Trump Fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, and Other Library Updates

To say that a lot has been happening in Library Land would be a gross understatement. Between the firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, an IMLS lawsuit update, and South Carolina and Utah banning more books statewide, there’s a lot to unpack. So let’s jump in.

Trump vs. Libraries

• Trump announces that he’s ending federal funding for NPR and PBS, except it’s not clear whether or not he has the authority. Quelle surprise.
• Trump outraged the library and literary community by unceremoniously firing Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Info Docket has an updated list of statements in response to Hayden’s firing.
• Trump has also fired Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter, despite the position being one traditionally overseen by the legislative branch, aka NOT THE PRESIDENT. Additionally, Democratic Rep. Joe Morelle speculated that there was “surely no coincidence he acted less than a day after she refused to rubber-stamp Elon Musk’s efforts to mine troves of copyrighted works to train AI models,” in reference to the report released by the Copyright Office this week.
• A judge issued a key injunction in the state attorneys general lawsuit against the federal government for dismantling IMLS. (If you don’t read legal-ese, this is good news.)
• The Connecticut State Library’s $2.16 million federal grant was rescinded, and then reinstated.
• The Maine State Library rescinded three layoffs after some of its federal funding was restored, but there’s still a large amount of financial uncertainty. Related: Maine must not lose sight of the power of libraries.
• The National Endowment for the Arts has begun sending grant terminations after the proposed federal budget called for shutting down the agency.
• Federal grants for Ohio libraries have been reinstated, but the future is unclear.
• Libraries across Montana await grant confirmation amid turmoil at federal agencies.

Censorship Updates

• A new study looks at the impact of book bans on the consumption of banned books. You can read the full study here.
• The state of U.S. civics education.
• Lambda Literary issued a statement on book bans: “We will not stand by while a draconian administration seeks to suppress free speech, derail inclusion, and dampen queer joy. Instead, we will do what they fear the most—what we have always done. We will shout even louder, write even queer-er, read even deeper, celebrate even fiercer. With joy, we will resist.”
• YA author Malinda Lo asks, “Why is sex so scary to book banners?”
• We’ve staved off state library closure measures…for now.
• This Texas bill would criminalize selling “obscene” books. Not just having them in schools and libraries. Selling them. And please note that I’m putting the biggest of scare quotes around the word “obscene” because these books are not obscene.
• Texas voters punished book banners at the polls.
• A beloved Pensacola, FL bookstore faces backlash after it removes LGBTQ+ titles.
• A bill in North Carolina banning books with sexual descriptions from school libraries has passed the House committee.
• South Carolina has banned 10 more books from all public schools across the state.
• Teen Vogue profiled the group of South Carolina students who successfully fought against book bans in Beaufort, SC.
• Alabama Public Library Service board member Amy Minton wants to restrict children from reading books with transgender characters.
• “A full-blown culture war showdown is set for Thursday in Montgomery, where the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) board will face a surging crowd of speakers — now at 37 and climbing — over the fate of the Fairhope Public Library’s state funding and a heated battle over what qualifies as ‘sexually explicit’ content.”
• The Crawford County Library (AR) will foot the bill for a lawsuit over the library’s segregation of LGBTQ+ children’s books.
• “The North Dakota House defied a previous committee’s recommendation and passed a bill Monday, April 14, to require school and public libraries to hide materials with ‘obscene” content from minors.” The bill is now moving to the governor’s desk.
• The Elizabeth School District (CO) is once again under court order to return 19 “highly sensitive” books to library shelves.
• Utah has banned its 18th book statewide from public schools.

The following comes to you from the Editorial Desk.

This week, we’re highlighting a guide to reading short stories! If you’ve been curious about what short stories have to offer and want to make them part of your reading life, get to know the form and learn where you can find some good ones so you can get started right away. Read on for an excerpt and become an All Access member to unlock the full post.

May is Short Story month, so what’s on your reading list this month? Short stories are one of my favorite things to read right now. Life’s busy, and short stories are fiction that can fit into a hectic day. Instead of using the one-chapter-per-night method to work your way through a novel, what might it look like to read a short story each evening?

I love short stories precisely because they’re every bit as interesting, complex, and beautiful as longer fiction, but they’re more realistic to read when you’ve got a lot going on.

I have a confession: I used to hate short stories. Okay, okay, maybe “hate” is too strong a word. Let’s just say that I basically refused to read them. You might be wondering why I would have such a strong aversion to short stories.

Sign up to become an All Access member for only $6/month and then click here to read the full, unlocked article. Level up your reading life with All Access membership and explore a full library of exclusive bonus content, including must-reads, deep dives, and reading challenge recommendations.