You can plug Privacy Badger right into your web browser, be it Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Opera.

From the post:

"...Still, the fact remains that these domineering name changes are now reflected not only in many US catalogs, but in library catalogs across the world. Power has been taught that even if they’re not looking very closely, the Library of Congress will change its vocabularies to reflect the capricious whims of the president, no matter how euphemistic or jingoistic. 

"In the 1930s, future Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish wrote about the rise of anti-communism: “The real struggle of our time was not between communism and fascism but the much more fundamental struggle between democratic institutions on the one side and all forms of dictatorship, whatever the dictator’s label, on the other.” Does our current Librarian of Congress have as much strength of conviction?"

The author, Violet Fox, is the creator of the Cataloging Lab.

From the site: "...Now the federal government is moving to cut off its modest but effective support for libraries, from withdrawal of funding for broadband to the elimination of the only source of federal funding for our nation’s 125,000 libraries, the Institute of Museum and Library Services."

You can help. Use the toolkit at the link to show up for your local library or libraries.

While some organizations have capitulated to executive order strong-arming, the IMLS is among those who have responded with, "Fuck you; make us."

From the article linked:

"In a March 24 letter to Sonderling, who was installed as IMLS acting director last week, the board, in its 'statutory capacity,' offered a lengthy list of duties set out in the 'Museum and Library Services Act of 2018,' that cannot be 'paused, reduced, or eliminated without violating Congressional intent and federal statute.'”  

You can read the letter to Director Sonderling here. The ALA also has a copy available at their site.

"But by being 'in lockstep' with the Administration, it’s clear that the IMLS will not be supporting the range of projects and initiatives it has been since its inception. Instead, it will support projects, ideas, and institutions which align with pre-approved values and beliefs aligned with the oligarchical ruling class. Projects with any of this administration’s forbidden words or ideas will most likely not be permitted."

What does this mean for libraries?

The intent to undercut and eliminate the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is extremely shortsighted and perilous for the millions of Americans who rely on our public, school, academic, and special libraries. Library funding draws less than 0.003% of the annual federal budget yet has enormous impact in communities nationwide. From technology classes for jobseekers to services for people with disabilities, from library delivery for older Americans to summer reading programs for families, IMLS funding makes a real, concrete difference in the lives of Americans every day. The president’s executive order puts all of those services at risk.

What can I do?

We need every library supporter to show up and make their voices heard. Here are concrete, effective actions you can take now:

Yes, Cheeto Babyhands is trying to gut IMLS. He's had DOGE try to hollow it out yesterday (3/20/2025), and he's installed a puppet there as its head.

"The Browser Extension

"Say hello to the Wayback Machine’s Browser Extension.

"It’s available for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.

"This free tool is an easy and very fast way to determine directly from your browser if an archived version of the content (HTML web page, PDF, etc.) has been archived (at least once). If a copy/copies is/are available, accessing it/them can be done within seconds and with minimal effort. No cutting and pasting needed. "

From the article:

"It was revealed via court documents last month that Meta had obtained AI training data from LibGen, a large file sharing database that includes everything from paywalled news and academic articles, to whole books. The prosecution alleges that Meta downloaded over 80 terabytes from LibGen and another so-called 'shadow library' by the name of Z-Library. This is, to be clear, internet piracy on a scale that would make a Nintendo lawyer blush, and the lawsuit alleges the emails put in writing 'Meta’s decision to take and use copyrighted works without permission that it knew to be pirated, despite clear ethical concerns.'

"...If the Internet Archive isn't allowed to loan books as a digital library, I don't think companies like Meta should be allowed to swallow up terabytes of pirated material to train a chatbot that will lie to you about how many planets are in the solar system. In a twist of fate, our international copyright regime looks to be one of the most sturdy bulwarks against an AI future. I'm no fan of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, but I say let them fight."

Takeaways from the article:

From the article:

"...At Fort Campbell, administrators and librarians are interpreting the guidance to apply to anything that deals with diversity, inclusion or equity, and anything that could be perceived to promote one group over another or make one group look bad, the source said. That would include any books that mention slavery, the civil rights movement or the treatment of Native Americans.

"The libraries at Fort Campbell schools are closed to students while staff removes books that could fall under the directive. At one elementary school, that has amounted to hundreds of books in several stacks, filling rolling carts. They have a deadline of Feb. 18.

"...Ironically, some of those history books on civil rights might reference the deployment of the 101st Airborne to Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957 to protect Black students during the desegregation of a high school, a pivotal moment in civil rights history."

From Matthew Noe, on BlueSky, 2/18/2025.

Remember this when anyone tries to chirp that “libraries and archives should be politically neutral,” or that they can save themselves by complying in advance.

From the article:

"Iowa House File 274 would repeal a section of Iowa Code that states nothing in the state’s obscenity laws prohibits the use of appropriate materials for educational purposes in accredited schools, public libraries, or educational programs for minors.

"The Iowa Code section also does not prohibit the attendance of minors at an exhibition or display of art works or the use of any materials in any public library.

"Iowa Code defines obscenity as: 'any material depicting or describing the genitals, sex acts, masturbation, excretory functions or sadomasochistic abuse which the average person, taking the material as a whole and applying contemporary community standards with respect to what is suitable material for minors, would find appeals to the prurient interest and is patently offensive; and the material, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, scientific, political or artistic value.'

"Supporters of the legislation argued the exemptions allow minors access to inappropriate, sexually explicit material at public libraries, and that the bill is needed to restrict children’s exposure to obscene content." (emphasis added) .

In other words: they know it's not "pornography." They know legal definitions of obscenity do not, in fact, apply to books they screech are "obscene." And it isn't stopping them.

It isn't stopping them because this was never about "protecting" anyone. It was always about controlling what people see and read, in order to control what people think and believe.

Don't let them get away with it.

From "More Than Just Recipes," at the University of Michigan Library blog:

"But in substance [A Domestic Cook-Book by Malinda Russell] was unique: then and now, the only known copy of the earliest cookbook by an African-American, published in 1866 in Paw Paw, Michigan. 

"In addition to recipes and remedies, the book features an introduction by its author, Malinda Russell. This brief account is an intriguing and moving glimpse into the extraordinary life of this second-generation freewoman born a generation before the end of slavery."

A Domestic Cook-Book : Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen by Malinda Russell, is available in full text at HathiTrust.

Starting Wednesday, February 26, 2025, the ability to download your Kindle ebook purchases (a holdover from the early days of Kindle yore) will no longer be available.

From the article:

"It doesn’t happen frequently, but as Good e-Reader points out, Amazon has occasionally removed books from its online store and remotely deleted them from Kindles or edited titles and re-uploaded new copies to its e-readers. In 2009, the company removed copies of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm, explaining the books had been mistakenly published. More recently, many of Roald Dahl’s books, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, were replaced with updated copies featuring modified language on various ebook platforms. It’s a reminder that you don’t actually own much of the digital content you consume, and without the ability to back up copies of ebooks, you could lose them entirely if they’re banned and removed." (emphasis added)

Sure will make it easier to remove banned books from your Kindle, should it come to that.