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As we move into fall — my favorite time of the year — 2024 is not slowing down. Elections are straight ahead, and U.S. citizens are voting on
candidates and ballot measures that will make a significant impact locally, regionally, statewide, nationally and even at the global level. It is critical to encourage everyone to vote, whatever their vote will be. The American Library Association is working
with the League of Women Voters on the
Reader. Voter. Ready. project; both organizations are committed to encouraging people to vote at all levels. Please support that work where you can. And vote!
United for Libraries continues to help protect the “freedom to read.” Last month I attended ALA’s
Intellectual Freedom Summit, in Washington, D.C. – a national summit on intellectual freedom, democracy, and book censorship in the 21st century. This gathering of organizations
and information leaders will build stronger partnerships and clear messages in the difficult and ongoing fight against censorship. We look forward to continuing these conversations.
United hosted a free informative webinar for Trustees and boards recently that can help you locally: "Banned
Books 101: What Library Boards & Trustees Need to Know” Even if you are not currently on a board, the information is very helpful and important, either as an introduction or as a refresher about what you can do to protect the freedom to read.
Do let us know how you are celebrating
National Friends of Libraries Week - October 20-26, 2024. We’d love to hear and share your stories.
Best wishes for a beautiful harvest season!
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Deborah Doyle
2024-2026 United for Libraries President
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United for Libraries Learning Live: ‘Building Effective Library Director/Board Relationships’ Oct. 8 and ‘Innovative and Profitable Friends of the Library Book
Sales’ Nov. 12
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The
United for Libraries Learning Live on Oct. 8, “Building Effective Library Director/Board Relationships,” will feature Nicolle Davies, Assistant Commissioner, Department
of Education, Colorado State Library, and Janet Segal, Chair of The Library Foundation (Charleston, S.C.).
The Nov. 12 Learning Live will focus on “Innovative and Profitable Friends of the Library Book Sales,” and the Dec. 10 session will cover "Telling
Stories That Inspire Engagement." Learning Live sessions are recorded and available on-demand.
Learning Live is free to those in MA, MD, MI, MN, ND, NE, OR, SC & VA through partnerships with the State Library in each location.
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Join United for Libraries Virtual Roundtable Discussion Groups, Oct. 29 and Dec. 12
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All United for Libraries personal members are invited to join Virtual Roundtable Discussion Groups on Oct. 29, 2-3 p.m. Eastern, and Dec. 12,
7:30-8:30 p.m. Eastern. Via Zoom, participants will be brought together in small groups facilitated by United for Libraries member-leaders and staff. Attendees will participate in two groups, and topics will be determined based on the interest of attendees.
The sessions are offered live only and will not be recorded.
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Interested in serving on a United for Libraries committee?
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United for Libraries personal members are encouraged to fill out the Committee Interest Form to indicate interest to serve on United for Libraries
committees for 2024-2025. Visit
www.ala.org/united/about/committees for information about committee charges, deliverables, expectation of members, and desired skills, knowledge, and expertise.
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ALA reveals preliminary data on 2024 book challenges
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ALA has released preliminary data documenting attempts to censor books and materials in public, school, and academic libraries during the first
eight months of 2024. Between January 1 and August 31, 2024, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 414 attempts to censor library materials and services. In those cases, 1,128 unique titles were challenged. In the
same reporting period last year, ALA tracked 695 attempts with 1,915 unique titles challenged. Though the number of reports to date has declined in 2024, the number
of documented attempts to censor books continues to far exceed the numbers prior to 2020.
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Call for ALA Committee Volunteers for 2025-2027; sign up by Oct. 14
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ALA members are reminded to volunteer for ALA standing committees for the 2025-2027 term. Members can sign up to volunteer via the online
ALA volunteer form. Please complete and submit the form electronically The deadline to submit the volunteer form for the 2025-2027 term has been extended until Oct.
14, 2024.
