Social media tutorials to answer common questions about Shortly after, in January 2022, the court voted to dissolve the existing library board and appointed a new board of residents advocating for the removal of the aforementioned books, according to the lawsuit. Here are the learning categories. Former school librarian and Llano Library patron Lenore Weihs posted on Facebook how sorry she was to see Castelan go. I have worked all these years for this pensionand I could lose it. And what are we saying to her? Blume said. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Today, several witnesses testified in an ongoing federal trial related to controversial library books in the Llano County Library System. All over Texas, especially in small towns, people are moving to not because they like it; but because they want to change it. They have a lot of money, she said of the political actors seeking to ban books. How long will the total eclipse last in Texas? Castelan said she was saddened but not surprised when asked to leave her job early. Witnesses testify in case surrounding controversial Llano County - MSN It was an extension of the safety I always felt as a kid when I visited. The motion failed after Commissioner Jerry Don Moss voiced opposition to pushing the vote back. This is the final warning and termination, Baker said, as she pointed out why she was removed from her position. In December 2021, the Llano County Library shut down for several days to review the childrens books in the library. This is the first time Ive been back since the pandemic, and it seems just as well attended as the before times., On the shows closing day, ALA executive director Tracie D. Hall sounded an optimistic note about the future. Keep praying!" Charted: Texas is the worst state for book bans datawrapper-chart-RHy6I Can the Llano library closure be stopped? In a video message, Parton thanked librarians for their workand finished by singing I Will Always Love You.. I disagree about removing it because, as we know, theyre not the authority, Moss said. Enjoy all your local news and sports for less than 5 per day. Patel was ordered to do 250 hours of Community Service and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years. "I don't have a number to be seated in the courtroom," Henderson said. A group of angry library patrons in Texas has gone to court over - NPR The library director refused to comment to DailyTrib.com when reached by phone. So much of book banning is about rolling back progress. County Judge Ron Cunningham wrote in an April 2022 statement that the county is committed to providing excellent public library services to our patrons consistent with community expectations and standards, as well as operating within compliance of Texas and Federal statutes., So far, those "community expectations" have seemed to outweigh the commitment to "excellent public library services. The tone was set early, with the ALAs first-ever Rally for the Right to Read at the Chicago Hilton unofficially opening the conference on Thursday, June 22. Welcome to the Llano County. Llano County, Texas: County that was ordered to return banned books to Over the next five days, the main speaker program featured a host of major authors, which concluded on Tuesday, June 27, with bestselling author and poet Amanda Gorman and award-winning illustrator Christian Robinson. It got both sides heated and both sides need to take a breath and understand that were going to get a solution to this. Though Plaintiffs differ in their ages, professions, and individual religious and political beliefs, they are fiercely united in their love for reading public library books and in their belief that the government cannot dictate which books they can and cannot read.. LLANO COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM : HOURS Llano Library Monday - Friday 9:00 - 5:30 Kingsland Library Monday - Friday 9:00 - 5:30 Lakeshore Library Monday - Friday 9:00 - 5:30: Webinars and . Texas public library board in Llano County is sued over book bans | The A popular European team sport with a history dating back hundreds, if not thousands, of years, handball is an increasingly enjoyed activity worldwide. We are on the side of freedom.. A small Texas county is weighing whether to shut down its public library system after a federal judge ruled the commissioners violated the constitution by banning a dozen mostly children's books and ordered that they be put back in circulation. American Library Association says a record total of books have been targeted. The case was heard at Preston Crown Court on Wednesday (May 10), For decades, public libraries across the country and their staffs have operated under a modern understanding of court rulings that say books and other materials cannot be removed simply because government officials do not like the ideas they. But four childrens picture books with silly themes and rhymes also were banned. Amit Navinbhai Patel of Broadgate, Preston was sentenced to eight months suspended for 24 months. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey. Republican-backed efforts across the country, including what critics call the "Don't Say Gay" law in Florida or the anti-race education legislation, aim to limit speech and/or content on race, gender and sexual orientation. Were trying to get consistency in operations. According to the Texas Tribune, the library staff conducted a thorough review of every childrens book in the library to assess their content. "They are threatening to close the libraries because they would rather shut down the Library System entirely depriving thousands of Llano county residents of access to books, learning resources, and meeting space than make the banned books available to residents who want to read them.". I believe in managing my own family and what my children read. The freedom fight has chosen every single American who recognizes that an institution without books about racism, without books about homophobia, without books about the Holocaust, without queer characters, without books by authors of color, is not a library, it is a propaganda shop masquerading as a library.. