ALA Announces Longlist for Andrew Carnegie Medals
Next up, a six-title shortlist—three each for the fiction and nonfiction medals—will be announced on November 18, 2025. The two medal winners will then be announced on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
In The News
Court Permanently Blocks Texas 'Book Rating' Law
The controversial 2023 law was viewed by many as the most high profile of a wave of book banning laws at the state level, and would have required book vendors, as a condition of doing business with Texas public schools, to review books for sexual content.
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending October 24, 2025
Among the week's headlines: publishers urge the Supreme Court to hear a key book banning case; a new Texas book banning law sparks concern; Pennsylvania legislator to introduce a 'right to read' bill; and an unexpected windfall for Carnegie libraries.
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending October 17, 2025
Among the week's headlines: the publishing world gathers for the Frankfurt Book Fair; North Dakota librarians look to move past right wing political attacks; more on the fallout from Baker & Taylor's collapse; and a program to preserve censored National Park signage goes live.
Deborah Caldwell-Stone, ALA's Stalwart Freedom to Read Advocate, Let Go in Cost Cutting Move
Caldwell-Stone's departure was part of a broader wave of job cuts announced this week as the ALA grapples with a financial shortfall and moves ahead with a recently adopted plan to modernize the association.
ACLU of South Carolina Sues Over School Book Bans
ACLU reps say a newly enacted regulation has “sown chaos and confusion among school employees,” and prompted “a culture of fear among school librarians.”
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending October 10, 2025
Among the week's headlines: Penguin Random House hosts a powerful gathering of freedom to read advocates; a wrongly fired Wyoming library director wins a settlement; 'And Tango Makes Three' authors appeal their loss in a Florida courtroom; and ALA announces a new, virtual winter event.
After Years of Financial Stress, Baker & Taylor Collapses
In a sudden end to what many saw as a slow-moving inevitability, the nearly 200 year-old company is ceasing operations after a foreclosure sale to ReaderLink fell through.
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending October 3, 2025
TIME Magazine honors freedom to read advocate Amanda Jones; The federal government shut down this week, but not before the FCC killed two popular WiFi programs; ReaderLink's acquisition of Baker & Taylor has been called off; and Reading Rainbow returns with a new host, Mychal Threets.
PEN America Report Finds the Battle Over Book Bans Has Entered an Alarming New Phase
“For many students, families, educators, librarians, and school districts, book banning is a new normal,” the report, 'Banned in the USA 2024-2025: The Normalization of Book Banning,' concludes.
In a Setback for the Freedom to Read, Florida Court Finds 'No First Amendment Right to Receive Information' in Libraries
In an 18-page ruling, judge Allen Winsor stopped short of finding that library book selection is government speech, but agreed that Escambia County officials have unfettered power to ban books they disagree with.
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending September 26, 2025
Among the week's headlines: incoming ALA executive director Dan Montgomery sits for an interview; the Trump FCC is set to kill two popular WiFi programs; the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is hosting a literacy summit; and ALA announces George Takei as honorary chair of Banned Books Week.
Judge Grants Preliminary Approval to Anthropic Settlement
While there may yet be issues to work out as the claims process begins, authors and industry groups are applauding the deal.
In New Filing, DOJ Defends Trump's Bid to Take Over the Library of Congress, and to Fire the Register of Copyrights
After a recent appeals court decision, Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter is back at work. But in a head-spinning September 22 motion for summary judgment, DOJ lawyers insist that, one way or another, her purported firing was legal.
The Queue: Library News for the Week Ending September 19, 2025
Among the week's headlines: The Trump Administration's censorship efforts are ramping up; Delaware passes a Freedom to Read Law; why an Alabama library is still being denied state funding; and a look at how publishers are approaching AI.
In a Rebuke, Court Strikes Trump's $15 Billion Defamation Complaint
Judge Steven Merryday gave Trump lawyers 28 days to re-file the case, warning that "a complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective."