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. This is the second episode, but you can find our first conversation here.
This week we discuss the last 20 or so pages of Part 1, starting with “What Do Libraries Buy, and Why?” through “How to Respond to Library Challenges.”
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
Resources:
On Censorship Book Club: Episode I
School's back in session and there's no better time to revisit the long history of controversy over grades and testing. In our Liberalism in Practice Panel Discussion, To Grade or Not to Grade, we've assembled a panel to discuss age old questions. Are exams measures of knowledge or tests of rote memory? Are deadlines and grades harmful and demotivating educational practices, or part of the life skills we learn for navigating our future lives? Is grading effective in some cases and ineffective in others? Are we addicted to evaluation, trapped in a culture of scores and rankings instead of cultivating and nurturing young minds? Are students' sensitivities so threatened by feedback that teachers are reduced to giving grades that will pacify them (and their parents) instead of truly evaluating their work, and has grade inflation made grades irrelevant, anyway?
You can find the resources we’ve been using to prepare for the discussion and add your own here.
On Censorship Book Club: Episode II