Sine die! SB 26 is dead! Thank you for every phone call and email you sent to help us defeat this anti-library bill. 🥳

Stop SB26: Protect Independent Library Boards in Alabama Supporting the Right to Read in All Alabama Libraries

📨 Or, if you don't have time to call, you can still send an email here:
www.readfreelyalabama.org/stop_sb26_2026

Make the Call to Stop SB26 in the State House Supporting the Right to Read in All Alabama Libraries

3️⃣ days left in the legislative session! SB 26 could still make its way to the floor-we can't let that happen!
🚨 Even if you've already emailed or called your representative, it's time to do it again! 🚨
☎️ Call your representative here:
www.readfreelyalabama.org/makethecall_...

Make the Call to Stop SB26 Supporting the Right to Read in All Alabama Libraries

‼️ We can’t let up now ‼️

There are only 6️⃣ days left in the legislative session! We cannot forget that SB 26 can still go on the calendar for a floor vote, even at the last minute.

🎬 ACTION ITEM: 📨 Email your representative and tell them NO on SB26!
www.readfreelyalabama.org/stop_sb26_2026

“According to a survey conducted last year by the Alabama Library Association, 14 state libraries said that collectively, they spent $117,000 and more than 4,600 hours complying with the administrative code changes imposed by APLS.” 💰💸

Read this important story showing how Alabama’s librarians are navigating the confusing and financially burdensome administrative code changes enacted by the APLS board under John Wahl’s leadership.

How a High School Librarian in Abilene Fought Back Against Moms for Liberty I entered this profession just as the storm clouds of the current book-banning push were starting to gather; now I’m in the middle of it.

Exactly what we see happening here in Alabama: the bypassing of nuanced local governance in favor of a small group of ideological extremists. This astroturf censorship movement has created chaos for our libraries and unnecessary division in our communities.
www.texasobserver.org/abilene-isd-...

Make the Call to Stop SB26 in the State House Supporting the Right to Read in All Alabama Libraries

‼️ 11 days left in the Alabama Legislative session ‼️

⬇️ We have made it easy to get connected to your state Representative.

☎️Call your Rep today and urge them to vote NO on SB26 here: www.readfreelyalabama.org/makethecall_...

📨Send your email here:
www.readfreelyalabama.org/stop_sb26_2026

Please join us in signing this petition to defend the right to read today:

Thank you for speaking up for our libraries and the freedom to read!

www.al.com/politics/202...

‼️Senator Elliott’s anti-library, pro-censorship SB26 is one step away from a full floor vote in the Alabama House of Representatives.‼️
SB26 is designed to make them susceptible to political pressure to censor materials.

📨 Email your representative HERE: www.readfreelyalabama.org/stop_sb26_2026

fewer than 10% of students are restricted in school libraries by their parents

When parents can set reading limits for their own child, fewer than 10% choose to restrict access.

Most families trust guidance and conversation, not bans.

You can guide your child without deciding for mine.

Protect choice. Trust librarians. Keep libraries open.

#FreedomToRead #BooksNotBans

Stop SB26: Protect Independent Library Boards in Alabama Supporting the Right to Read in All Alabama Libraries

‼️SB26 is one step away from the House floor!‼️
By allowing library board members to be removed without cause, SB26 opens the door for political pressure to remove library materials.
🎬 Email your representative today and tell them NO on SB26:
www.readfreelyalabama.org/stop_sb26_2026

Stop SB26: Protect Independent Library Boards in Alabama Supporting the Right to Read in All Alabama Libraries

‼️SB26 is one step away from the House floor!‼️
By allowing library board members to be removed without cause, SB26 opens the door for political pressure to remove library materials.
🎬 Email your representative today and tell them NO on SB26:
www.readfreelyalabama.org/stop_sb26_2026

Read freely Alabama's letter to the members of the House County and Municipal Government Committee regarding SB26:

Make the Call to Stop SB26 in the State House Supporting the Right to Read in All Alabama Libraries

UPDATE: SB26 is scheduled for a public hearing at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday Feb. 18 in room 418. ☎️ It’s time your state Representative hears your voice! We have made it easy to get connected to your state Representative here: www.readfreelyalabama.org/makethecall_...