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Llano County faces federal lawsuit over censorship in library system, Receive Breaking news and the best of DailyTrib.com Direct to your inbox, dissolution and creation of the countys Library Advisory Board, March 9 termination of the head librarian of the Kingsland Branch Library, recent decision to close meetings to the public, direct quotes from emails and other correspondence sent between county officials, advisory board members, and library staff, accessed online at the PacerMonitor website, LCRA helping groups battle invasive plants on LBJ, Inks, Invasive hydrilla explodes across the Highland Lakes. It continued, They are not places where the people in power can dictate what their citizens are permitted to read about and learn. A group of residents in Llano County, Texas, is suing county officials for removing books from public libraries . I would also like to know why my earlier comment was removed? Castelan resigned one day after presenting a letter of grievance signed by the remaining six librarians to system Director Amber Milum during a quarterly staff meeting Sept. 12. I dont understand it. Llano County Main Library She said she was on the side of those who wanted to close the libraries and predicted the federal judge's ruling would be overturned on appeal. Llano County, Texas, officials are embroiled in a lawsuit over materials pulled from county libraries. The complaint also states that the rights laid out in the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees U.S. citizens the right to due process, are being violated. tools like Facebook, Linked-in, and Goodreads. He was referring to the advisory boards March 3 decision to close meetings to the public. LLANO, Texas A small-town Texas library system threatened with extinction was spared Thursday after theLlano County commissioners said they would abide by a federal judge's order to restore the books they banned rather than shut the system down. The opinions and views expressed here are those of the person commenting and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DailyTrib.com or Victory Media Marketing. LLANO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) Llano County will keep its library after Llano County commissioners voted to remove an item about its future from its agenda. Far West Texas Local television personalities Matthew Rodrigues and Cortney Hall of NBCs Chicago Today announced that NBC is planning to expand its monthly banned books club, which launched in January 2023, to other media markets. The plaintiffs are represented by legal teams from law firms BraunHagey & Borden in California and Wittliff Cutter in Austin. like ebooks, movies, and research databases are granted through your Just close the pools. Both have said they are considering lawsuits against the county. News stories, staff photos, and other online content are copyrighted property of Victory Media. In total, 29 stories have been published about Llano County which Ground News has aggregated in the past 3 months. of any web page. When he arrived at the commissioners' courtroom Thursday morning, he ran into a group of people who support banning the books gathered in the shade of a tent that had been set up for them outside and learned they had been given speaking slots. The Llano County Library System will reopen on Monday, Dec. 27. More than a gathering space for topical lectures, group meetings, and crafting projects, Llano Countys public libraries provide Plaintiffs and other community members with a quiet and contemplative space to explore the marketplace of ideas and pursue the knowledge contained within the books on library shelves, the 32-page legal document reads. The complaint states that the library system's policy claims that in no case should any book be excluded because of race or nationality or the political or religious views of the writer.". A Texas county's library system is being threatened amid an ongoing battle over banned books. The residents contended that their First Amendment rights to free speech were violated, as well as their 14th Amendment right to due process, because the books were removed without notice or ability to appeal. at time of checkout. There, seven residents filed a lawsuit back in April 2022, alleging that their First and Fourteenth amendment rights had been violated when the county pulled books from the shelves and restricted access in what appeared to be a coordinated effort between library and county officials. Were so used to doing our work quietly. Llano County public officials dont have to read any books they disagree with but they have no right to ban them.. To tell you all how much we appreciate you, and to give you all our support. In an entertaining 30-minute onstage talk with her publisher, Justin Chanda, senior v-p at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Blume, whose books remain among the ALAs all-time most challenged, recalled her past battles with book banners. All rights reserved. : The Birth of an American Terrorist Group" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents," by Isabel Wilkerson and "It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health" by Robie H. Harris. West Texas I would rather people choose to follow Him and His ways of their own free will. Panhandle I am for closing the library until we get these books off the shelves., The commissioners allowed testimony from just a dozen or so residents before they went into executive session, which is held behind closed doors, while the library opponents began praying out loud and singing "Amazing Grace.". LLANO, Texas Controversy started brewing over certain books in the Llano County library system two years ago when residents complained that certain books were inappropriate for children. Home Government Llano County Llano County faces federal lawsuit over