[Libs-Or] Multnomah County Library's Intellectual Freedom Newsletter –March 2024

[Jennifer Keyser]

Hello Oregon Library Community,

The March edition of Multnomah County Library's IF Newsletter is now
available (PDF version attached). The newsletter highlights the recent
reports and news on book bans, including recent legislation and the work of
anti-censorship groups and individuals. There are several articles on
disinformation, especially in relation to AI.

Rights, Responsibilities & Reactions
Intellectual Freedom Newsletter – March 2024

------------------------------

The American Library Association (ALA) announced an uptick in challenges in
2023 -a 92% increase in public libraries, see Unite Against Book Bans: 2023
Numbers <https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/2023-book-bans/>. The full report
will be released in April. The New York Times
<https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/books/book-bans.html> (5 min) and
the Smithsonian
Magazine
<https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/book-banning-attempts-are-at-record-highs-180983964/>(3
min) summarizes the ALA findings. Canada is experiencing increases in
challenges
<https://ca.news.yahoo.com/challenges-library-materials-rising-canada-180811836.html?>
(Yahoo! News, 5 min). (censorship)

The Oregon Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee (OLA IFC)
released a report on the censorship that happened at Canby School District
<https://www.olaweb.org/assets/IntellectualFreedom/IF_Toolkit/OLA_IFC_2024-02-26_Statement_CANBY.pdf>.
More on the OLA IFC’s report and Senate Bill 1583
<https://www.kgw.com/video/news/local/the-story/what-the-canby-school-district-did-wrong-in-removing-books-from-schools-according-to-a-new-report/283-7ea85a8e-4e1a-4aa5-97de-4aca7b59379c>
(KGW, 5 min). OPB reports on a new bill in Washington
<https://www.opb.org/article/2024/02/17/dissolving-library-districts-is-a-hot-topic-wa-bill-could-make-it-harder-to-do/>
that would make it harder to dissolve library districts (6 min). (
legislation, censorship)

More on the need to pass legislation to counteract censorship: We now have
to pass laws to protect freedoms we thought we had
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/02/19/maryland-bill-book-challenges-libraries/>
(Washington Post, 6 min) and New wave of bills targeting libraries is 'a
threat to our democracy,'
<https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/new-wave-bills-targeting-libraries-threat-democracy-american-library-a-rcna138558>
(NBC, 6 min). This opinion piece in the Idaho Sun Capital captures the issues
around legislation that limits access to library materials
<https://idahocapitalsun.com/2024/03/18/libraries-are-our-most-democratic-institutions-idahos-house-bill-710-could-threaten-that/>
(4 min). Related, Haters attacked an inclusive public library. So its
director made the whole city a book sanctuary
<https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/03/haters-attacked-an-inclusive-public-library-so-its-director-made-the-whole-city-a-book-sanctuary/>
(LGBTQ Nations, 9 min). (censorship, legislation)

Reading banned books can be helpful and life changing, see How Teens
benefit from reading ‘disturbing’ books that some want to ban
<https://buckscountybeacon.com/2024/03/how-teens-benefit-from-being-able-to-read-disturbing-books-that-some-want-to-ban/>
(Bucks County Beacon, 10 min). Author Khaled Hosseini expands on this
idea: book
bans in the US betrays students
<https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/feb/13/khaled-hosseini-us-book-bans-interview>
(Guardian, 6 min). Ms. Magazine calls out the harm from sensoring of sexual
violence <https://msmagazine.com/2024/03/04/book-bans-censorship-rape-porn/>
through book bans (6 min).  (censorship, access, inclusion)

RuPaul continues to fight censorship: Rainbow Bus to Give Away Books
Targeted by Bans
<https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/04/arts/rupaul-memoir-book-bans.html> (New
York Times, 7 min). Dan Rather offers an inspirational take: A
101-Year-Old’s Fight Against Book Banning
<https://steady.substack.com/p/a-101-year-olds-fight-against-book> (Steady,
5 min). Also, the Nation highlights how public libraries are a public
good: Stop
Picking on Public Libraries
<https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/public-libraries-book-bans/> (16
min). (censorship, access, inclusion)

More anti-censorship champions are emerging: Children’s authors
<https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com/> launch Authors Against Banned
Books <https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com/> (Publishers Weekly,  9
min). On the international level: Authors, Publishers, and Libraries issued
a statement for key freedoms to be respected
<https://www.infodocket.com/2024/03/14/statement-international-organisations-for-authors-publishers-booksellers-and-libraries-call-for-key-freedoms-to-be-respected/>.
(Library Journal, 8 min). Booksellers in Texas revolt
<https://www.texasobserver.org/the-booksellers-revolt/> (Texas Observer, 22
min). Yes magazine showcases groups fighting book bans?
<https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2024/03/18/florida-book-ban-lgbt>
(9 min). Teens continue getting involved: Tennessee teen started a free
speech club to fight back
<https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2024/03/11/hendersonville-high-school-senior-julia-garnett-launches-free-speech-club-after-book-bans/72603783007/>
(Tennessean, 10 min). (censorship)

