Seattle library’s program challenging banned books tops 1 million teen e-book checkouts; KOMO, October 1, 2026

 KOMO News Staff , KOMO; Seattle library’s program challenging banned books tops 1 million teen e-book checkouts

"With Banned Books Week 2026 (Oct. 4-10) approaching, the Seattle Public Library’s Books Unbanned program has passed a major milestone: more than 1 million e-book checkouts by teens and young adults.

The library said young people from all 50 states have checked out 1.1 million e-books and e-audiobooks since the program launched in 2023. 

The Books Unbanned e-card is available to anyone ages 13 to 26 anywhere in the United States outside of the library’s service area, and the program is funded entirely by donors to The Seattle Public Library Foundation.

Donors have invested nearly $900,000 since 2023 to sustain and grow the program, according to the library and foundation. The funding comes as public libraries across the country face rising book challenges and, in some places, reduced support."

New State List Underscores Astonishing State of Book Bans Across Florida; PEN America, September 10, 2026

 PEN America; New State List Underscores Astonishing State of Book Bans Across Florida

"The Florida Department of Education’s annual report of books and materials removed, restricted, or discontinued by school districts for the 2025–2026 school year underscores the astonishing state of book banning across Florida, PEN America and Florida Freedom to Read said today. 

The Department’s annual report details more than 600 instances of censorship across 10 districts in the last school year, demonstrating that concerns about book banning in the state are not exaggerated. The list includes acclaimed and widely taught works by authors including Judy Blume, Carl Hiaasen, Mildred D. Taylor, Jacqueline Woodson, Angie Thomas, Elizabeth Acevedo, Laurie Halse Anderson, and many others. 

The two organizations are urging Florida school districts not to treat the department’s list as a de facto statewide blacklist.

“This list is indisputable evidence of the continuing threat that book banning poses to the freedom to read in Florida,” said William Johnson, director of PEN America’s Florida office. “But we can’t allow this rampant book censorship to continue. A book’s removal in one Florida county should not become a license to ban it in the other 66. When the state circulates a list of removed and restricted books for districts to consider, districts must resist the urge to capitulate and copy what each other is banning.”

“When the state takes one parent’s objection, turns it into a statewide model, and pressures districts to follow it without regard for local input, it takes the decision out of the hands of the parents, educators, and school boards who know their communities best. Each school district should evaluate materials independently, transparently, and in full context, with decisions guided by professional educators and librarians and informed by the needs of students and families who live there,” said Stephana Ferrell of Florida Freedom to Read Project

Under Florida law, school districts must report all objections to instructional and library materials and the outcomes of those objections to the Florida Department of Education at the end of every school year. The Department then compiles the decisions to remove, restrict, or discontinue and distributes the list to every Florida school district “for consideration” when districts select materials for students. As a result, a decision to remove a book in one Florida community does not necessarily stay local, as it can influence book removals hundreds of miles away. For example, Escambia County’s lengthy list of removals and restrictions for the 2025–26 school year shows how this can play out. Rather than allowing local review committees to consider objections, the district has aligned its library catalog with removal decisions published on previous state lists. 

Florida’s statewide system gives individual objections to books extraordinary reach. National research has already demonstrated how a small number of people can drive large numbers of book challenges. A 2023 Washington Post investigation of more than 1,000 school book challenges found that just 11 people were responsible for 60 percent of the challenges examined. Florida’s statewide list risks magnifying that dynamic by turning individual removal decisions into warnings for every school district in the state.

As PEN America has previously explained, the Department’s report does not fully capture censorship in Florida schools. The list can exclude books pulled for internal review or otherwise restricted, as well as critical context about local review decisions, including when committees vote to retain books but district leaders remove them anyway. The report also omits challenges that result in books remaining available. Providing this context would help districts make more informed decisions when considering the state’s list."

No more book bans: how Florida students are pushing rightwingers out of school boards; The Guardian, September 18, 2026

Anna North, The Guardian; No more book bans: how Florida students are pushing rightwingers out of school boards

Local communities are fighting back against the influence of conservative groups like Moms for Liberty in education

"By channeling anger against mask mandates in schools, the rightwing group Moms for Liberty, founded in Florida, built an outsized influence on school boards across the country in 2022. Soon, members began pressuring schools to remake their curricula along conservative ideological lines, erasing mentions of LGBTQ+ Americans, slavery, racism and more.

