In Texas, the Houston Independent School District is eliminating librarian positions at 28 schools in the upcoming school year and will replace some libraries with so-called team centers, essentially disciplinary centers for students. The widely blasted move comes after state Republicans forcibly took over the Houston Independent School District earlier this year. Those most affected will be children of color in lower-income areas.

Meanwhile, two Texas bookstores and three national bookseller associations have sued over a Texas bill requiring private booksellers to rate books based on levels of “appropriateness” and banning “sexually explicit” material from libraries. Valerie Koehler is the owner of the Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston and a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit.

Valerie Koehler: “We’re not going to read them all. And for us to have to rate them, I think, sends a message to the librarians and to the students that you’re allowed to read this, you’re not allowed to read that.”