#Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)

[wikipediapictures]

Cooking apple butter

“Apple butter is cooked in big copper kettles all day over open fires. The butter is made by constantly stirring a mixture of apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.” - via Wikimedia Commons

[thoughtportal]

To get from one side of the U.S. to the other is to criss-cross a veritable snakes and ladders of state and county-level legislation and policy. If you’re after a particular title by Toni Morrison or Margaret Atwood, you might find that it’s available in Georgia, and effectively banned next door in Florida. A new initiative from the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), launched in concert with the Palace Project, hopes to toss a ladder to people living in places where access is restricted.

The Banned Book Club is a free e-reader app that uses GPS-enabled geotargeting to determine which books are not available in a given area, and upload them to a library. To transcend petty local politics, simply download The Palace app, then select “Banned Books Club” as your “local library.” You will then be able to access all the goodies that someone else has “challenged.”

Executive Director of the DPLA, John Bracken, said in a statement that “book bans are one of the greatest threats to our freedom.” Thus, your local library doing what it can to remedy your rights.

They can’t wrap every state in tin foil, can they!

The project was announced on July 20th, and is doing its work as I type.

[filosofablogger]

Give 'Em Books!!! 📖

Something good popped out in my newsfeed today and I just had to share it with you.  It is called Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and it recently launched the Banned Book Program, granting free nationwide access to books restricted in schools or libraries. It functions through GPS-based geo-targeting; by typing in your zip code, you are shown the complete list of titles prohibited in…

[douglaswelch]

‘Knowledge is power’: new app helps US teens read books banned in school via The Guardian [Shared]

At home, the book helped Saffy feel comfortable and confident with gender expression. But at school, Gender Queer was banned.

For the past two years, book banning has been on the rise in schools and libraries across the US, mainly due to far-right pressure. The bans are pushed either by local actors, like anxious parents and parent-led groups or by politicians through broader state-level laws. A recent PEN America study found that the bans were most prevalent this year in Florida, Texas, Utah, Missouri and South Carolina.

Consistently, these bans target materials written by and about people of color or LGBTQ+ individuals, and even though a 2022 poll found that 70% of parents oppose them, they are continuing at a rapid rate. Now the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is trying to fight back. It recently launched the Banned Book Program, granting free nationwide access to books restricted in schools or libraries.

[queerliblib]

Hello. I just learned about this thing a bit ago, and got my library card today, and I was wondering if you knew of any other similar libraries that operate primarily through Libby? Now that I have had my eyes open to the possibility of multiple library cards my brain just wants to collect all that I can get.

hi! hmm which are primarily digital libraries through Libby… honestly, no. That’s one of the reasons we decided we’d be able to move forward with QLL after we had the idea, as it was filling a gap that no one else was.

Of course there are some public libraries (brooklyn among others) that have opened up *part* of their Libby catalogues nationally for certain age ranges (13-26), and then there are other digital branches of physical libraries like the Library of Congress’ open access digital collections. The closest I can think of for a fully digital library would be the Digital Public Library of America or DPLA, but they don’t use Libby. BPL, LoC, DPLA and others also don’t have the same focus on queer books that we do at QLL.

There are other excellent queer libraries out there too, but most are primarily physical collections (one exception being Quatrefoil Library who also launched a digital branch on Libby, but they also have a much more geographically narrow focus - Minneapolis - than we do)

[anarchistmemecollective]

what do the words "teufel hunden" mean? I saw them as a sticker in the fraktur font on the side of a truck with tons of conservative, gun-worshiping, and veteran bumper stickers. also does the license plate QAI3M mean anything?

not seeing anything more fashy than that

[bookish-afrolatina]

Banned Books Club - Book 5: Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Book Description

"It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her stepsisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .

This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.” https://www.kalynnbayron.com/pre 

Where It's Banned

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron has been banned in school districts in the following states: Tennessee, Texas, Florida, & Iowa (2021-2024 school years). https://pen.org/book-bans/pen-america-index-of-school-book-bans-2023-2024/

Why It's Banned

This novel depicts a queer teen in love with another girl and Conservative officials, like Republican Texas state Rep. Matt Krause, claims that it teaches/promotes Critical Race Theory. In reality, their objections are clearly based in homophobia and racism as this book’s cast is Black, the lead is a lesbian, & the storyline is feminist.

Why I Recommend This Book

When I read this book, I found it powerful! Like many popular heroines in Fantasy, Sophia does not accept her fate and her society’s compliance with a damaging & controlling law. Instead, she seeks to find her own answers & reveal the truth to her people in order to save them all. Of course, in our current state of disorder and suppression, this message of defiance, especially from a girl, is not welcomed by Republicans and their Conservative constituents. I recommend this book & all books by Kalynn Bayron to anyone 14 & up for discussion as well as empowerment.

If you want to add Cinderella is Dead to your book discussions, check out this guide from New York Public Library!

How to Access This Book

The Libby app

This is one of my most used apps on my phone because I can add e-cards from my local library, state library, AND the Queer Liberation Library to check out e-books and e-audiobooks. It is available on browsers, Apple's app store, Google Play, and the Amazon app store.