As a Black dad living in a historically Black part of Sarasota, Glover said he was especially disturbed by governor Ron DeSantis’s announcement that Florida schools would begin teaching students that some Black people benefited from slavery. “Now my children and the students in my community weren’t going to be learning about the true history of this country,” Glover said.

So the father of four decided to run for Sarasota’s school board this year. He is part of a larger movement of students, parents, teachers and concerned community members pushing back against the influence of groups like Moms for Liberty in Florida public education. They wanted schools that were safe and welcoming for all students, and that focused on learning rather than scoring points on the national political scene.

And last month, they won."

Pope: A library is not just place of books but of relationships and exchange; Vatican News, September 14, 2026

 Kielce Gussie, Vatican News ; Pope: A library is not just place of books but of relationships and exchange

"Speaking to the staff of the Vatican Archives and Library, Pope Leo XIV highlights the importance of the mission of these two institutions in service of the Church and the world and notes that the Library is not simply a place full of books, but a place built by relationships, exchange, and sharing ideas."

Library books overdue by 116 years returned in 'excellent condition'; BBC Wales, September 10, 2026

Jessica Johnson BBC Wales ; Library books overdue by 116 years returned in 'excellent condition'

"A man has returned his late grandfather's library books which were overdue by 116 years.

Peter O'Sullivan's grandfather, Walter Griffith Owen, took out Milton's Paradise Lost and Shakespeare's King Lear in 1910." 

Fired librarian Patty Hector gets payday from Saline County; Arkansas Times, August 28, 2026

Byron Tate, Arkansas Times; Fired librarian Patty Hector gets payday from Saline County 

"Patty Hector, the Saline County librarian — eventually the fired Saline County librarian — who wouldn’t bend the knee to Republican demands to hide books they didn’t like, came out $275,000 to the good in a lawsuit she filed against the county.

In October 2023, after months of controversy and harassment over the placement of books on gender and race, Hector was fired by Saline County Judge Matt Brumley after the all-Republican Quorum Court stripped the power to hire and fire library directors from the county’s Library Board, which had declined to take action, and gave it to the county judge.

The American Civil Liberties Union took up her case in February 2025, filing a federal lawsuit against the county, alleging Hector’s First Amendment rights had been trampled when she was retaliated against because of her public stance against the censorship efforts."

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Changes Lives. Some States Gut It Anyway.; The New York Times, August 26, 2026

Ash Wu, The New York Times; Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Changes Lives. Some States Gut It Anyway.

"In 1995, Parton started the Imagination Library in Sevier County, Tenn., where she grew up. The program mails a free book each month to registered children from birth until age 5.

The Imagination Library mushroomed after forging an exclusive partnership with Penguin Young Readers in 2001; the agreement was later expanded to include Random House Children’s Books, after Penguin and Random House merged in 2012. In the United States, books are selected by childhood literacy experts, according to the Imagination Library website. Educational nonprofits that partner with the library help to enroll children in their local communities in the program, paying an average of $2.60 per child to cover the costs of books and postage each month.

Parton dedicated the library to her father, a farmer who never learned to read or write.

“My daddy just loved it when all the little kids would call me ‘The Book Lady,’” Parton wrote in a note to fans that was previously posted to her website. “That meant more to him than the fact that I had become a star and worked my butt off.”"

Dolly Parton Shared How She Wanted to Be Remembered Before Death; E! News, August 25, 2026

 GABRIELLE CHUNG, E! News ; Dolly Parton Shared How She Wanted to Be Remembered Before Death

Before Dolly Parton died at 80 on Aug. 25, she said she wanted to be remembered not for her country music career, but for her work as "the book lady" through her Imagination Library charity program.

"Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 wasn't all about music.

In fact, the country singer—who died on Aug. 25 at age 80—always wanted to be remembered for her work through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a charitable program that provides free books to kids from birth to age 5.

“My dad couldn't read or write and that was kind of crippling to him," she shared in her 2020 documentary The Library That Dolly Built. "Of all the things I’ve done in my life—and it’s been a lot because I’ve been around a long time—this is one of the most precious things and the proudest I’ve been of any program I’ve ever been involved in, working with these kids."

And that's how she became "the book lady" amongst her youngest fans.