Take a deep dive into the history of censorship in this scholarly, long
read:  Tools for Thinking About Censorship
<https://reactormag.com/tools-for-thinking-about-censorship/> (Reactor, 27
min). (censorship)

Harvard Law Review explores Drag Queens and the First Amendment
<https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-137/drag-queens-the-first-amendment-and-expressive-harms/>,
grounding drag in joy (40 min). (first amendment, inclusion, diversity)

The Conversation offers a look into the increased availability of  LGBTQ+
romance literature
<https://theconversation.com/whats-behind-the-astonishing-rise-in-lgbtq-romance-literature-223159>
(6 min). (access, inclusion, diversity)

JSTOR, the academic database, is now available to many experiencing
incarceration: Game-Changing Access to Academic Materials in Prison
<https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/academics/2024/03/01/jstor-expands-access-incarcerated-students>
(Inside Higher Ed, 8 min). E-Books provide access to ban books
<https://truthout.org/articles/e-books-can-subvert-book-bans-but-corporate-profit-seeking-stands-in-the-way/>,
but costs often get in the way (Truthout, 22 min). (access)

Barbara McQuade writes about the harm of disinformation to democracy
<https://time.com/6837548/disinformation-america-election/>; go deeper with
her new book <https://multcolib.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S152C2248375>
(Time, 14 min). A Military Times survey found an alarming acceptance of
conspiracies
<https://www.airforcetimes.com/flashpoints/extremism-disinformation/2024/03/05/military-times-survey-alarming-percentage-accept-conspiracies/>,
noting veterans can be used to legitimize disinformation (16 min). Forbes
pinpoints how misinformation impacts public health
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/arthurkellermann/2024/03/12/the-top-threat-to-americans-health-is-not-a-virus-its-disinformation/?sh=4bf0e7245068>
(8 min). The New York Times dives into the appeal and proliferation of
celebrity misinformation
<https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/business/media/kate-middleton-britney-spears-rumors-misinformation.html>
(11 min). (disinformation)

The Week highlights how fake news sites are filling local news  gaps
<https://theweek.com/politics/russian-america-news-shortage-disinformation-fake-news-sites>,
often containing disinformation (4 min). The article identifies  ways to
determine legitimacy of the website and notes the Information Laundromat
<https://www.disinfo.id/> as a tool. (disinformation, information literacy)

A Consumer Reports investigation found that camera doorbells from Amazon,
Walmart aren't safe
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/29/doorbell-cameras-aiwit-privacy-amazon-walmart-temu/>
(Washington Post, 5 min). (privacy)

Regulations in Europe are causing big tech companies to shift their
practices,
<https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/04/technology/europe-apple-meta-google-microsoft.html>
potentially providing more options and improved privacy for consumers (New
York Times, 12 min). (access, privacy)

AI Spotlight
AI-generated articles prompt Wikipedia to downgrade CNET’s reliability
rating
<https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/02/wikipedia-downgrades-cnets-reliability-rating-after-ai-generated-articles/>
(Ars Technica, 8 min). Related: Google Is Paying Publishers Five-Figure
Sums to Test an Unreleased Gen AI Platform
<https://www.adweek.com/media/google-paying-publishers-unreleased-gen-ai/>
(Adweek, 5 min). (information literacy)

AI-generated images generate engagement and spread misinformation: Seniors
Are Falling for AI-Generated Pics on Facebook
<https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-seniors-are-falling-for-ai-generated-pics-on-facebook>
(Daily Beast, 8 min). Top AI photo generators produce misleading
election-related images, study finds
<https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/06/tech/ai-images-election-misinformation/index.html>
(CNN, 7 min).  AI watermarks are not just easy to defeat—they could make
disinformation worse
<https://fortune.com/2024/03/07/ai-watermarks-arent-just-easy-to-defeat-they-could-make-disinformation-worse/>
(Fortune, 13 min). (disinformation, information literacy)

Additional Resources

ALA Intellectual Freedom Blog: https://www.oif.ala.org A blog dedicated to
intellectual freedom issues, and includes the Intellectual Freedom News
<https://www.oif.ala.org/category/intellectual-freedom-news/> –a weekly
roundup of IF related articles
Oregon Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Toolkit
<https://libguides.osl.state.or.us/iftoolkit/home> (published February 8,
2022). A range of tools and resources relating to IF challenges and
policies created by the OLA Intellectual Freedom Committee.

Rights, Responsibilities & Reactions is a monthly roundup of Intellectual
Freedom News compiled by Multnomah County Library's Intellectual Freedom
Committee. We welcome suggestions at lib.ifc at multco.us.
_______________________________________________________________________________________

*Jennifer Keyser *(she/her)
*Policy Coordinator Librarian*
Monday - Friday
971-429-4699
Multnomah County Library
multcolib.org

[image: Copy of MultCoLib_2LineLogo_252px_RGB.jpg]
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