Reading Free in Iowa
@readingfreeiniowa.bsky.social
Reading Free in Iowa, a grassroots patron-led public library advocacy group of Iowans from across the state pledging to dedicate ourselves to the defense of Iowa's libraries. Nonpartisan. Pro-patron.
Contact us at readingfreeiniowa@gmail.com.
Contact us at readingfreeiniowa@gmail.com.
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
Dr. Carla Hayden may have been fired, but she’s not backing down. In her first local interview since being removed as Librarian of Congress, Hayden reflects on her career, community, and the growing threats facing libraries.
bit.ly/45soIBH
bit.ly/45soIBH
Getting fired won’t stop Carla Hayden
In her first local interview since she was fired by President Trump as Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden speaks about the importance of expanding access, not cutting it off.
bit.ly
June 13, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Dr. Carla Hayden may have been fired, but she’s not backing down. In her first local interview since being removed as Librarian of Congress, Hayden reflects on her career, community, and the growing threats facing libraries.
bit.ly/45soIBH
bit.ly/45soIBH
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey sent a letter Tuesday evening to the Institute of Museum and Library Services Acting Director Keith E. Sonderling demanding answers on funding cuts to museums and libraries across the country.
Warren, Markey call for answers on federal funding cuts to Mass. museums and libraries
The senators request further information on the future of certain programs and the Institute of Museum and Library Services' plan to act in accordance with laws that require minimum funding by state.
buff.ly
June 13, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey sent a letter Tuesday evening to the Institute of Museum and Library Services Acting Director Keith E. Sonderling demanding answers on funding cuts to museums and libraries across the country.
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
The FCC's Learn Without Limits program has allowed libraries nationwide to use #ERate discounts to support wi-fi hotspot lending. But some in Congress want to end the program.
Tell your Rep to keep communities connected & protect this funding: bit.ly/TakeActionHotspots #ForOurLibraries
Tell your Rep to keep communities connected & protect this funding: bit.ly/TakeActionHotspots #ForOurLibraries
June 3, 2025 at 7:44 PM
The FCC's Learn Without Limits program has allowed libraries nationwide to use #ERate discounts to support wi-fi hotspot lending. But some in Congress want to end the program.
Tell your Rep to keep communities connected & protect this funding: bit.ly/TakeActionHotspots #ForOurLibraries
Tell your Rep to keep communities connected & protect this funding: bit.ly/TakeActionHotspots #ForOurLibraries
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
Books are necessary tools for understanding life's complex issues. "...they need to have the space to have access to a book like that, to talk about something complicated and hard, but which is also impacting their lives... It speaks to them, it doesn't speak down to them." #UniteAgainstBookBans
Knoxville bookstore hosting 'Banned Book Club' after more than 100 books removed from Knox Co. Schools' shelves
The Bottom, a Black-focused bookstore and community space, is hosting a club to give people a chance to read books recently removed from public school shelves.
www.wbir.com
June 2, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Books are necessary tools for understanding life's complex issues. "...they need to have the space to have access to a book like that, to talk about something complicated and hard, but which is also impacting their lives... It speaks to them, it doesn't speak down to them." #UniteAgainstBookBans
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
Florida's "Parental Rights" laws are becoming a nationwide blueprint for extreme censorship in schools. A new report from PEN America and the Florida Freedom to Read Project reveals how a vocal minority is dictating what students can read and learn.
pen.org/press-releas...
pen.org/press-releas...
June 3, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Florida's "Parental Rights" laws are becoming a nationwide blueprint for extreme censorship in schools. A new report from PEN America and the Florida Freedom to Read Project reveals how a vocal minority is dictating what students can read and learn.
pen.org/press-releas...
pen.org/press-releas...
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
Former register of copyrights Shira Perlmutter filed suit in federal court on May 22, challenging her removal from office and seeking reinstatement to her position at the U.S. Copyright Office.
Fired Copyright Chief Sues in Federal Court to Get Job Back
Former Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter, who was fired on May 10, filed suit in federal court on Thursday, challenging her removal from office and seeking reinstatement, while voiding any…
buff.ly
May 27, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Former register of copyrights Shira Perlmutter filed suit in federal court on May 22, challenging her removal from office and seeking reinstatement to her position at the U.S. Copyright Office.
