Not a Rocking Chair Librarian Zoe Midler

Laurie Halse Anderson, Ashley Hope Perez, & V.S. Santoni reflect on current campaign of censorship/book banning & educational gag orders sweeping across the country. These banned authors reflect on the impacts of book banning & discuss how the public endorsement of hate silences, suppresses & erases the voices of marginalized groups & ultimately undermines our public education system.

Members and advisors of the York Central Banned Book Club and Panther Anti Racist Union (PARU) located in York PA, join me to discuss the student activism that led to a book ban reversal in York Central School District. Renee Ellis (HS student), Patricia A. Jackson (HS teacher & author), and Ben Hodge (HS teacher) discuss their journey, what motivated them to take action, what members have experienced and learned through this process, what's the latest on curriculum materials "freeze", and what advice they have for other student activists pushing back against book bans and censorship. 

Guests John Trischittii, Nancy Jo Lambert, & Cathi Fuhrman discuss the wave of K-12 book bans, librarian vilification, & educational gag orders sweeping across the country. Guests represents hot spots for this activity, TX & PA, & share their perspectives on the impact censorship has on students, collection development, & the profession, why is this happening now, who is behind the banning effort, & who are our allies in activism to combat censorship?

Conversation w/Denver Public Schools Library Technical Services Manager, Len Bryan. Len shares lessons learned over the past year, his thoughts on advocacy, & where K-12 librarianship is headed post pandemic.

Conversation w/Library Media Specialist Kelsey Bogan about her approach to marketing the value of library services & librarians beyond just the books. We also discuss her work to create a collection that is reflective of her students cultural & life experiences via her data driven Diversity Audit.

Conversation w/4 PA TLs on how they are navigating remote librarianship & what does library/librarianship advocacy look like moving forward.