Fighting for the First Amendment: Anti-book banning training series
America needs people like you to stand up and fight against the extremist groups who are banning books across the country
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- Fighting for the First Amendment: Anti-book banning training series
- Home
- Training
- Free Webinars on Demand
- Fighting for the First Amendment: Anti-book banning training series
After registering on this page, you will receive your unique link to each of the webinars in your email.
They are available for immediate viewing!
Please check your spam folder.
You might not know this but librarians, as government employees, can't often legally fight against the book bans happening in their community.
Their jobs and careers are often threatened, they're attacked publicly, or the municipal attorneys advise them against taking any action.
That means that they need people like you to stand up and push back against the well organized groups who are fighting to deny your right to read and control information in your community.
That's why we created this webinar series to help people like you stand up against the book banners.
Join Nora Roberts in the fight against book bans by making a donation here and challenging your friends to do the same!
You can register to attend them all here. Once you register you will receive a link to access the webinars anytime after their release date. So, register today, watch anytime!
-
An introduction to fighting against book bans.
EveryLibrary has been supporting dozens of local campaigns who are fighting against book bans. In this session Political Director, PC Sweeney, will give an introduction to the fight against book bans. He'll explore some of the background and history of book bans and many of the pro-bono tools and tactics that are available to any community who is willing to fight back. He'll also discuss the path to winning against book bans in the long term and what you can do to get started in your community today.
-
Books are Everywhere. What is the Point of Banning Them?
Books are available online, in bookstores, through torrenting. Why do people challenge books in schools and libraries? What are they trying to accomplish?
-
Limiting Access to Library Materials Destroys Freedom
What's the problem with banning books or restricting access? It violates the First Amendment and the spirit of freedom in the U.S. While individuals have the right to decide what they will read, they don't have the right to determine what others can read or access. This talk will explain how the First Amendment relates to the freedom to read and why free inquiry is essential to our democracy. Everyone should be able to determine for themselves—but not for others—what to read.
-
Fighting against book bans in Florida
Florida is leading the attacks on books and reading materials in school and public libraries. Yet a group of local campaigners are putting together effective campaigns to push back against these kinds of cuts. In this session you'll hear from campaigners on the ground who will help you understand how to raise awareness and educate the public through Freedom of Information Act requests and researching the issues to shed light on the book banning agenda.
-
Fighting for the First Amendment: Some Thoughts On Religiously Based Censorship
Conservative religious groups have long sought to control what people may see, read and experience. While many Americans may believe we've thrown off the yoke of religiously based censorship, experience says otherwise: Attacks on public libraries and school libraries continue apace across the country, and they're often led by religious groups. This session will put these attacks in historical context, explore current trends and offer some thoughts on how to respond to the new wave of censorship.
We'll put 100% of your donations to work fighting against book bans.
-
Purityrannical Crusade: The Origin and Future of the Great Library War
Before 2021, burning books were confined to literature and film. Now, groups are waging a crusade, passing purityrannical laws and policies against libraries and librarians who dare to keep the “offensive,” “explicit,” and “obscene” works of marginalized communities in their collections. Yet the speed at which this has happened has left many wondering: What is obscene and sexually explicit? How did we get here? What is this really about? Where is it going? What can we do about it? This webinar breaks down the long and complex history, policies, and case law behind these purityrannical crusades. Following each crusade has come case law expanding and redefining free speech and—more importantly—the free press. Traditionally, libraries have fought for their patrons using freedom of speech. However, the best defense will consider libraries as part of the infrastructure guaranteeing people’s right to receive information, deserving the protection of the free press.
-
Power, Control, and Fear: Eight Historical Tenets of Censorship
Censorship is an act of control, driven by a combustible mix of power, privilege, and fear. Large pro-censorship movements historically occur in response to social changes that alarms a privileged population, dictating access to information for the entire community according to the personal beliefs of the privileged group. This webinar will explore eight historical tenets of censorship that shed light on the current censorship movement, which are useful to libraries seeking ways to understand and to navigate the latest threat of book bans. While this new movement has added seemingly unthinkable dimensions, like laws that threaten to imprison libraries for simply doing their jobs, much of what is occurring now is also deeply rooted in past attempts to thwart social change.
-
How to Run for Local Office
We are seeing a coordinated attack on Americans' freedom to read in school and public libraries through the proliferation of far right elected local officials. If we want to fight back against these attacks we need to elect people like you to local office who care about ensuring that Americans have the freedom to read. In this session, you'll hear from Craig Valdez (or whoever you'll have present) from runforsomething.net about what you need to know to get started running for local office. Get yourself elected and help put a stop to book bans and censorship.
