In The News

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.

In response to a years-long, politically organized surge in book bans across the nation, no publisher has stepped up more to defend the freedom to read than Penguin Random House.

Among their efforts, the publisher has formed an in-house "Intellectual Freedom Task Force," and has devoted significant staff time and money to supporting multiple lawsuits, legislative efforts, initiatives like Unite Against Book Bans, as well as several more programs to get banned books directly into readers’ hands, including a Banned Books Wagon. PRH officials have also worked to organize the efforts of the other major publishers, even adding a full-time, senior-level policy expert, Rosie Stewart, on its own payroll to work on freedom to read issues.

So it's fitting that for Banned Books Week 2025, PRH honored the good work of advocates with a Save Our Stories Supper. The star-studded event, held on October 6 at the MLK Library in Washington D.C., featured a powerful lineup of authors and advocates who spoke movingly about the power of books and reading. But more than a celebration, the event was a rallying cry for continued action, and a powerful show of force from authors and advocates who remain committed to the hard work that still lies ahead.

I'll have more from the night in the coming days. But for now, check out the Penguin Random House site for photos and quotes from the event. And check out, too, the video below of author and Authors Against Book Bans member Malinda Lo's message for authors, which is now circulating on social media.

Wyoming Library Director, Fired for Standing Up to Censorship, Wins $700K Settlement

Terri Lesley, the former director of the Campbell County Public Library, has agreed to settle her lawsuit against county officials over her abrupt firing in 2023 for not banning books deemed inappropriate by the library's board. According to the Cowboy State Daily, county officials will not admit wrongdoing, but will pay Lesley $700,000 to end the litigation.

The settlement is the latest victory won for librarians wrongly fired over their refusal to ban books by Halpern, a partner at Denver-based civil rights firm Rathod Mohamedbhai. In September 2023, Halpern negotiated a settlement for librarian Brooky Parks, who was fired from her job at the Erie (Colorado) Community Library, and earlier this year, Halpern negotiated a settlement for Suzette Baker, who was fired from her library job in Llano County, Texas.

In a 2024 profile of those standing up to censorship for Publishers Weekly (which includes Parks, Baker, and Lesley), Halpern said the court cases should caution local officials about attacking librarians. “We certainly hope that library boards across the country will think twice about getting bogged down in years of litigation because they decided to censor based on some discriminatory, hateful agenda,” Halpern said.

Lesley's legal campaign, meanwhile, is not yet over: she is also currently suing a local family that repeatedly attacked her in public over her refusal to ban books.

Louisiana Appeals Court Rules for Amanda Jones

In another significant legal decision dropping during Banned Books Week, local affiliate WBRZ reports that a Louisiana court of appeals has reversed a lower court ruling against librarian Amanda Jones and ordered that her defamation lawsuit against two men who attacked her online be heard on the merits.

The ruling comes almost three years to the day since trial judge Erika Sledge first ruled against Jones, which led to a legal odyssey that has involved multiple appeals, court hearings and a trip to the Louisiana Supreme Court, which, last December, ultimately ruled that Jones' appeal of the trial court's decision should be heard. The appeals court has now agreed that Jones was likely defamed.

"The record shows that Ms. Jones demonstrated a probability of success that public posts made by the defendants directed toward Ms. Jones were defamatory, were knowingly false or made with reckless disregard of the truth, and caused Ms. Jones injury, including harm to her reputation, contempt, ridicule, anxiety and emotional distress," concludes the October 7 appeals court decision, available via Courthouse News.

Notably, Jones is seeking just $1 in damages and an apology in the case. "This is not about revenge, or monetary gain, but about standing up for what is right," she explained in a July 2024 post on her website. "I am doing this on behalf of myself, and on behalf of the countless other librarians across the country who have been targeted and harassed simply for standing up for intellectual freedom and standing up for our school and public libraries."

Meanwhile, in November of 2024, Jones filed another defamation lawsuit, this time in federal court against a New Jersey man, Dan Kleinman, who authors a blog called Safe Libraries. In a November 26 complaint, Jones accused Kleinman of defamation and false light for accusing Jones of pushing pornography and sexualizing children. That case is ongoing.

New Jersey Judge Tosses Librarian's Defamation Lawsuit

Via the Morris County, NJ, Daily Record, a judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Roxbury High School librarian Roxana Caivano in 2023 against three residents who harassed her over LGBTQ+-themed books in the school library.

"A Roxbury native who has worked in the district for 15 years, Caivano said she had faced 'really disgusting' attacks, according to the lawsuit," the report notes, adding that one defendant settled, with the proceeds of that settlement going to Roxbury Township Library. "But on Oct. 3, state Superior Court Judge Jonathan Romankow dismissed the cases against the other three defendants."

'Tango' Authors Appeal Loss in Florida Book Ban Case

Via local affiliate WUSF, news that authors Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson have already filed a notice of appeal challenging a federal judge's September 30 decision that allowed the Escambia County School Board to remove their award-winning children's book And Tango Makes Three from public school library shelves. No brief has yet been filed, but the notice comes just three days after judge Allen Winsor held there is no First Amendment right to receive information in libraries.