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New booklist for National Voter Education Week (October 7-11)
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As part of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Reader Voter Ready civic engagement campaign, the Association for Library Service to Children
(ALSC) released “Inspiring Future
Voters,” a new booklist for young readers, featuring fiction and nonfiction books that inform youth about the voting process and inspire civic participation. Compiled and annotated by ALSC’s Quicklists Consulting committee, titles are organized
into five separate lists by age range: birth thru preK, grades K-2, grades 3-5, grades 6-8 and young adult. The booklists are free to download on the Reader.
Voter. Ready. web page.
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Watch the free recording of "Banned Books 101: What Library Boards & Trustees Need to Know"
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United for Libraries and the
Freedom to Read Foundation partnered to present a free webinar,
Banned Books 101: What Library Boards & Trustees Need to Know, on Tues. Sept. 24 at 1pm ET.
Whether or not their community has experienced book bans, library Trustees/Board Members have a responsibility to protect access to books, programs,
and resources in their libraries. Learn what board members need to know about the current state of book bans in the U.S., and how to advocate for the freedom to read and activate local support networks. Find out about United for Libraries and ALA resources,
including
Unite Against Book Bans, Advocacy Academy, and
Reader. Voter. Ready.
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ALA holds Intellectual Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C.
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From
American Libraries: “More than 120 anti-censorship advocates convened September 17 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., for a daylong Intellectual Freedom Summit. The event, organized by
the American Library Association (ALA), aimed to strengthen partnerships and sharpen strategy in the battle against book challenges.” 2024-2025 United for Libraries President Deborah Doyle was among those in attendance, and United for Libraries Past President
Skip Dye was a featured panelist.
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Samuels Public Library (Front Royal, Va.) earns awards from VLA for library, Trustee, and Friends group
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In addition to the Virginia Library Association (VLA) naming
Samuels Public Library in Front Royal the 2024 Virginia Library of the Year, VLA named Melody Hotek, President of the Samuels Public Library Board of Trustees, the Trustee
of the Year Award for her leadership and dedication, and Friends of Samuels Public Library was named the Friends group of the year.
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Applications for the Lois Ann Gregory-Wood (LAGW) Fellows Program due Oct. 16
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ALA has announced a call for applications for the
Lois Ann Gregory-Wood (LAGW) Fellows Program. One individual will be selected to receive a grant totaling $2,500 to cover costs of attending two conferences: the 2025
LibLearnX in Phoenix (Jan. 24-27, 2025) and ALA 2025 Annual Conference in Philadelphia (June 26-30, 2025). Applicants are required to have worked as a librarian, library staff member, or served as a library Trustee or Friends Board Member, for at least five
years.
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Applications for United for Libraries Awards for Innovation sponsored by Baker & Taylor due Oct. 6
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Applications for the
United for Libraries Awards for Innovation sponsored by Baker & Taylor are due Oct. 6. These awards recognize library Friends groups and library Foundations for outstanding
efforts to support their library. Three groups will be recognized for an outstanding project culminating within the previous 18 months prior to application, and each will receive $1,000.
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Get ready for National Friends of the Library Week, Oct. 20-26
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The 19th annual
National Friends of Libraries Week, presented by United for Libraries, will be held Oct. 20-26, 2024. Use the time to creatively promote your group in the community,
to raise awareness, and to promote membership. This is also an excellent opportunity for your library and Board of Trustees to recognize the Friends for their help and support of the library. United for Libraries provides free resources and graphics, and the
ALA Store offers
National Friends of Libraries Week items, including t-shirts, tote bags, stickers, and mugs. Applications for
National Friends of Libraries Week Awards will open in November.
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Friends of the Stirling Road Branch Library and Stirling Road Branch Library Teen Advisory Board present ‘Unlock Minds, Embrace Voices: Celebrating Challenged
Books’
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For Banned Books Week, Friends of the Stirling Road Branch Library (Hollywood, Fla.), along with the library’s teen advisory board, presented
Unlock Minds, Embrace Voices: Celebrating Challenged Books on Sept. 22. The thought-provoking event celebrated the freedom to read. Participants were invited to a book
giveaway (free challenged books to the first 25 children/ teens, a bookmark making activity, challenged books bingo, letter writing to authors, and more. The event was funded in part by a grant from the Friends of the Broward County Library.