Libraries need your help NOW! Funding is always tight, and now federal funding is at risk. Contact your local library and see how you can help today. Donate, volunteer, fundraise, and join your library's friends' group.
May 27, 2025 at 4:37 AM
Libraries need your help NOW! Funding is always tight, and now federal funding is at risk. Contact your local library and see how you can help today. Donate, volunteer, fundraise, and join your library's friends' group.
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
Don’t let the government regulate your reading www.bookbanpetition.us
May 24, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Don’t let the government regulate your reading www.bookbanpetition.us
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
If you care about libraries, and the stories they hold dear, you should be following Kelly. She’s been reporting what’s happening from the beginning and we are so blessed she has been.
"What can we do to stop book censorship and destruction of libraries in the US? How can we push back against the dismantling of public education?"
This is over four years of how-tos, guides, insights, and more. Resources are beyond plentiful.
This is over four years of how-tos, guides, insights, and more. Resources are beyond plentiful.
A massive thread of resources, history, information, and material to help you not only fight and understand book censorship but protect the incredible democratic institutions of public libraries and public education.
This is updated regularly!
This is updated regularly!
May 25, 2025 at 1:40 PM
If you care about libraries, and the stories they hold dear, you should be following Kelly. She’s been reporting what’s happening from the beginning and we are so blessed she has been.
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
How does your library help you feel more connected to your community?
More Than a Book Lender: The Vital Role Librarians Play as Community Ambassadors
How does your library help you feel more connected to your community?
buff.ly
May 25, 2025 at 5:02 PM
How does your library help you feel more connected to your community?
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
That whole argument of, “we’re not banning books, you can still get it at the public library” is now exposed for the lie it always was.
You can’t “run to your nearest library” when the government controls all the speech there too.
You can’t “run to your nearest library” when the government controls all the speech there too.
En banc Fifth Circuit overrules decades of precedent and holds that there is no First Amendment right to receive information in a public library.
May 23, 2025 at 5:10 PM
That whole argument of, “we’re not banning books, you can still get it at the public library” is now exposed for the lie it always was.
You can’t “run to your nearest library” when the government controls all the speech there too.
You can’t “run to your nearest library” when the government controls all the speech there too.
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
Supporting local library associations is an easy way to help protect the right to read. (And a quick way to check off your activism for the day, if that's how you do it) Reply with a link to donate to yours & we'll repost.
May 23, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Supporting local library associations is an easy way to help protect the right to read. (And a quick way to check off your activism for the day, if that's how you do it) Reply with a link to donate to yours & we'll repost.
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Use #AAPIHM (or any other month!) to learn more about the #AsianAmerican #PacificIslander communities with our many resources - we could never fit all of them in 1 picture, so here's a very small selection
#AAPIHeritageMonth #AmericanStudies
#AAPIHeritageMonth #AmericanStudies
May 23, 2025 at 4:37 PM
May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Use #AAPIHM (or any other month!) to learn more about the #AsianAmerican #PacificIslander communities with our many resources - we could never fit all of them in 1 picture, so here's a very small selection
#AAPIHeritageMonth #AmericanStudies
#AAPIHeritageMonth #AmericanStudies
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
What happens when state politicians, not educators or communities, decide what books students can access?
Spoiler: It’s already happening.
From Utah to Florida, states are stripping local districts of the power to choose what belongs on library shelves.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/unprecedente...
Spoiler: It’s already happening.
From Utah to Florida, states are stripping local districts of the power to choose what belongs on library shelves.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/unprecedente...
Unprecedented Control: How States Are Seizing Power Over Local Book Decisions
States like Utah, South Carolina, and Florida are overriding local authority to ban books in schools, forcing districts to comply with top-down censorship, even where no complaints exist.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org
May 23, 2025 at 6:38 PM
What happens when state politicians, not educators or communities, decide what books students can access?
Spoiler: It’s already happening.
From Utah to Florida, states are stripping local districts of the power to choose what belongs on library shelves.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/unprecedente...
Spoiler: It’s already happening.
From Utah to Florida, states are stripping local districts of the power to choose what belongs on library shelves.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/unprecedente...
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
Freedom to Read Project and more than 40 organizations representing parents, grassroots organizers, authors, librarians, booksellers, and publishers have signed a statement on the Trump Administration's firing of Dr. Carla Hayden.
