to freedom of expression and protecting writers against censorship. Reading is indispensable in having an informed, engaged democracy, and the dramatic rise in efforts to ban books in public schools and libraries—many of them by BIPOC or LGBTQ voices—threatens the advancement of our society and culture.
The Media Coalition
THE MEDIA COALITION is an association that protects the First Amendment rights of producers and distributors of books, movies, magazines, recordings, home video, and video games, and defends the American public’s First Amendment right to have access to the broadest possible range of information, opinion and entertainment.
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