In the news!

9/4/24 Springfield News-Leader Story Link

https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2024/09/04/christian-county-library-board-may-label-lgbtq-books/74999524007/

Video of CCL's 8/27/24 Board meeting: https://youtu.be/gWzFBfV3oZ4

Time stamps to note:

26:38 overview of previous closed meeting regarding legalities of removing, relocating and labeling books. Also direction to Executive Director to investigate plan.

50:33 Breach of posted agenda and bylaws, with a vote of slate of positions

1:15:15 Beginning of Public Comments

Quick Background

Largely as a result of our county commissioners breaking the 65 year tradition of incorporating expert advice into their CCL Board of Trustees appointments, there are now anti-ALA board members attempting to seize control of the board and diminish the quality and extent of services made available by CCL to the public. First steps? Label all the "LGBT+" books and break from the open sourced integrated library system and consortium to a for profit, but much less extensive system that would provide fewer offerings to everybody.

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Maus Course

U-Turn in Education is pleased to announce a partnership with the Christian County Library; Dr. Scott Denham, Professor of German Studies at Davidson College; and Dr. Barbara Mann, Professor of Modern Hebrew Language and Literature at Case Western Reserve University.

Beginning in October a virtual and in-person hybrid course on Maus, by Art Spiegelman will be offered for FREE on Tuesday evenings.

Maus is a brutally moving work of art—widely hailed as the greatest graphic novel ever written—Maus recounts the chilling experiences of the author’s father during the Holocaust, with Jews drawn as wide-eyed mice and Nazis as menacing cats. It is a haunting tale within a tale, weaving the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father into an astonishing retelling of one of history's most unspeakable tragedies. It is an unforgettable story of survival and a disarming look at the legacy of trauma.

U-Turn in Education is pleased to have helped coordinate the creation of this educational opportunity for us all. Because of the events surrounding what was then an upcoming challenge to The Complete Maus in the Nixa High School library, Drs. Denham and Mann reached out to U-Turn in Education to make a surprising offer. They had designed and would graciously provide for free, a class tailored to the ages and grades most affected by the attempted censorship of this book. When McMinn County in TN banned Maus from its 8th grade curriculum in January 2022, a version of this course was offered for that community. Both of those actions received considerable national attention. Since we are fortunate to have retained Maus in our high school library, this has become a celebratory event for us here locally, but we are acutely aware of continued challenges to the Jewish community, and that attempts at the censorship of this book can represent some of those challenges.

Come join us in celebration, but also plan on an enjoyable learning experience about a groundbreaking, genre defining, Pulitzer prize winning book. This course has something to offer for much of our local community and beyond - students, teachers, parents, professors, college students, book clubs... all can benefit.

We understand that an outside local group has donated funds to make available 30 boxed sets of Maus 1 and Maus 2 (the equivalent of The Complete Maus ) to course participants that want them. The level of community support for this program is phenomenal. Keep your October Tuesday nights free and come join us.

see p.5 of Christian County Library's September-October 2023 catalog

or their Calendar of Events

Invite a Friend!

Supporting educational opportunities for all

In the News Yet Again

Defending processes and bylaws of CCL Board of Trustees

Local Radio Coverage of Christian County Library

9/4/24 Springfield News-Leader Story Link

Quick Background

Maus Course and 2023 Banned Books Week

Maus Course

Some success! Nixa Public Schools to create 'standing committee' for future library book challenges. If this can be done transparently, and without significant soft censorship, the Nixa School District and our entire community will benefit considerably.

And more of Nixa and our efforts in the news

the Washington Post

the Washington Post

the Washington Post

coda

the Washington Post

the Washington Post

pen america

the Washington Post

pen america

PEN America

PEN America

PEN America

PEN America

PEN America

Supporting educational opportunities for all

In the News Yet Again

Defending processes and bylaws of CCL Board of Trustees

Local Radio Coverage of Christian County Library

9/4/24 Springfield News-Leader Story Link

Quick Background

Maus Course and 2023 Banned Books Week

Maus Course

Some success! Nixa Public Schools to create 'standing committee' for future library book challenges. If this can be done transparently, and without significant soft censorship, the Nixa School District and our entire community will benefit considerably.

And more of Nixa and our efforts in the news

the Washington Post

the Washington Post

the Washington Post

coda

the Washington Post

the Washington Post

pen america

the Washington Post

pen america

PEN America

PEN America

PEN America

PEN America

PEN America

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