books

Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, has died. She was 80. Children in all sixty seven counties of Alabama were able to get books for free through Parton’s “Imagination Library.”

The public library in Fairhope, Alabama has found itself in the crosshairs of battles over library content. The Alabama Public Library Service Board of Trustees voted Thursday to withhold state funding from the library. The action came after complaints from conservative parents about books in the teen section.

The University of Alabama's School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) will be awarding books to school libraries through the SLIS Book Bonanza for the Black Belt (and Beyond) program. The initiative provides children's and young adult books to school libraries in the Black Belt and in low income areas.

The Auburn Public Library is now offering its new Favorite Authors Club, a service designed to make it easier for patrons to stay up to date with 15 popular authors’ latest releases. Library patrons who join will automatically be placed on hold for new books as soon as they become available.

Residents in Huntsville-Madison County can experience summer fun and literacy entertainment with their little ones at the third annual Rec and Read, which set for Monday, July 22 at the Dr. Robert Shurney Legacy Center.

Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation that could see librarians prosecuted for providing “harmful” materials or programs to minors. The Alabama bill removes the existing exemption for public libraries in the state’s obscenity law.

Reach Out and Read Alabama is announcing more money will go directly toward helping families across the state. The organization is an affiliate of the national nonprofit, Reach Out and Read, which promotes early childhood literacy and healthy early relationships.

Red Rook Press is a student led press based out of the University of Alabama. They are in their second year and will be releasing a novel, a poetry book, and a republication of a novel from last year. Joe Moody reports on its origins and what makes this little independent press so unique.

In April 2024, The University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies will award a $15,200 in new, free books to elementary and high school libraries in Alabama via the SLIS Book Bonanza for the Black Belt & Beyond Program.

Book donations for schools in the thirteen counties along the Black Belt region in Alabama are in the final days of collections. The 18th annual Books for the Black Belt campaign wraps up on Friday, March 1.