Now take action with @everylibrary.bsky.social: bit.ly/EmailHayden
Now take action with @everylibrary.bsky.social: bit.ly/EmailHayden
May 22, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Freedom to Read Project and more than 40 organizations representing parents, grassroots organizers, authors, librarians, booksellers, and publishers have signed a statement on the Trump Administration's firing of Dr. Carla Hayden.
Now take action with @everylibrary.bsky.social: bit.ly/EmailHayden
Now take action with @everylibrary.bsky.social: bit.ly/EmailHayden
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
In state after state, libraries are warning of the consequences of cuts to federal funding.
In Michigan, that could mean curtailing of subscriptions used 19 MILLION times by patrons last year. Read more: michiganindependent.com/politics/mic...
Find ways to show up #ForOurLibraries ala.org/showup
In Michigan, that could mean curtailing of subscriptions used 19 MILLION times by patrons last year. Read more: michiganindependent.com/politics/mic...
Find ways to show up #ForOurLibraries ala.org/showup
Michigan libraries fear major programming cuts following Trump executive order
President Donald Trump’s attempt to eliminate the federal agency that oversees American libraries has local library officials in Michigan concerned about the future.
michiganindependent.com
May 22, 2025 at 8:36 PM
In state after state, libraries are warning of the consequences of cuts to federal funding.
In Michigan, that could mean curtailing of subscriptions used 19 MILLION times by patrons last year. Read more: michiganindependent.com/politics/mic...
Find ways to show up #ForOurLibraries ala.org/showup
In Michigan, that could mean curtailing of subscriptions used 19 MILLION times by patrons last year. Read more: michiganindependent.com/politics/mic...
Find ways to show up #ForOurLibraries ala.org/showup
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
Nationwide, libraries are making difficult decisions about which programs and resources can continue without federal funding: apnews.com/article/inst...
We can't wait. Pick up the phone and tell Congress to #FundLibraries TODAY: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries #ForOurLibraries
We can't wait. Pick up the phone and tell Congress to #FundLibraries TODAY: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries #ForOurLibraries
Libraries are cutting back on staff and services after Trump's order to dismantle small agency
Libraries across the United States have cut back on some digital services weeks after the Trump administration's move to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
apnews.com
May 19, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Nationwide, libraries are making difficult decisions about which programs and resources can continue without federal funding: apnews.com/article/inst...
We can't wait. Pick up the phone and tell Congress to #FundLibraries TODAY: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries #ForOurLibraries
We can't wait. Pick up the phone and tell Congress to #FundLibraries TODAY: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries #ForOurLibraries
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
This is the LAST CHANCE to tell Congress to #FundLibraries. We need you to make your voice heard TODAY. Letters in Congress in support of library funding are about to close.
Call your Senators and urge them to fund libraries in next year's budget: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries #ForOurLibraries
Call your Senators and urge them to fund libraries in next year's budget: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries #ForOurLibraries
May 20, 2025 at 5:11 PM
This is the LAST CHANCE to tell Congress to #FundLibraries. We need you to make your voice heard TODAY. Letters in Congress in support of library funding are about to close.
Call your Senators and urge them to fund libraries in next year's budget: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries #ForOurLibraries
Call your Senators and urge them to fund libraries in next year's budget: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries #ForOurLibraries
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
Libraries nationwide are facing incredibly difficult decisions as federal funding cuts impact programs & services: apnews.com/article/inst...
We need to act NOW. Call Congress and tell them to #FundLibraries, while there's still time: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries #ForOurLibraries
We need to act NOW. Call Congress and tell them to #FundLibraries, while there's still time: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries #ForOurLibraries
Libraries are cutting back on staff and services after Trump's order to dismantle small agency
Libraries across the United States have cut back on some digital services weeks after the Trump administration's move to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
apnews.com
May 19, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Libraries nationwide are facing incredibly difficult decisions as federal funding cuts impact programs & services: apnews.com/article/inst...
We need to act NOW. Call Congress and tell them to #FundLibraries, while there's still time: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries #ForOurLibraries
We need to act NOW. Call Congress and tell them to #FundLibraries, while there's still time: bit.ly/Call2FundLibraries #ForOurLibraries
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
We ❤️ to see so many different groups coming together to #UniteAgainstBookBans! We’re stronger together. Thank you to @freadomfighters.bsky.social and all who spoke up for libraries and the freedom to read today in Texas.