"Daddy got to live long enough to hear the kids call me 'the book lady,'" Dolly, who launched the book-gifting project in 1995 in honor of her father Robert Lee Parton, told Today in 2019. "He was proud of as me being a star, and that meant so much to him."

So, which title did she prefer most: country music queen or book lady?

"The book lady," she said without hesitation. "I have loved doing this for the kids. There's nothing more important than our little kids, to make an impression on them when they're young and to teach them the right things early on."

Surging book demand leaves NC libraries struggling with long waitlists, pricey content; NC Newsline, August 21, 2026

 KATE DENNING, CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS VIA NC Newsline; Surging book demand leaves NC libraries struggling with long waitlists, pricey content

"If you’re someone who frequents a North Carolina public library — especially in an urban area like Raleigh or Charlotte — you might be all too familiar with searching the catalog for a buzzy book, only to find the waitlist is hundreds, if not thousands, of people long.

Local library employees say the entire country faces this issue, but North Carolina’s booming population and the growing number of library patrons in the state make it especially challenging.

Even worse than the waitlist for physical copies is the one for e-book and audiobook versions. E-content has unique barriers, including costing libraries up to three times the price of a physical book, that make it difficult to keep up with the heightened demand...

With around 66 people moving into Wake County per day, the libraries subsequently have new patrons coming in to register for a library card every single day, Brooks said. This heightened demand can be noticed most by the surge in e-content checkouts...

‘Disappearing, limited-access content’

Demand for digital items has steadily risen, especially since the pandemic, Escalante wrote. The challenge for keeping e-content available consistently is “always going to be the increasing cost of digital licenses.”

The ULC and other national library organizations recently spoke out about the strain the licensing process and cost of e-content is putting on local branches. An open letter to book publishers says while individuals pay $13 for an e-book on average, which they maintain access to in perpetuity, libraries often spend upwards of $55 for a singular two-year license.

“Many libraries are now spending 50% or more of their collections budgets — taxpayer funds — on disappearing, limited-access content, giving them less ability to support lesser-known authors and smaller publishers,” the statement reads.

“Meanwhile, wait times for readers of all ages have exploded, as libraries spend more to get less in our digital collection.”"

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick proposes penalties for schools that keep “vulgar” books on library shelves; The Texas Tribune, August 19, 2026

 ALEJANDRO SERRANO , The Texas Tribune; Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick proposes penalties for schools that keep “vulgar” books on library shelves

"Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday vowed to pass legislation punishing public schools that do not remove graphic books from their shelves by knocking them down a notch in the state’s annual school performance ratings, which the state uses to seize control of underperforming districts. 

Flanked by easels displaying printed covers of books he found obscene, the lieutenant governor said school boards and administrators have not been following a 2025 law aimed at weeding out lewd books from the shelves in Texas’ more than 9,000 campuses attended by some 5.5 million schoolchildren. 

“It’s the law and we expect you to follow the law. So we’re coming for the books,” Patrick said during a news conference at the Texas Capitol. “We ask that you do it on your own and remove these books.”

The law from last year, Senate Bill 13, granted school boards the authority to approve and remove books based on complaints they receive, such as those from parents and activist groups. Before, those powers largely belonged to school librarians. But Patrick said an overwhelming majority of school boards have not taken any action, as the law nears one year in effect."

We asked Stephen King about Utah banning his books. Here’s what the bestselling author said.; The Salt Lake Tribune, July 23, 2026

 Palak Jayswal, The Salt Lake Tribune ; We asked Stephen King about Utah banning his books. Here’s what the bestselling author said.

"Earlier this month, bestselling horror author Stephen King had his second title, “Different Seasons,” added to an ever-growing list of books banned in all Utah public schools. 

And while King said he doesn’t usually “respond to queries about book banning,” he believes “this case is a little different.”

In a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune, King wrote:..."

Frustrated with book bans, these Utah bookstores now hand out free copies of titles pulled from public schools; The Salt Lake Tribune, June 30, 2026

 Carmen Nesbitt, The Salt Lake Tribune; Frustrated with book bans, these Utah bookstores now hand out free copies of titles pulled from public schools

"A group of LGBTQ organizations and independent bookstores have teamed up to hand out free copies of books that have been banned from all Utah public schools.

