Promoting and protecting our community's right to read freely

in St. Joseph County, Indiana USA.

Trusting and supporting our community's professional librarians

in directing collection development and organization for our community's libraries

in accordance with the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement.

Interested in joining the cause?  Please email us here.



-->   Our Latest News   <--


[No news is good news, right?]


For previous news. please consult our News Archive.



Our Group Resources

Public:

Website   [Shorter links:  Bitly |  PURL | TinyURL]    [You are here.] 

Newsletter archive

To contact us, please email us here.

Private:

EMail discussion and distribution list     [Accessible to group members]

Internal documents:

EMail List & Website Tips (2024-01-12 F)




Guiding Documents

The Library Bill of Rights

The Freedom to Read Statement

Library Bill of Rights Interpretations

Intellectual Freedom:  Issues and Resources



General Resources

Background:

Anatomy of a Book Challenge [PowerPoint] / Tara White

Book Ban Data and Banned Books Week: By the numbers [from the American Library Association (ALA)]

School Book Bans: The Mounting Pressure to Censor [from PEN America]


FAQ: Libraries, bookstores, and free speech [from FIRE]


Washington Post: "The Post reviewed 1,000 school book challenges.  Here's what we found."  [2023-12-23 (Sa)]


Washington Post: "Half of challenged books return to schools.  LGBTQ books are banned most."  [2023-12-23 (Sa)]


Popular Information: "The tide turns on Florida book bans"  [2024-01-23 (Tu)]


Boards of Trustees of Public Libraries and Schools 

Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library Board of Trustees

New Carlisle Olive Township Public Library Board of Trustees 

St. Joseph County Public Library Board of Trustees

*

John Glenn School Corporation Board of Trustees [Walkerton / North Liberty]

School City of Mishawaka Board of Trustees

New Prairie United School Corporation Board of Trustees [New Carlisle]

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation Board of Trustees

South Bend Community School Corporation Board of Trustees

Union-North United School Corporation Board of Trustees [Lakeville]

Friendly Organizations:

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

 American Library Association (ALA) / Office for Intellectual Freedom

Article 19

Banned Books USA  

Banned Books Week (BBW)

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)

Every Library Institute, NFP

Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)

Freedom To Read Foundation (FTRF)

Hollywood Democrats (HDC)

Index on Censorship

IN Freadom: Hoosiers for Parent and Reader Rights

Indiana Library Federation (ILF)

Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library (MPHPL)

National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC)

New Carlisle Olive Township Public Library (NCPL)

PEN America

People For the American Way (PFAW) / Grandparents For Truth

People For the American Way (PFAW) / Right Wing Watch

St. Joseph County Public Library (SJCPL)

United Against Book Bans (UABB)



Talking Points and Toolkits:

UABB Action Toolkit

UABB Talking Points:  How To Talk About Book Bans

New York Public Library (NYPL) Books For All



Unfriendly Organizations & Initiatives:

Eyes on Education (State of Indiana Office of the Attorney General Todd Rokita)

Indiana State Board of Education (SBOE)

Moms for Liberty (M4L)

[   Items about Moms for Liberty:   ]

Brookings Institution:  Moms for Liberty:  Where are they, and are they winning?

New York Times:  Florida Sex Scandal Shakes Moms for Liberty, as Group’s Influence Wanes [2023-12-16 (Sa)]

Right Wing Watch:  Voters Reject 'Moms for Liberty' [...]

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC):  Moms for Liberty

WNYC Studios: On the Media: The Real Mission Behind Moms for Liberty [2024-03-15 (F)]

WNYC Studios: On the Media: The Long Lineage of Conservative Mother Movements [2023-12-15 (F)]

WNYC Studios: On the Media:  The Real Mission Behind Moms for Liberty [2023-12-15 (F)]

***

Real News Michiana (RNM) 

[ Items about Real News Michiana: ]

RMN's Clifton French seeks SJC Library Board appointment   [2023-12-08 (F)]


***

Project 2025:  Presidential Transition Project [Heritage Foundation et. al.]:

Advisory Board [list of participating organizations]

[The Project 2025 website has been closed,

and the two links above now resolve to Mandate for Leadership,

a Heritage Foundation website for sales of Project 2025 documents.] 

Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise

United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions [aka Plumbook;  2020 edition]

***

Project 2025 and Its Consequences for Libraries | EveryLibrary Institute NFP | July 2025