The Hoopla app

Similar to Libby, I can access e-books and e-audiobooks from my library on here but I can also access films, comics, and music. On Hoopla, we also don't have to wait until another person is done with the book before we borrow it!  It is available on browsers, Apple's app store, Google Play, and the Amazon app store.

Books Unbanned

Books Unbanned is a resource is meant to help those who are struggling to access banned books in their states! Brooklyn Public Library founded Books Unbanned in 2022 and now, you can get access through multiple library systems as residents of the US.

The Banned Book Club by DPLA

The Banned Book Club, launched by Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) makes digital versions of banned books available to readers nationwide. The ebooks are available to all readers across the country for free via the Palace e-reader app.

More Resources

Book Résumés - Unite Against Banned Books

Book Résumés help teachers, librarians, parents, and community members defend books from censorship. They detail each title’s significance and educational value and are easy to share with administrators, book review committees, elected officials, and board members.

[nedsecondline]

Give ‘Em Books!!! 📖

Something good popped out in my newsfeed today and I just had to share it with you.  It is called Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and it …Give ‘Em Books!!! 📖

[pocketnewslive]

Want to Read Banned Books in 2023? Discover How with The 'Banned Book Club'!

The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) has recently established a ground-breaking program called The Banned Book Club. This program attempts to give people with free access to books that have been prohibited in their area. By using the power of libraries and digital technology, the program assures that every American has access to the books they want to read, regardless of local book…

[researchbuzz]

The Banned Book Club, Department of State Central Files, Linux Mint, More: Monday ResearchBuzz, July 24, 2023

NEW RESOURCES PR Newswire: Digital Public Library of America Launches The Banned Book Club to Ensure Access to Banned Books (PRESS RELEASE). “The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) has launched The Banned Book Club to ensure that readers in communities affected by book bans can now access banned books for free via the Palace e-reader app. The Banned Book Club makes e-book versions of banned…

[usnatarchives]

Making Access Happen through the Digital Public Library of America

By David S. Ferriero | Archivist of the United States

Providing public access to Federal Government records is central to the mission of the National Archives. Open access to government records strengthens democracy by allowing Americans to claim their rights of citizenship, hold their government accountable, and understand their history so they can participate more effectively in their government.

Collaboration with stakeholders, the public, and private organizations to make historical records available has long been a priority for the National Archives. It is clear that collaboration is the path to the future, and nowhere is this more apparent than through the efforts of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) to connect people to our nation’s shared history.

DPLA provides a single online access point for anyone, anywhere to search and access digital collections containing America’s cultural, historical and scientific heritage. This collaborative effort has united leaders and educators from various government agencies, libraries, archives and museums of all sizes working together to ensure that all people have access to information they need.

Read more over on the AOTUS Blog. 

[hclib]

HCL on DPLA!

Hennepin County Library's digital content is now being harvested directly for inclusion in the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). DPLA is an aggregation of the digital content from hundreds of libraries, museums, archives and other cultural institutions. Launched only five years ago, DPLA has grown to include over 20 million digital items.

Previously, only HCL's content being hosted in Minnesota Reflections with the Minnesota Digital Library was harvested for DPLA, but since we now have so much content of our own, it's being harvested directly to DPLA. This will increase the visibility of digitized material related to Minneapolis and Hennepin County history.

[airic-fenn]

Know what's great? Books. Know what's even better? Free books. I meant to put together this list ages ago and was just reminded of it yesterday, so here's just about every method I know of to (legally) obtain free ebooks and audiobooks. I'll add to this list if I come across any more.

Free Ebooks:

*Librivox - Provides access to audiobooks in the public domain, run by volunteers. Mostly classics.

*Project Gutenberg - Provides access to ebooks in the public domain. Mostly classics.

Digital Public Library of America - Provides access to books in the public domain.

hoopla - Free app that lets you access ebooks and audiobooks available through your library. Requires your library card info.

*Libby - Same concept as hoopla. Run by Overdrive.

Sora - Similar concept as hoopla and Libby but instead it's for schools (requires your school info). Also by Overdrive.

The Palace Project - Another app like Libby and hoopla that provides access to library books. This one also allows you to download books from DPLA right from the app if you don't have a library card/your library is not yet signed up with them. The downside is they don't seem to yet have access to as many libraries as Libby or hoopla.

*Riveted by Simon Teen - Provides access to full ebooks and extended excerpts of popular YA books. The books available switch out monthly so you'll have to read in the given time frame.

*Tor.com Newsletter - Weekly emails highlighting their blog, scifi/fantasy news, and short fiction. Occasionally they pop in a freebie that you can download from book depository (I got Gideon the Ninth this way). Just make sure you download the book before the deadline.

*Bookbub - Newsletter that emails you daily ebook deals curated to your tastes, often includes 1-2 free ebooks in most of its daily recs. Also a great way to discover lesser known books.

______

*Chirp - Newsletter that emails daily audiobook deals. I've never seen a free audiobook here but I figured they'd still be worthwhile to mention. Prices usually range from .99c to ~$4.99. Must download the Chirp app to listen, but it's a great alternative to Audible.

*currently using these ones myself

[fckyeahnetart]

GIF IT UP 2017 contest will start on October 1st.

http://woobox.com/v3qwr9