The giveaways will continue, they say, until the state ends its practice of removing titles from school shelves statewide.

Organizers of the “Read Between the Bans” campaign include The King’s English Bookshop, Under The Umbrella bookstore, The Legendarium bookstore and Weller Book Works, along with Utah’s LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce and Safe Zone Utah...

Inside Brain Food Books’ “bookmobile,” a section of free banned books was also set up for festival attendees to peruse. The nonprofit, sponsored by The King’s English Bookshop, helps get books to people who otherwise lack “regular access,” according to its website."

Ann Patchett to Receive 2026 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction; Library of Congress, June 23, 2026

 Library of Congress; Ann Patchett to Receive 2026 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction

"The Library of Congress has announced that the 2026 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction will be awarded to Ann Patchett at the National Book Festival on Aug. 22.

The annual Prize for American Fiction, one of the Library’s most prestigious awards, honors an American literary writer whose body of work is distinguished by its mastery of the art, as well as its originality of thought and imagination.

“Ann Patchett crafts moving, probing, tender novels. She has a talent for creating fiction that readers continually devour because she thinks deeply and writes evocatively about human connection,” said Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen. “I am thrilled that she is the 2026 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction recipient.”

The award seeks to recognize strong, unique, enduring voices that, throughout long and consistently accomplished careers, have told us something about the American experience.

“The Library of Congress is one of our nation’s noblest institutions, and it’s full of librarians, who I consider to be the very noblest of people. I am grateful for this award and honored by the association,” said Patchett.

Recipient of the PEN/Faulkner Award, the United Kingdom’s Women's Prize for Fiction and, most recently, the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award, among other honors, Patchett is the author of 10 novels, including “The Dutch House” (Pulitzer Prize finalist), “The Patron Saint of Liars,” “Bel Canto,” “Commonwealth” and “Taft,” as well as nonfiction and children’s books. She was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and received the National Humanities Medal in recognition of her contributions to American culture. Her books have been translated into more than 30 languages.

Nearly 15 years ago, Patchett opened Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee. She has since become an advocate for independent booksellers, championing books and bookstores. She was the inaugural ambassador for the Book Industry Charitable Foundation and founded the Parnassus Books Foundation, which gives books to children in Title I schools in Nashville.

Patchett will discuss her latest book, “Whistler,” most recently the New York Times No. 1 bestseller, at the 2026 National Book Festival. The novel tells the story of a chance reunion of a grown daughter and her long-lost former stepfather whom she knew briefly during her childhood. Despite the many years that have passed, their indelible bond is evident as they revisit and reflect on the unique trajectories of their lives, revealing the transformative power of reconnection.

For more information on the prize, including previous winners, visit https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/prizes/fiction-prize/."

Little Queer Libraries offer banned books across the Pittsburgh region; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 16, 2026

 SONO MOTOYAMA, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ; Little Queer Libraries offer banned books across the Pittsburgh region

The Pittsburgh Equality Center has stocked free libraries at community spaces in Pittsburgh and three counties

"Inspired by those colorful outdoor boxes that invite you to take books or small objects for free, the Pittsburgh Equality Center has launched a network of Little Queer Libraries in time for Pride Month.

“I saw all these little free libraries out there in people’s lawns and throughout neighborhoods, and I thought, well, we could put LGBTQ+ literature in those,” said Ray Sidney-Smith, president and board chair of the Pittsburgh Equality Center.

In keeping with the nonprofit’s mission to advocate and support the LGBTQ+ community, it is supplying a selection of adult, young adult and children’s literature in accessible sites around the region. Borrowers can take the books and then return them when they’re done.

Community members can also donate books by placing them inside the libraries or by contacting the center.   

The center has made a point of stocking the boxes with titles on the list of books banned by public schools and libraries compiled by the writers organization PEN America.

“We are saddened that our rights are under attack in a lot of ways, and the LGBTQ+ community deserves the ability to access books [that reflect] all of our identities readily and accessibly,” Sidney-Smith said...

The first five libraries — out of projected 10 — are at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg; Penn Hills Library; Garfield’s Soft Spot Café; SoulLumination, a Canonsburg spiritual and wellness center; and Proud Haven, a North Side organization serving LGBTQIA+ youth.

Each library holds 10-20 books and the first five were designed and painted by volunteers."

