In 2002, the Cedarville School Board in Crawford County, Arkansas, ordered the removal of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books from library shelves, holding that "witchcraft or sorcery [should not] be available for study." The Board picked some formidable adversaries. School librarian Estella Roberts, standing on policy, had the books reviewed--and unanimously approved--by a committee of teachers and administrators that included a child and a parent. Not satisfied with the Board's half-measure permitting access to the books with parental approval, 4th-grader Dakota Counts and her father Bill Counts sued the school district in Federal court, drawing on the precedent Pico v. Island Trees to reaffirm that Constitutional rights apply to school libraries. Written by the lawyer who prosecuted the case, this book details the origins of the book ban and the civil procedures and legal arguments that restored the First Amendment in Cedarville.

This annotated document collection surveys the history and evolution of laws and attitudes regarding free speech and censorship in the United States, with a special emphasis on contemporary events and controversies related to the First Amendment. The United States' collective understanding of First Amendment freedoms was formed by more than 200 years of tensions between the power of word and the power of the government. During that time, major laws and legal decisions defined the circumstances and degree to which personal expression could be rightfully expressed—and rightfully limited. This struggle to define the parameters of free speech continues today. Vibrant and passionate debates about First Amendment limitations once inspired by the dissemination of birth control information now address such issues as kneeling during the national anthem, removing controversial books from public libraries, attempts by the Trump administration to discredit the press, and disseminating false or hateful information through social media platforms. By exploring diverse examples of censorship victories and triumphs of free expression, readers will better understand the enormous impact of First Amendment freedoms on American society.

The newest edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual is more than simply an update of a foundational text that has served as a crucial resource for more than four decades. It is a living document that serves as the authoritative reference for day-to-day guidance on maintaining free and equal access to information for all people. Whether you’re developing or revising policies, on-boarding new staff or trustees, responding to challenges and controversies, or studying librarianship, you’ll find this an indispensable resource, with features such as ALA policy statements, approved by committees and Council, articulating core intellectual freedom principles and best practices; 8 new interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights, which address urgent issues like internet filtering, public performances, political activity, religion, and equity, diversity, and inclusion; “Issues at a Glance” sidebars which present key concepts, points of law, tips, and questions for reflection; expanded content about developing library policies that support intellectual freedom; updated information on censorship of library programs, displays, and databases; “Advocacy and Assistance,” a section offering concrete guidance when you’re called on to talk to the media or meet with legislators; Deeper Look essays which examine the laws related to library operations; advice on when to call the police, when not to, and how to handle personally identifiable information when they arrive; and an expanded glossary.

This up-to-date volume of topical School Library Connection articles provides school librarians and LIS professors with a one-stop source of information for supporting the core library principle of intellectual freedom. School librarians continue to advocate for and champion student privacy and the right to read and have unfettered access to needed information. Updated and current information concerning these issues is critical to school librarians working daily with students, parents, and faculty to manage library programs, services, and print and digital collections. This volume is an invaluable resource as school librarians revisit collection development, scheduling, access, and other policies. Library science professors will find this updated volume useful for information and discussion with students. Drawing on the archives of School Library Connection, Library Media Connection, and School Library Monthly magazines—and with comprehensive updates throughout—chapters tackle privacy, the right to read, censorship, equal access to information, and other intellectual freedom issues. New laws and legal and ethical opinions continue to appear and help inform the daily response school librarians have to current issues. This volume updates all included articles with current legal thought and opinion. Intellectual freedom expert April Dawkins offers practical advice and commentary throughout.

The human population's annual total consumption is not sustainable by one planet. This unprecedented situation calls for a reform of religious cultures that promote a large ideal family size. Many observers assume that Christianity is inevitably part of this problem because it promotes "family values" and statistically, in America and elsewhere, has a higher birthrate than nonreligious people. This book explores diverse ideas about human reproduction in the church past and present. It investigates an extreme fringe of U.S. Protestantism, including the Quiverfull movement, that use Old Testament "fruitful" verses to support natalist ideas explicitly promoting higher fecundity. It also challenges the claim by some natalists that Martin Luther in the 16th century advocated similar ideas. This book argues that natalism is inappropriate as a Christian application of Scripture, especially since rich populations’ total footprints are detrimental to biodiversity and to human welfare. It explores the ancient cultural context of the Bible verses quoted by natalists. Challenging the assumption that religion normally promotes fecundity, the book finds surprising exceptions among early Christians (with a special focus on Saint Augustine) since they advocated spiritual fecundity in preference to biological fecundity. Finally the book uses a hermeneutic lens derived from Genesis 1, and prioritising the modern problem of biodiversity, to provide ecological interpretations of the Bible's "fruitful" verses.

The Embodied Child: Readings in Children’s Literature and Culture brings together essays that offer compelling analyses of children’s bodies as they read and are read, as they interact with literature and other cultural artifacts, and as they are constructed in literature and popular culture. The chapters examine the ideology behind the cultural constructions of the child’s body and the impact they have on society, and how the child’s body becomes a carrier of cultural ideology within the cultural imagination. They also consider the portrayal of children’s bodies in terms of the seeming dichotomies between healthy-vs-unhealthy bodies as well as able-bodied-vs-disabled, and examines flesh-and-blood bodies that engage with literary texts and other media. The contributors bring perspectives from anthropology, communication, education, literary criticism, cultural studies, philosophy, physical education, and religious studies. With wide and astute coverage of disparate literary and cultural texts, and lively scholarly discussions in the introductions to the collection and to each section, this book makes a long-needed contribution to discussions of the body and the child.

Media Today gives your students the media literacy skills they need to think critically about the role of media in their lives. This book uses a media systems approach to look closely at the production, distribution, and exhibition of media, from Hollywood films to Facebook, to discover cultural, political, and economic forces that shape media now. Completely revised and updated, this 4th edition connects the latest trends, debates, and technologies to the history of media, highlighting the impact and meaning of today's changes to the media landscape, especially how traditional industry boundaries have blurred with digital convergence. Students and instructors will find a full range of supporting materials including interactive quizzes and online video resources at www.routledge.com/textbooks/mediatoday4e.

"From the Bible to The Hate U Give: a completely updated look at the history of censorship in world literature. Throughout history, nations, peoples, and governments have censored writers and their works on political, religious, sexual, and social grounds. Although the literary merit of the majority of these books has been proven time and time again, censorship efforts are still in place today. From Animal Farm to The Grapes of Wrath, The Koran to The Talmud, Beloved to the Harry Potter series, The Canterbury Tales to Catch-22, this revised edition examines the many struggles these books faced in order to be read"--