So we thank the authors, parents, grandparents, veterans, librarians, and citizens who spoke up for library access today. We ask the legislature - Don't mess with Texas libraries! @aclutx.bsky.social @equalitytexas.bsky.social @aabbri.bsky.social @everylibrary.bsky.social #txlege
May 19, 2025 at 10:40 PM
We ❤️ to see so many different groups coming together to #UniteAgainstBookBans! We’re stronger together. Thank you to @freadomfighters.bsky.social and all who spoke up for libraries and the freedom to read today in Texas.
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
@aaslpres.bsky.social speaks with On Point from WBUR in Boston on recently passed TX legislation that would send librarians to jail if they provide students with "harmful" materials. “I’ve been in education for 38 years and it’s shocking that we’ve gotten to this point.” wbur.fm/3SDSziH
Protecting from harm or censorship? Policing educational material in Texas
Texas state legislature just passed a bill that would send doctors, teachers, librarians and more to jail if they provide kids with "harmful" materials. But who decides what's harmful, and what's not?
wbur.fm
May 16, 2025 at 9:01 PM
@aaslpres.bsky.social speaks with On Point from WBUR in Boston on recently passed TX legislation that would send librarians to jail if they provide students with "harmful" materials. “I’ve been in education for 38 years and it’s shocking that we’ve gotten to this point.” wbur.fm/3SDSziH
CALL TO ACTION! House File 856 is headed to Governor Reynolds' desk. This bill will eliminate all DEI programs from state entities - that means no LGBTQ or minority programs, and it provides the justification for eliminating programs and events for women and the disabled. Call and ask for a veto!
Iowa Legislature - BillBook
Information pertaining to the Iowa Legislature as well as the Executive and Judicial branch in as much as they relate to the legislative branch
www.legis.iowa.gov
May 16, 2025 at 12:19 AM
CALL TO ACTION! House File 856 is headed to Governor Reynolds' desk. This bill will eliminate all DEI programs from state entities - that means no LGBTQ or minority programs, and it provides the justification for eliminating programs and events for women and the disabled. Call and ask for a veto!
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
Most book bans are initiated by just one person in a state who feels they are allowed to regulate the books that you and your family are allowed to read.
Over half of the books now banned in South Carolina have come from one Beaufort County parent.
Over half of the books now banned in South Carolina have come from one Beaufort County parent.
SC now leads nation in book bans, largely due to one Beaufort County parent
One person decides what you and your family are allowed to read.
buff.ly
May 14, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Most book bans are initiated by just one person in a state who feels they are allowed to regulate the books that you and your family are allowed to read.
Over half of the books now banned in South Carolina have come from one Beaufort County parent.
Over half of the books now banned in South Carolina have come from one Beaufort County parent.
President Trump has appointed his own former lawyer, Todd Blanche, as acting Librarian of Congress - a man with no history in libraries or archives - in place of Dr. Carla Hayden. This is unacceptable. Call your congressional representatives today.
The President has named a new Acting Librarian of Congress. It's his former defense lawyer.
Todd Blanche, a former personal lawyer for President Trump, is now acting Librarian of Congress. According to his public profile, Blanche has no experience working in libraries or archives.
www.npr.org
May 13, 2025 at 4:18 PM
President Trump has appointed his own former lawyer, Todd Blanche, as acting Librarian of Congress - a man with no history in libraries or archives - in place of Dr. Carla Hayden. This is unacceptable. Call your congressional representatives today.
Reposted by Reading Free in Iowa
Are you a concerned community member who lives in a community experiencing censorship?
Fill out our confidential form to receive customized support and resources to oppose the attempted ban or challenge: uniteagainstbookbans.org/report-censo... #UniteAgainstBookBans
Fill out our confidential form to receive customized support and resources to oppose the attempted ban or challenge: uniteagainstbookbans.org/report-censo... #UniteAgainstBookBans
May 13, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Are you a concerned community member who lives in a community experiencing censorship?
Fill out our confidential form to receive customized support and resources to oppose the attempted ban or challenge: uniteagainstbookbans.org/report-censo... #UniteAgainstBookBans
Fill out our confidential form to receive customized support and resources to oppose the attempted ban or challenge: uniteagainstbookbans.org/report-censo... #UniteAgainstBookBans