10/24/2023
From the SLJ (School Library Journal) News Bites:
Banned Books USA offers free titles to Floridians
Florida residents, schools, and libraries can now get free copies of books that have been challenged and removed from shelves in the state. Banned Books USA—created and sponsored by Paul English and Joyce Linehan, in partnership with Bookshop.org and Electric Literature—will send the books for only the cost of shipping.
The cost of the books themselves is covered by donations, including seed funding by English, a tech entrepreneur and philanthropist. Book orders are fulfilled by Bookshop.org, and the project is administered by Electric Literature, a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
For every order, $1 will be donated to Florida Freedom to Read Project, a grassroots organization started by two Orange County moms who have spearheaded the battle against the state’s book banning and “Don’t Say Gay” law.
A pilot program, Banned Books USA is currently only available to people and institutions in Florida. If successful, it will expand to Texas, Missouri, and other states.