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Foundations & Fundraising
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Library Foundation of Jacksonville (Fla.) to present a ‘Book Clubs of Duval County Celebration’
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The Library Foundation of Jacksonville (Fla.) will present a “Book Clubs of Duval County Celebration” on Sat., Oct. 14, at the Main Library. Members
of all local book clubs are invited to the event, which will feature New York Times bestselling Author Madeline Martin, Tenikka Smith Hughes, news anchor for CBS47 and FOX30, and Rona Brinlee, owner of The BookMark in Neptune Beach. Tickets are $35.
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Friends of the Library, Montgomery County, MD, to present ‘Read. Run. Repeat.’ 5K/10K race Oct. 20
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Friends of the Library, Montgomery County, MD, will present its first race fundraiser,
Read. Run. Repeat. 5K/10K Race, on Oct. 20. All walkers, runners, and library lovers are invited to participate, and there is also a virtual race options. Proceeds will
benefit FOLMC in support of Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL).
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King County (Wash.) Library System awards Agility Grants
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One of the ways King County (Wash.) Library Foundation supports library programming is through Agility Grants. Each year, the Foundation allocates
funds for requests that serve a more immediate need than annual advanced grants provide. An agility grant awarded this summer will be used to purchase toys that support self-guided imaginative play for children under 5 in the Renton Library children’s spaces.
This request comes from feedback shared by patrons who have identified a need for more activities for children while caregivers work online, take meetings with social service providers, or do other tasks that require focus.
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Good Ideas from the Network
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The Banned Wagon is giving out free banned books on its second tour across America
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Kicking off during
Banned Books Week (Sept. 22-30) and continuing through early October, the
Banned Wagon — powered by
Penguin Random House,
Unite Against Book Bans (UABB),
First Book, and
Little Free Library—is hitting the road for its second tour, stopping at bookstores and libraries in American communities across the Midwest and the South that are being
impacted by book banning. The tour comes at the heels of Penguin Random House’s latest
lawsuit against the State of Florida, in partnership with students, parents, authors, and publishers, for the unconstitutional book banning provisions in HB 1069, an
education law that has resulted in thousands of book removals in school libraries.
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Freedom to Read Day of Action to be held Oct. 19
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Oct. 19 is the
Freedom to Read Community Day of Action, organized by Unite Against Book Bans, the Association for Rural & Small Libraries,
@bklynlibrary,
@nypl, and
@qplnyc, in collaboration with libraries and advocates nationwide. The day will feature rallies at libraries, bookstores, places of worship, and other community hubs.
The goal is to demonstrate the broad support that exists in our communities for libraries and the freedom to read - building momentum toward robust voter participation on Nov. 5, when the simple act of casting a ballot can help protect the right of everyone
in our communities to read what they want.
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Richland Library supports ‘Broader Bookshelf Reading Challenge’ events
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Richland Library (Richland County, S.C.) will host acclaimed author and two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward as part of Richland Library’s
Broader Bookshelf Reading Challenge.
The challenge encourages participants to explore new authors and tackle challenging subjects, expanding their literary experiences. Ward, whose
works delve into themes of family, resilience, and the African American experience in the rural South, embodies the spirit of this initiative. The series is sponsored by the generous support from the
Richland Library Friends and Foundation.
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United for Libraries News & Updates
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Visit
http://united.ala.org to read about upcoming events, conferences, updates on United for Libraries resources and initiatives, news about Friends of the Library groups,
library Trustees and Foundations across the country, and more.
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Newsletter sign up: Would you like
your staff, board members, or others to receive this monthly newsletter? Sign up is available to all.
Learn
more and sign up
United for Libraries Membership:
Some of the resources above are available only to United for Libraries members. Unsure if you are a current United for Libraries member? For your membership status, email
united@ala.org or call 312-280-2161. To join, visit
www.ala.org/united/membership.
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Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at
Michigan.gov/Vote.
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