Shock Democratic upset in Texas shows voters still hate book bans Running against Moms for Liberty is a winning 2026 strategy

Censorship is NOT a winning issue at the polls, and thanks to resources like the documentary “The Librarians,” voters are seeing through the disinformation being spread by political actors and extremists that libraries are supplying “pornography” to children.

www.salon.com/2026/02/06/s...

Make the Call to Stop SB26 in the State House Supporting the Right to Read in All Alabama Libraries

☎️It’s time your state Representative hears your voice! We have made it easy to get connected to your state Representative and urge them to vote NO on SB26: www.readfreelyalabama.org/makethecall_...

Make the Call to Stop SB26 Supporting the Right to Read in All Alabama Libraries

📢📢 Sen. Chris Elliott said the quiet part out loud about SB26: this bill is intended to further censor our public library collections.
‼️NOW is the time to act and let your senator know that this bill must not pass the chamber. Call your senator today:
www.readfreelyalabama.org/make_the_cal...

APLS is playing cat-and-mouse with Fairhope library funds | Alabama Reflector How can a library know whether it is in compliance with state code? The question might sound like a snooze, but the underlying topic is fraught.

Confused about how libraries must show compliance with the new APLS code changes in order to receive their state funding? Don't feel bad- the APLS board is too!
alabamareflector.com/2026/01/21/a...

photo of MLK jr speaking into microphone

MLK Day is about action.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” — Dr. King

Book bans silence voices and deny students opportunity. Today, stand up for the freedom to read: support librarians, share challenged books, and speak out.

#MLKDay #FreedomToRead #StopBookBans

🍿Exciting news!🍿

Join us at the Civil Rights Memorial Center Feb. 18th and 19th for a very special screening of “The Librarians,” a documentary from Academy Award nominee and Peabody Award winner Kim A. Snyder. A panel discussion including Read Freely will follow the film. RSVP here:
bit.ly/4pAUy5D

“We are inspired by the bravery of Read FreelyAlabama for continually defending the First Amendment and freedom of thought in America.”

"You can’t have the freedom of speech without the freedom to listen, and in libraries, that means the freedom to read,” said Robin Thurston, legal director at Democracy Forward.

Read Freely files amicus brief opposing censorship in Florida Last week, the organization filed an amicus brief supporting Florida plaintiffs who challenged the removal of books, arguing the Constitution guarantees the right to information.

Read about the amicus brief we filed in support of the plaintiffs in Parnell v. School Board of Escambia County, Florida over the removal of "And Tango Makes Three," the true story about two male penguins who raised a baby together. www.alreporter.com/2025/12/31/r...

Stop SB26: Protect Independent Library Boards in Alabama Supporting the Right to Read in All Alabama Libraries

The first anti-library bill of 2026,
SB26, would:
➡️create a mandatory reporting system for removed books.
➡️allow library board members to be dismissed for any reason, leaving them vulnerable to political pressure.
‼️TELL YOUR SENATOR NO ON SB26 HERE‼️
www.readfreelyalabama.org/stop_sb26_2026

December 7, 2025 - 🎓 Free Speech Under Fire: UA Silences Student Media YouTube video by The Voice of Alabama Politics

youtu.be/kCWC-PD2ZhE?...

🎙️ "This is the people in the state of Alabama around that area saying 'Enough.'" 🎙️

Susan Britt perfectly sums up the Fairhope Public Library fundraiser. 🎯

(Link to full episode in comments. Library discussion begins at 10:00.)

The second issue of My Alabama Library is all about the Fairhope Public Library. See a glimpse of our interviews with Fairhope residents about why the library is “the beating heart” of this beautiful coastal town. See the full intro video and first article at myalabamalibrary.org/fairhope-pub...