In recognition of Banned Books Week (September 22-28) we are launching our inaugural book club with James LaRue's On Censorship: A Public Librarian Examines Cancel Culture in the US. Join us for a live meeting with the author on Wednesday, Oct 2 at 7pm ET.
In preparation for the live stream, read along with our ILV advisors who will discuss the book in 4 brief special episodes of the Dissidents Podcast to be released on Wednesdays, September 4-25.
We begin our discussion with the first half of Part I, which is entitled “The Role of the Library.” If you are following along, we read the sections “My Censored Life” through the end of the section labeled “Why People Challenge Library Resources.”
In On Censorship James LaRue issues a balanced and reasonable call to action for all citizens. It is a combination of personal reflection and deep dive into specifics of book banning. James LaRue has been a public library director for many years, and was director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, and ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. He has written, spoken, and consulted extensively on intellectual freedom issues, leadership and organizational development, community engagement, and the future of libraries. He lives in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
This year the theme of Banned Books week is "Freed Between the Lines." The annual event is a reminder that the freedom to read is a liberal value worth defending. Learn more about banned books here: https://ala.org/bbooks/banned
In September, ILV presents several Back to School specials. First up is our Liberal Values Lab: Ethnic Studies in your School.
Ethnic Studies has become a hot button issue in K-12. Efforts to get Ethnic Studies onto the curriculum in California and to make it a mandatory course have been pushed by groups like the Coalition for Liberated Ethnic Studies. The battle over the California Ethnic Studies curriculum reveals how Ethnic Studies is being used as a vehicle to drive illiberalism and antisemitism into K-12 classrooms. However, Ethnic Studies is only one means that activist groups are using to inculcate an illiberal ideology in K-12. This webinar will cover the background to the battle of Ethnic Studies - the cast of characters, the dueling curriculums, and strategies to win the battle. We’ll place the skirmish over Ethnic Studies within the broader context of the war on Liberal values in the classroom.
On Censorship Book Club: Episode 1