Americans Want to Read. Give Them Books.; The New York Times, May 31, 2026

Brian Bannon, The New York Times; Americans Want to Read. Give Them Books.

"More New Yorkers are borrowing books from the New York Public Library today than 15 years ago; borrowing is up 27 percent since 2010. And yet America is facing a book-reading crisis...

Libraries themselves were throwing up barriers to reading...

The reading crisis is real. But we don’t need new inventions to build a reading city. Exempt books from sales taxes the way we exempt prescription medicine. Invest in library collections and reduce wait lists for books. Open nonprofit and hybrid bookstoreswhen the market alone cannot sustain them. Build on the models that already work: reading in laundromats, libraries in transit systems, books in barbershops, classrooms, homes and pediatric offices."

Ousted library director wins $475,000 settlement in discrimination lawsuit against Montgomery County; Houston Public Media, May 22, 2026

 

Kyle McClenagan

, Houston Public Media ; Ousted library director wins $475,000 settlement in discrimination lawsuit against Montgomery County

"Rhea Young, who served as the director of the Montgomery County library system from 2022 until her termination in January 2025, sued the county last year, alleging she was fired in retaliation for refusing to segregate and limit access to books containing LGBTQ+ themes or ideas. On Wednesday, commissioners for the Houston-area county approved the settlement following a closed-door discussion.

Young will receive $475,000 as part of the settlement, of which $206,797 will be used for attorney's fees, according to a copy of the settlement shared with Houston Public Media." 

Budget cuts mean some Missouri kids won’t get free books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library; St. Louis Public Library, May 21, 2026

 Rebecca Thiele , St. Louis Public Library; Budget cuts mean some Missouri kids won’t get free books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

"The state will no longer be able to send all Missouri children free books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The program set up by the famous country artist mails age-appropriate books to children from birth to age 5.

Missouri lawmakers cut the Imagination Library’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year by more than half, from about $6 million to $2 million.

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said it won’t have the money to enroll new children in the program after next month. The department said kids who are enrolled now will continue to receive books as funding allows.

Education department officials said they could potentially partner with local programs or private donors to revive the Imagination Library."

This Bookstore Gets Good Mileage; The New York Times, May 9, 2026

Visuals and Text by Ruth Fremson, The New York Times; This Bookstore Gets Good Mileage

"Saint Rita’s Amazing Traveling Bookstore Textual Apothecary (its name painted on the sides and back of the van) is a vehicle for the cross-pollination of people and conversation. That’s what has evolved since Collins, now 74, began imagining her retirement dream more than a decade ago — not just selling high quality, inexpensive books, but setting her love of people, places and the wonders of a good read all in motion together."

Huntington Beach ordered to pay $1 million in lawyer fees in library censorship lawsuit; The Orange County Register, April 30, 2026

 CLAIRE WANG , The Orange County Register; Huntington Beach ordered to pay $1 million in lawyer fees in library censorship lawsuit

"Huntington Beach must foot roughly $1 million in legal bills for restricting minors’ access to certain books at the city’s library, an Orange County judge ordered this week.

In a tentative ruling Monday, April 27, Orange County Judge Lindsey Martinez said the city needs to pay $960,000 to attorneys from four legal organizations, who billed more than 1,300 hours of work on the high-profile lawsuit against the city’s book restriction policy."

Got an Old Kindle? It Might Not Work Anymore. Here’s What to Do.; The New York Times, April 9, 2026

Brenda Stolyar, The New York Times; Got an Old Kindle? It Might Not Work Anymore. Here’s What to Do. 

"Earlier this week, Amazon notified its customers via email that, starting May 20, it will end support for Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 or earlier. That means you’ll no longer be able to download new content to your e-reader via Amazon’s Kindle Store.

Although you don’t have to stop using your old Kindle immediately, the restricted functionality may force you to consider whether you want to upgrade to a newer version or ditch the Amazon ecosystem altogether.

If you own a Kindle that’s no longer supported, Amazon wants you to buy a new one. The company is offering a 20% discount that you can apply toward one of its new Kindle models, along with a $20 e-book credit that will automatically be applied to your account with the purchase of a new device. The promotion will be valid through June 20, exactly a month after the company ends support for its older models.

Here’s what you need to know about Amazon’s decision to sunset its older e-readers and tablets, and what that means for you."