censorship in library system. Home Government Llano County Llano County library issue draws crowd, national press, The March 28 meeting of the Llano County Commissioners Court was standing-room only during the public comments portion. Public libraries are not places of government indoctrination, the lawsuit filed Monday reads. One of two library agenda items was related to new bylaws for the newly formed advisory board. It may not be my book, it may not be your book, but it could be someone elses book and we have no right to take that book away from them, Baker said. Twelve people spoke about what kinds of books should not be available on library shelves. Guess the price. CNN A federal judge in Texas ruled that at least 12 books removed from public libraries by Llano County officials, many because of their LGBTQ and racial content, must be placed back onto. A complaint, which is the legal document needed to initiate a lawsuit, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, a federal district court, at about 10 a.m. Monday, April 25. But we need to build relationships with people in our community who may take libraries for granted., Matthew Matkowski, head of adult services at the Palos Heights (Ill.) Public Library, agreed. Now, some worry. A dozen people spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting, with 10 of them voicing concerns over pornographic materials in the library system, protecting children and our most vunerable citizens, and claiming that certain books are used by pedophiles to groom children. Book wars: Texas county poised to close its libraries - Axios Marble Falls, Burnet, Kingsland, Llano, Spicewood, Horseshoe Bay, and ALL of the Highland Lakes. The book-banning issue drove a wedge through this mostly rural county 75 miles west of Austin. Texas county votes to keep library system open - NBC News The initiative, called Learning Without Limits, will support broadband hot spot distribution from libraries and schools across the country. The pro-library speakers were followed by a contingent of residents who support efforts to ban certain books and who used their two minutes to read, out of context, excerpts from the targeted tomes. The library should take the appropriate approved measures to remove this material. "This is the final warning and termination," Baker said, as she pointed. Look for this image on the right side LLANO Denise Kennedy emerged from the Llano County Courtroom to jubilant cheers from her fellow library supporters, eager to hear what was going on in the cramped meeting room on Thursday. One speaker, Keenan Fletcher, called out two books, Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe and Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison, for including graphic images and themes throughout. Llano resident Rhonda Schneider read passages from the book Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, a novel by Jesse Andrews that does not appear to be on the list of banned books but which some parents have criticized for including some sexual language. More importantly, in the midst of a wearying, organized political attack on the freedom to read, the high-energy gathering delivered something the library community has been sorely in need ofa strong show of support. The Library offers many electronic resources that can be accessed inside or outside the library on most devices. In response to U.S. district judge Robert Pitman's order to restock the books, the county implied it might not be able to keep the libraries open if librarians were fearful of other "me too" lawsuits and urged the judge to rescind his order to "ensure that the county's libraries will remain open while the appeal proceeds.". Some examples outlined in the legal document are the removal of 12 books, including In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, and Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings; the suspension of new book acquisitions; and the decision to discontinue use of the online reading service OverDrive, which now operates as Libby. Please keep buying the books that matter to young people., And on Sunday, June 25, Emily Amick, better known as Emily in Your Phone on social media, offered an illuminating look at the well-funded, well-organized right-wing political groups (most prominently Moms for Liberty) that are fueling the attack on the freedom to read. Weve tested the most popular exercise dresses to see which are practical for boxing class, which are just for mimosas and which swing both ways. Reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited without the express written consent of the publisher. Stop trying to explain the Marfa Lights. Una de las personas que estuvo en el siniestro asegura que hicieron mal el croquis. That a county would consider doing away with them altogether signals a troubling, but not unprecedented, retreat from the belief in the public good. Search. I say this as one who doesnt necessarily agree with some of the subjects mentioned personally. Normally a tight 90-minute affair, this years opening session was nearly two hours. People read books that have been banned while Llano County officials read the Declaration of Independence at a celebration. Llano County faces federal lawsuit over censorship in library system Llano County Library System - Welcome! LLANO, Texas A small-town Texas library system threatened with extinction was spared Thursday after the Llano County commissioners said they would abide by a federal judge's order to. In the name of Jesus Christ, God made us a certain way and we need to protect our children, amen.. One plaintiff, according to the lawsuit, "holds a masters degree in Library and Information Science, previously managed the rare books collection at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and formerly served on a library board in Wichita Falls." (Editorial) The Editorial Board April 12, 2023 Updated: April 12, 2023 12:35 p.m. People read books that have been banned while Llano County officials read the Declaration of Independence at a. They were Larry the Farting Leprechaun, Gary the Goose and His Gas on the Loose, Freddie the Farting Snowman and Harvey the Heart Has Too Many Farts, according to the complaint. Thats exactly it.. He asked districts to provide insight into library material that discussed human sexuality "or contain[ed] material that might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex or convey that a student, by virtue of their race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.". In late March this year, a federal judge ordered the libraries to return the books in question to the shelves and to cease weeding anymore books until the lawsuit was resolved. These books are not pornography. She claims one of the books was about life as a transgender teen. