Each week, we reflect on the top articles, blog posts, tweets, news, thoughts, and other tidbits we’ve found interesting or useful. Check out what our writers have spotted this week in library news. Enjoy!

Chloe

Recently, the Orange City (IA) Public Library board was petitioned to relabel and separate LGBTQ+ materials in the library, and cease buying materials without the public’s input. At the board meeting, the house was packed with residents arguing for both sides. Orange City is a small town, but this story is receiving national attention. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and the Iowa Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee have both been involved. OCPL held its first pride parade last October and received a lot of backlash from it. The next library board meeting will be discussing the challenge of the book Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m really excited to see the movie The Public. With that and Ex Libris getting so much critical acclaim, it’s a good year for libraries on film. This month, American Libraries published an interview with Emilio Estevez, the filmmaker and star of The Public. This interview shows that not only is Estevez cognizant of libraries within the context of making a film, but he is also aware of the issues that librarians face off screen as well. The Public is about a group of people suffering from homelessness who seek refuge from the winter one night in the Cincinnati Public Library. The movie was filmed on location.

Cover photo from Alan Wu on Flickr Commons. Changes were made in adapting this image.  Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.