James LaRue - myliblog

[This column originally appeared in the Oct. 23, 2024 edition of the Sopris Sun.] When I was a child, my mother did three things that turned me into a reader. First, she signed me up for a library card. Later, she enrolled me in the Landmark series of American biographies for children, aimed at kids 10-15. There were similar series: Bobbs-Merrill’s “Childhood of Famous Americans,” which ran from the 1930s through the 1960s, had famously orange bindings and were also popular. Third, and maybe most important, my mother belonged to the Book of the Month club, which resulted in a modest home library. My mother knew what she was doing. It happens that there’s a lot of research about all of this. I often cite a University of Nevada, Reno study conducted back in 2010. It examined 27 countries over a span of 20 years. The surprising finding was that regardless of parental income or education, just having 500 books in the home was as good as having two parents with Master’s degrees. Early expo...

[This column originally appeared in the Post Independent on Oct. 25, 2024.] In 2017 a sudden drop in tax revenues from oil and gas properties precipitated a library crisis. Almost overnight, a third of the staff lost their jobs. In 2019, Garfield County voters approved an ongoing mill levy of 1.5. Included in that ballot language was a series of promises: restoring library hours; keeping our libraries well-maintained and in good repair; retaining qualified staff; providing books, technology and materials; providing educational classes and events, including literacy programs to help children and teens learn to read and do homework, train veterans and job seekers for new careers; prepare students for college and careers; help seniors fight isolation and prevent the effects of aging; and finally, to do all that “with citizen oversight and an independent annual audit of expenditures.” I thought it would be interesting, just as today’s crop of election-seekers are making their own promises,...

The Institute for Liberal Values  let me know that were reading my book On Censorship  for a book club. Then they invited me to join them. They livestreamed the conversation with host Elizabeth and Pam. You can find the Youtube video here  or see below.

  (Originally published in Knowledge Quest, May 14, 2024) The problem Across the country, many school and public libraries have seen a surge in intellectual freedom challenges — attempts to restrict or remove access to library resources. But this round of challenges doesn't follow the usual playbook of a single patron filling out a Request for Reconsideration for just one library resource. Instead, it looks more like this: ·        Ten to 15 people show up at a public board meeting and crowd into the slot for public comments. ·        They express (as opposed to submitting in writing) the desire to remove multiple titles, 20-30 at a time. And they request that the materials be removed while under review. ·        They read aloud the naughtiest bits they can find in the books they object to. The apparent complaint is language and sex. The books are repeatedly described as "obscene." ...