The Alabama Public Library Service Opts Out of the American Library Association

The Alabama Public Library Service has voted not to renew its American Library Association (ALA) membership. This comes after some in the state have accused the ALA — the oldest and largest library association in the world — of promoting Marxism, supporting keeping sexual content in libraries, and discriminating against religious organizations.

In October, Governor Kay Ivey even threatened a funding cut to the state’s public libraries if they didn’t allow more parental supervision within libraries.

It was because of the “distraction” caused by all of this discourse surrounding the state’s libraries that the decision was made to cut ties with the ALA, though local public libraries are currently free to manage their own respective ALA memberships.

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