ALA Announces New, Virtual Midwinter Event

Save the date: Following the demise of LibLearnX, the American Library Association has announced a new virtual, midwinter event for 2026. Recharging in Challenging Times: An ALA Virtual Event is scheduled for February 10, 2026, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (CST).

"In a time of rapid change and evolving community needs, library workers continue to rise as essential leaders, advocates, and connectors. To support and strengthen this important work, we invite you to an energizing one-day virtual event designed to provide practical tools, fresh perspectives, and meaningful opportunities for connection," an ALA announcement reads. The program will include nine sessions across three tracks: "Strengthening Leadership, Sustaining Wellbeing, and Preserving Intellectual Freedom—two keynotes, and facilitated conversations." Registration will open in November.

ALA: Banned Books Week By the Numbers

American Libraries has its annual look at some of the notable book banning numbers, a quick and handy glimpse at where the fight over the freedom to read stands as Banned Books Week 2025 winds down. Among the more encouraging numbers: 13. "That's the number of states that have passed anti-book-ban laws. At least 19 more states have introduced anti-book-ban legislation since Illinois passed the first such law in 2023. (Since the American Libraries report in June, similar laws have been passed in Connecticut, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island.)

What the Numbers Don't Show: Rising Self Censorship

The Hill reports on a theme that's been voiced consistently over the last year, and which was emphasized in a report issued last week by PEN America: while the tracked number of book bans and challenges is down from the record numbers posted in recent years, it's not because the current surge in censorship efforts are declining.

“I think if you look at the official numbers that we see reported through [the American Library Association] and PEN America, they’re going to say that this issue is getting better, but unfortunately, we’re just seeing it move into what we call silent censorship … people being afraid to buy certain books or certain authors, and we’re seeing this across the industry,” Rosie Stewart, head of public policy at Penguin Random House, told The Hill.

A Rebrand of Banned Books Week in Hawaii?

Via Civil Beat, a report that libraries in Hawaii have rebranded their Banned Books Week 2025 efforts.

"This week, libraries across the U.S. are observing Banned Books Week. In Hawai‘i, the national event has been rebranded as a week dedicated to the 'freedom to read,' an attempt to cool what has become a hot-button political issue," the report notes, adding that "new guidelines issued by the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System ahead of the 41st annual event prohibit the use of the words 'censorship' and 'banned,' as well as the phrase 'banned books week,' in displays at 51 public libraries across the state. Also banned are certain props and imagery, such as caution tape and fake flames, and the use of any slogans or materials from the ALA, the professional organization that has sponsored the yearly Banned Books Week campaign since its 1982 origins."

The report says State Librarian Stacey Aldrich explained that the move was made because of confusion over the term "banned books" and said that "the language used in the Freedom to Read campaign aims to be inclusive of all library patrons."

404 Media Receives Grant to Investigate Book Bans

In what should be a fascinating, potentially important effort, the indie journalists at 404 Media have secured a grant to investigate book bans across the country.

"Over the next few weeks, we will be filing hundreds of public records requests with state, local, and federal governments and school districts with the hope of unearthing more information about the groups, politicians, and monied interests that have been pushing book bans and educational censorship on American public schools and libraries," the site reports.

How to Be a Pro-Library Voter

Over at Book Riot, Kelly Jensen leads off her weekly censorship news column with a piece on how to support libraries at the ballot box. "As we round out Banned Books Week, here’s your reminder that a week of 'celebrating' banned books isn’t enough," she writes. "Here’s your reminder to get to know what is on your local ballot, how to determine the best candidate for office, and then what to do after you don your 'I voted' sticker."

In New York State, School Libraries Are Quietly Being Scaled Back

In New York State, The Times Union reports that, despite a state law that requires schools to have libraries, many districts have nevertheless cut back or eliminated them.

“It is happening far more often in poor districts and in elementary schools, according to statistics gathered by the state Education Department,” the report notes. “Throughout the state, it has become more common for teachers—or aides— to run school libraries,” the report adds, noting that the most recent data available, which is, shockingly, from 2013 to 2016, roughly a decade old, showed that “the number of professional staff employed in school libraries decreased by more than a third…from 7,647 to 4,765."

And Finally This Week...

Words & Money will be at the Frankfurt Book Fair next week, where we're delighted to have a chance to hear directly from the latest Nobel laureate in literature, Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, who was announced this week as the winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature. As reported in Publishing Perspectives, Krasznahorkai will speak at that fair's opening press conference.

Meanwhile, the National Book Foundation this week released the finalists for the 2025 National Book Awards.

"Publishers submitted a total of 1,835 books for this year’s National Book Awards: 434 in Fiction, 652 in Nonfiction, 285 in Poetry, 139 in Translated Literature, and 325 in Young People’s Literature," the foundation announced. The winners will be announced live on Wednesday, November 19 at 76^th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

In addition, two lifetime achievement awards will also be presented: George Saunders will be recognized with the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and Roxane Gay will receive the Foundation’s Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community.