James LaRue - myliblog

  (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." But in fact, the content is almost always related to LGBTQ+ and race. ·       

[This article appeared in the September 29, 2024 edition of the Post Independent.] I’ve gone to a lot of library conferences over the course of my career. My favorite part is one of the staples: the awards ceremony. Very often, the awards call out the quiet work that has gone on in libraries for decades. The people drawn to library work are motivated by service. So we’ll see the volunteer who has run book sales for 35 years, contributing tens of thousands of dollars to library facilities. We’ll meet the staff member who introduced hundreds of children in her small town to the joys of storytimes. We’ll acknowledge the local business person who has sponsored important programs. These people are worthy of celebration. They didn’t expect recognition. But they made a difference in their communities. Sometimes, we need to hear from others just how important our work really was and is. The Colorado Association of Libraries (CAL) is one of the state “chapters” of the American Library Associat

[This column appeared in the September 25, 2024 issue of the Sopris Sun.] When I was 13, I kissed a girl. Many times. I was feeling pretty good about it until I overheard my mother, a head nurse at the Veterans Administration hospital, mention something to a colleague over the phone about the treatment of venereal disease. When you wanted to learn about something in those days, long before the internet, you went to the library. In the dictionary, I found out that venereal disease (see syphilis and gonorrhea) was the result of sexual activity. Kissing, it sure seemed to me, was sexual. Then I looked up syphilis and gonorrhea in the encyclopedia. There were pictures. It was horrifying. It was also a little unclear how you got the diseases. In something approaching panic, I dove into the card catalog. (This was before computer catalogs, too.) I looked up the logical heading: “Sex.” And right there on the main card was typed “For Sex: See Librarian.” I want to make it clear that the libra

[This column appeared in the August 28, 2024 edition of the Sopris Sun.] Did you know that there are more public library buildings in Garfield County (and in the nation) than there are McDonald's, Starbucks, or City Markets? We hold our own with traffic, too. There are the young ones who come to storytimes, the moms who bring them, the local businessmen and women working from laptops and library wifi, the seniors showing up for meetings and exercises to stay sharp. But there's something more important than the presence and use of the library. People trust us. A study by Pew Research found that 40% trust libraries "a lot," and 38% trust us "some"--both of which are about double the rate of local and national media. Part of that, I'm convinced, is that libraries have typically been established and administered by smart and service-oriented women. They're not in it for glory or money. They're in it because they believe institutions of knowledge mak

[This column appeared in the Post Independent (serving Glenwood Springs and Garfield County, Colorado) on August 23, 2024.] Back in 2007 I wrote a book about understanding and responding to attempts to remove or restrict access to library resources. Mostly, that meant challenges to books. But I fielded challenges to almost everything a library offers: exhibits, programs, artwork, databases. On the one hand, those challenges represented a tiny percentage of library use. In the 24 years I was director of the Douglas County Libraries we had 250 challenges. That sounds like a lot. But in my last year alone we checked out over 8 million titles. We offered thousands of programs. Every public institution has its critics, but they were clearly a minority of our community. (The same thing is true in Garfield County. So far in 2024, we've received two challenges to graphic novels. In the same time period, we've checked out over 50,000 children's books.) I got interested in the deep

 I just learned that I won in the Current Events Category of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards! More information is available here . I'm humbled to have written an award winning book. Also, I am now a hundredaire! Many thanks, again, to the good folks at Fulcrum Publishing.