What is there to say about the MO House of Representatives voting to remove funding from Missouri Libraries? I have no doubt that MO-Reps already know all of this, but for those of you who are unaware, MLA and MASL receive no state funding. They are all-volunteer-run membership organizations working on behalf of professional librarians. The ACLU of Missouri is carrying forward the lawsuit in question pro bono. None of this is disputed, and if MOLEG wants to rely on buffoonery and feigned ignorance as convenient excuses to pass bills, it would be nothing new. Contact your senator!
Beyond this, the MLA has been up to a lot advocacy-wise. Librarians doing their ethical duty and working on principles and expertise rather than responding to fear by acquiescing, quietly, to the craven machinations of people like Rick Brattin and Jay Ashcroft. We will continue to do this, and we hope that in trying to punish us for our boldness in protecting the freedom to read, and the right of readers to access, censors do not burn down every library in the state.
Story by Emily Drabinksy- TruthOut-
When Missouri Proposed Library Censorship, Librarians Got Organized
Story by Erica Hellerstein-CODA Story-
Missouri librarians are risking jail time – for doing their jobs
Joe Kohlburn 