-
Delegitimizing Censorship: Countering Anti-Democratic Rhetoric
This is a moment of rhetorical disruption; along with the texts and the books are being perceived as harmful, library workers are now being portrayed as threats to society, being called “groomers” who seek to “indoctrinate” children. To effectively combat these threats, library advocates and organizations must embrace a political communication strategy that actively disrupts these openly anti-democratic censorship movements. If libraries, and our communities, are to prevail in the defense of intellectual freedom, free expression, and cultural representation, censorship simply cannot become ordinary. This webinar examines the ways in which rhetoric of censorship operates, the ways it risks becoming normalized, and the ways in which libraries, librarians, and their supporters can work to counteract and delegitimize this rhetoric.
-
Freedom to Parent 21st Century Kids
Under the guise of “parents’ rights,” extremist politicians and outside groups are fear mongering about social and emotional learning, comprehensive sex education, race in U.S. history, and more than ever, gender issues – all with the goal of gaining political power and undermining trust in public education and our democracy.
-
Teaching the Policy, Law, and Politics of Information
Now more than ever, libraries are being directly and significantly impacted by decisions of policy, law, and politics at every level of government. A thorough understanding of information policy, information law, and the politics of information is essential for any effective library leader, advocate, or activist; yet, these topics have not been heavily emphasized in higher and continuing education related to libraries. This webinar examines the interrelated, but distinct, nature of these three areas, their vital importance in shaping library activities and advocacy, and the ways in which they can be more strongly incorporated into educational efforts for librarians and for community organizations supporting libraries. This webinar also offers a new approach to teaching the politics of information.
-
7 Steps to Fight Against Book Bans
In this session, EveryLbrary's Political Director, PC Sweeney, will take you through 7 steps to fight against book bans. If you don't know quite where to start or the goals of a long term anti-book banning campaign, this session will give you a good overview of the most important 7 steps you can take to start fighting back. This webinar is building on the lessons learned from the other sessions in this anti-book banning series. You'll get insight into creating dynamic petitions, how to build relationships, the basics of fundraising, and you'll be introduced to all of the pro-bono services and resources that EveryLibrary and the EveryLibrary Institute provide to campaigners like you.
NOTE: This session replaces the session entitled: Building Louisiana's Grassroots Resistance to Fighting Book Bans.Unfortunately, our presenter was unavailable. But we will try to bring you their insights at a later date.
So sign up for these webinars today and access them anytime!
After registering on this page, you will receive your unique link to each of the webinars in your email.
They are available for immediate viewing!
Please check your spam folder.
You might not know this but librarians, as government employees, can't often legally fight against the book bans happening in their community.
Their jobs and careers are often threatened, they're attacked publicly, or the municipal attorneys advise them against taking any action.
That means that they need people like you to stand up and push back against the well organized groups who are fighting to deny your right to read and control information in your community.
That's why we created this webinar series to help people like you stand up against the book banners.
Join Nora Roberts in the fight against book bans by making a donation here and challenging your friends to do the same!
You can register to attend them all here. Once you register you will receive a link to access the webinars anytime after their release date. So, register today, watch anytime!
-
An introduction to fighting against book bans.
EveryLibrary has been supporting dozens of local campaigns who are fighting against book bans. In this session Political Director, PC Sweeney, will give an introduction to the fight against book bans. He'll explore some of the background and history of book bans and many of the pro-bono tools and tactics that are available to any community who is willing to fight back. He'll also discuss the path to winning against book bans in the long term and what you can do to get started in your community today.
-
Books are Everywhere. What is the Point of Banning Them?
Books are available online, in bookstores, through torrenting. Why do people challenge books in schools and libraries? What are they trying to accomplish?
-
Limiting Access to Library Materials Destroys Freedom
What's the problem with banning books or restricting access? It violates the First Amendment and the spirit of freedom in the U.S. While individuals have the right to decide what they will read, they don't have the right to determine what others can read or access. This talk will explain how the First Amendment relates to the freedom to read and why free inquiry is essential to our democracy. Everyone should be able to determine for themselves—but not for others—what to read.
-
Fighting against book bans in Florida
Florida is leading the attacks on books and reading materials in school and public libraries. Yet a group of local campaigners are putting together effective campaigns to push back against these kinds of cuts. In this session you'll hear from campaigners on the ground who will help you understand how to raise awareness and educate the public through Freedom of Information Act requests and researching the issues to shed light on the book banning agenda.
