Debbie Mikula
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mikulade1.bsky.social
Debbie Mikula
@mikulade1.bsky.social
690 followers 660 following 210 posts
Michigan library and arts advocate; Family History Keeper; Spartan; Protector of Choice, Artistic Freedom, Free Speech and the Right to Read; Country over Party; Common Sense Gun Reform; Not Interested in Alternative Facts.
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Have you signed the petition?
The Freedom to Read = the Freedom to Be.
Even if books aren’t banned everywhere, defending access ensures everyone can explore ideas, see themselves reflected, and be heard. Your right to read matters.
Sign the MI Right to Read Petition today: ow.ly/8vIh50XaOBG
#MIRighttoRead #FreedomtoRead
Sign the Petition — MI Right to Read
ow.ly
It is stunning and I'll look forward to seeing it once it has been "released" from its imprisonment.
“This is how you do it…”
We are thrilled to announce that @aadl.org plans to acquire the Ann Arbor Observer!

Public ownership of local news media is more important than ever, and this acquisition builds on years of partnership and archival work to ensure the future of this priceless community asset.

aadl.org/node/647334
The Ann Arbor District Library Plans to Acquire the Ann Arbor Observer | Ann Arbor District Library
aadl.org
"The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.”

― Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country
Reposted by Debbie Mikula
Book bans don’t “protect” kids; they erase perspectives, silence voices, and narrow our shared imagination. A free society thrives on stories that challenge, unsettle, and expand our thinking.

Let’s keep our shelves full, not empty.

#FreedomToRead #StopBookBans #IntellectualFreedom #LetKidsRead
We are outta here! Goodbye #Disney, Goodbye #Hulu! Will not support any streaming services/media companies that don't support First Amendment rights!
Reposted by Debbie Mikula
Some good news! A federal judge struck down Florida's book ban law (HB 1069) as unconstitutional, ruling it violated First Amendment protections for school libraries. The victory protects authors' rights and students' access to diverse literature.

More info: authorsguild.org/news/authors...
Re-reading the Constitution. Perhaps our elected officials need a field trip to the Archives. Enlightening.
Reposted by Debbie Mikula
A federal judge ruled that canceling 1,400+ NEH grants causes REAL HARM to scholars and the public. The court ordered preliminary relief for all affected grantees. What's next? A possible trial. We’re in this fight for the long haul.

Our statement: authorsguild.org/news/the-aut...
Man…that is one MIGHTY show of support!
2 are better than 1! Frankie and Teddy! Best of the best!
Reposted by Debbie Mikula
While the Hartland library’s board will not move forward with a controversial policy to sequester challenged books to a special section or out of view from the general public, ACLU Michigan says they will still monitor the labeling of books for possible misuse.

Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social
Local Michigan library board backs away from policy to sequester LGBTQ+ themed books • Michigan Advance
A local Michigan library’s board of trustees will not move forward with a controversial policy to sequester challenged books to a special section or out of view from the general public – which sparked...
michiganadvance.com
Lining the streets in Howell Michigan at the “No Kings” rally! Well done neighbors and friends! Honk! Honk!
Never give up hope! “No kings!”
Reposted by Debbie Mikula
"In this ruling, a majority of the Fifth Circuit has embraced a doctrine that not only permits but also constitutionalizes the removal of books from public libraries by government officials for ideological reasons," reads the statement from EveryLibrary.
This is Government Censorship in its Plainest Form, States EveryLibrary
EveryLibrary responds to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals' Little v. Llano County decision, which will allow the government to remove or restrict access to books from public library shelves.
www.slj.com
Reposted by Debbie Mikula
Michigan Advance has been reporting on the latest front in the effort to ban or restrict access to books, almost always with LGBTQ+ content, at libraries.

This new policy of “sequestration” is book banning in all but name.
Library Wars Archives • Michigan Advance
LIBRARY WARS The Michigan Advance is reporting on an effort at libraries across Michigan to create barriers to books with LGBTQ+ content or themes in what has become a second front in the culture war...
michiganadvance.com
Reposted by Debbie Mikula
In case you missed:
Following a public outcry, the U.S. Naval Academy returned titles by Maya Angelou, Harper Lee, and others that were purged under Pentagon orders targeting race and gender discourse. (The 19th News)

www.slj.com/story/Navy-R...
It is the responsibility of libraries to guarantee
and facilitate access to all expressions of knowledge and intellectual activity, including those which some individuals in our society may consider to be unconventional, unpopular, or unacceptable.
The new front in the effort to muzzle First Amendment rights is “sequestration” of books with LGBTQ+ content at local libraries. This second piece in our series on this effort is from @kdavidsonjrn.bsky.social and looks at the Lapeer District Library.
As members of a Livingston County library board march toward restricting materials deemed inappropriate, a similar effort is brewing in nearby Lapeer County, part of what’s become a renewed effort in the culture war over children’s books with LGBTQ+ content.

Story by @kdavidsonjrn.bsky.social
Moving books is still censorship! Labeling books is still censorship! Can't get any simpler...Libraries welcome all, have a diversity of books available for all, believe in the first amendment for all, and trust their qualified and educated librarians to do the work they are trained to do!
A new front in the culture war over children’s books with LGBTQ+ content or themes has opened in a handful of libraries across Michigan: the attempted sequestration, labeling or creating of special sections for those books deemed inappropriate by public libraries.

Story by @bensolis1.bsky.social
Parental Guidance: A new front emerges in battle between far-right, LGBTQ+ themed books • Michigan Advance
Picture, if you will, a library with its books behind a plated glass cabinet, locked and out of reach to patrons of all ages, accessible only upon request to a library employee who has the appropriate...
michiganadvance.com