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Sign Up for Daily News & Breaking News Newsletters, Sign up for Digging Deep: Inside KXAN Investigates newsletter, TxTag Troubles | A Viewer-Driven Investigation. 2024 Precinct 2. ", The county judge reportedly wrote in an email to Bonnie Wallace, the woman who first alerted the county to supposed Pornographic Filth in its libraries and who is now the vice-chair of the countys library advisory board, that the county is not mandated by law to provide a public library., Even prior to this weeks meeting, the county had radically reshaped the library system, undermining its function as a public resource by first freezing its ability to add any new purchased ordonated books, then stuffing its library advisory board with outspoken critics who quickly closed their meetings to the public. Llano County is just one of many nationwide fired up about the restriction of subjects in public libraries and schools. We are saying enough. you become more aware of and more comfortable using The American Library Association, the Authors. The Llano County community's push to scrutinize the local library's book stacks comes two months after a Texas lawmaker first questioned the inclusion of more than 850 books about race,. Texas residents sue county for removing books on race, sex - ABC News The solution is probably not going to please either side 100 percent, but our commissioners and our librarians and our Library Advisory Board are all things weve been working on for over two years.. I have now counted 12 books that I know have been removed from Llano County Library, and I cant get clarification from the library system on why, Little said. A collection of interactive tutorials, practice tests, The freedom fight has chosen every single person who treasures books, who treasures knowledge, who treasures the truth. In addition to the complaint, the plaintiffs legal team is also working on filing a motion for preliminary injunction, which is a pre-trial court order that would require the county to immediately roll back restrictions in question, such as bringing new books into the library system and putting the previously removed books back on the shelves. Library System Catalog! Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Receive Breaking news and the best of DailyTrib.com Direct to your inbox, when the county decided to close the libraries on Saturdays, Llano Library building was included in a possible trade of property, building is no longer part of trade negotiations, posted a link to instructions on the protocol, LCRA helping groups battle invasive plants on LBJ, Inks, Invasive hydrilla explodes across the Highland Lakes. Which no one is forcing their kids to read anything.. He noted that the attendance of the library systems director at board meetings was not included and that statements surrounding the boards interactions with the public were vague. The Commissioners Court for Llano County voted to close the public library to "inventory and catalog" their books after . The 2023 American Library Association Annual Conference concluded on June 27, in Chicago, with the ALA reporting a solid bump in turnout over 2022. New to PW? Last year, anassistant principal at a Mississippi elementary school was firedafter he read I Need a New Butt! to a second grade class. For off-site access, click here. And if they were to shut it down, it would absolutely be the end of a key piece of our county's history.". Also in attendance were Leila Little, the unofficial spokesperson for a recently formed anti-censorship group, and Suzette Baker, the former head librarian at the Kingsland Library, who was fired earlier this month. Brandon. Ive seen my character tarnished, my professionalism questioned, and felt unsupported by my county.. Before the commissioners made their decision, residents were given two minutes apiece to weigh in at an emergency meeting. Llano County Texas faces First Amendment censorship challenge after Enjoy the mystery. Texans now challenging books in local public libraries - The Texas Tribune And there was a general sense that, after nearly three years of an organized political assault, freedom to read advocates were finally getting themselves organized, and the tide may be beginning to turn in their favor. Inside the tent, Jason Herron, 39, denied that they had been given preferential treatment and said they arrived not long after dawn to pray. Marble Falls, Burnet, Kingsland, Llano, Spicewood, Horseshoe Bay, and ALL of the Highland Lakes. The Library offers many electronic resources that can be accessed inside or outside the library on most devices. Google Apps and Microsoft Apps. Now that the initial complaint has been filed, the next step in the legal process will be to serve a copy of the complaint and legal summons to all of the defendants named. They just want to be able to use our children as sex objects for their own pleasure. Texas residents are suing their county after books were removed - CNN Judge Kyle Duncan made the remark while serving on a 5th U.S. CNN A rural Texas county that was ordered by a federal judge to return banned books to its public library shelves is now considering shutting down its libraries entirely.