-
Fighting for the First Amendment: Some Thoughts On Religiously Based Censorship
Conservative religious groups have long sought to control what people may see, read and experience. While many Americans may believe we've thrown off the yoke of religiously based censorship, experience says otherwise: Attacks on public libraries and school libraries continue apace across the country, and they're often led by religious groups. This session will put these attacks in historical context, explore current trends and offer some thoughts on how to respond to the new wave of censorship.
We'll put 100% of your donations to work fighting against book bans.
-
Purityrannical Crusade: The Origin and Future of the Great Library War
Before 2021, burning books were confined to literature and film. Now, groups are waging a crusade, passing purityrannical laws and policies against libraries and librarians who dare to keep the “offensive,” “explicit,” and “obscene” works of marginalized communities in their collections. Yet the speed at which this has happened has left many wondering: What is obscene and sexually explicit? How did we get here? What is this really about? Where is it going? What can we do about it? This webinar breaks down the long and complex history, policies, and case law behind these purityrannical crusades. Following each crusade has come case law expanding and redefining free speech and—more importantly—the free press. Traditionally, libraries have fought for their patrons using freedom of speech. However, the best defense will consider libraries as part of the infrastructure guaranteeing people’s right to receive information, deserving the protection of the free press.
-
Power, Control, and Fear: Eight Historical Tenets of Censorship
Censorship is an act of control, driven by a combustible mix of power, privilege, and fear. Large pro-censorship movements historically occur in response to social changes that alarms a privileged population, dictating access to information for the entire community according to the personal beliefs of the privileged group. This webinar will explore eight historical tenets of censorship that shed light on the current censorship movement, which are useful to libraries seeking ways to understand and to navigate the latest threat of book bans. While this new movement has added seemingly unthinkable dimensions, like laws that threaten to imprison libraries for simply doing their jobs, much of what is occurring now is also deeply rooted in past attempts to thwart social change.
-
How to Run for Local Office
We are seeing a coordinated attack on Americans' freedom to read in school and public libraries through the proliferation of far right elected local officials. If we want to fight back against these attacks we need to elect people like you to local office who care about ensuring that Americans have the freedom to read. In this session, you'll hear from Craig Valdez (or whoever you'll have present) from runforsomething.net about what you need to know to get started running for local office. Get yourself elected and help put a stop to book bans and censorship.
-
Delegitimizing Censorship: Countering Anti-Democratic Rhetoric
This is a moment of rhetorical disruption; along with the texts and the books are being perceived as harmful, library workers are now being portrayed as threats to society, being called “groomers” who seek to “indoctrinate” children. To effectively combat these threats, library advocates and organizations must embrace a political communication strategy that actively disrupts these openly anti-democratic censorship movements. If libraries, and our communities, are to prevail in the defense of intellectual freedom, free expression, and cultural representation, censorship simply cannot become ordinary. This webinar examines the ways in which rhetoric of censorship operates, the ways it risks becoming normalized, and the ways in which libraries, librarians, and their supporters can work to counteract and delegitimize this rhetoric.
-
Freedom to Parent 21st Century Kids
Under the guise of “parents’ rights,” extremist politicians and outside groups are fear mongering about social and emotional learning, comprehensive sex education, race in U.S. history, and more than ever, gender issues – all with the goal of gaining political power and undermining trust in public education and our democracy.
-
Teaching the Policy, Law, and Politics of Information
Now more than ever, libraries are being directly and significantly impacted by decisions of policy, law, and politics at every level of government. A thorough understanding of information policy, information law, and the politics of information is essential for any effective library leader, advocate, or activist; yet, these topics have not been heavily emphasized in higher and continuing education related to libraries. This webinar examines the interrelated, but distinct, nature of these three areas, their vital importance in shaping library activities and advocacy, and the ways in which they can be more strongly incorporated into educational efforts for librarians and for community organizations supporting libraries. This webinar also offers a new approach to teaching the politics of information.
-
7 Steps to Fight Against Book Bans
In this session, EveryLbrary's Political Director, PC Sweeney, will take you through 7 steps to fight against book bans. If you don't know quite where to start or the goals of a long term anti-book banning campaign, this session will give you a good overview of the most important 7 steps you can take to start fighting back. This webinar is building on the lessons learned from the other sessions in this anti-book banning series. You'll get insight into creating dynamic petitions, how to build relationships, the basics of fundraising, and you'll be introduced to all of the pro-bono services and resources that EveryLibrary and the EveryLibrary Institute provide to campaigners like you.
NOTE: This session replaces the session entitled: Building Louisiana's Grassroots Resistance to Fighting Book Bans.Unfortunately, our presenter was unavailable. But we will try to bring you their insights at a later date.
So sign up for these webinars today and access them anytime!