Category Archives: censorship

Will universities let Trump dictate what their libraries can do?

Posted on October 3, 2025 by John Mark Ockerbloom

As has now been widely reported, the White House has sent a number of universities, including the one I work at, a set of terms it wants them to agree to, which indicate that not doing so may mean they … Continue reading →

Posted in censorship, crimes and misdemeanors, libraries | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Building a new banned books exhibit for a new era

Posted on September 20, 2022 by John Mark Ockerbloom

When I first created Banned Books Online over 25 years ago, I wasn’t primarily worried about book censorship. I was worried about Internet censorship. It was 1994, and the world at large was just getting to know the Internet, which … Continue reading →

Posted in censorship, libraries, online books | Comments Off on Building a new banned books exhibit for a new era

Why The Online Books Page is black for January 18

Posted on January 17, 2012 by John Mark Ockerbloom

As I mentioned in my last post, the US Congress is currently considering two bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA),that would make it easy for copyright infringement complaints (whether ultimately justified or not) … Continue reading →

Posted in censorship, copyright, online books | 4 Comments

Do we need a “reader’s rights registry”?

Posted on May 5, 2009 by John Mark Ockerbloom

This spring’s Digital Library Federation forum, the last under DLF as an independent organization,  included a session for “lightning talks”, where speakers take 5 minutes or less to present an idea or make a demonstration.  Here are the remarks I … Continue reading →

Posted in censorship, copyright, metadata, online books, open access, reading, sharing | 3 Comments

Why Banned Books Week matters

Posted on September 29, 2008 by John Mark Ockerbloom

It’s Banned Books Week again, and Amnesty International, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and the American Library Association are among the groups noting the occasion. I’ve also updated the links on my ongoing exhibit Banned Books Online in … Continue reading →

Posted in censorship, crimes and misdemeanors, libraries, online books, reading | 8 Comments