Fanning the Flames: Why Book Bans Are on the Rise and What We Can Do about It

Dr. Shannon Oltmann will explore why book bans and censorship are happening more frequently and discuss what can be done to stand up against book bans. Shannon M. Oltmann is an Associate Professor in the School of Information Science at the University of Kentucky. She obtained her Ph.D. from Indiana University. Her research interests include information ethics, censorship, intellectual freedom, public libraries, privacy, and qualitative research methods. She wrote the book Practicing Intellectual Freedom in Libraries and edited The Fight Against Book Bans: Perspectives from the Field. Oltmann’s work has been funded by the American Library Association and the Institute of Museum & Library Services. She has presented her research at numerous academic and professional conferences and webinars and has published widely. Oltmann studies the implementation of and resistance to censorship in libraries and other spaces (including online). This work is increasingly important as book bans soar across the country. Her work examines how libraries combat censorship and connect with their communities through diverse resources. Another stream of work investigates information precarity, a lack of information and resources brought about by systemic marginalization. Oltmann has won several awards, including the Kentucky Intellectual Freedom Award, the Faculty Service Award, the Jesse H. Shera Award for Distinguished Public Research, and the McJulien Scholar Award.