Free Expression

Work began in earnest this week on reauthorization of three provisions of the USA Patriot Act, which are set to expire at the end of this year. The Obama administration told lawmakers that it is in favor of renewal of the provisions, but is open to possible changes to the law to ensure the protection of Americans' civil liberties.

Thousands of indie bookstore customers are reading with less eyestrain and supporting free speech under a partnership between the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and 2020 Vision USA, which launched in June at BookExpo America.

Here's a look at some of the freely available resources that make it easy for booksellers to participate in this year's celebration of Banned Books Week (from September 26 through October 3).

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) is urging booksellers to help publicize the hundreds of attacks on books that occur in the U.S. every year by participating in Banned Books Week, the national celebration of the freedom to read, from September 26 through October 3.

Chris Finan

In this column, Chris Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, explains why booksellers should care about what happens to Robert J. Stevens, a Virginia man who has been convicted of creating videos that contain scenes of dogfighting.

Last Sunday's Freedom to Read Foundation 40th Anniversary Gala in the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago was both a celebration and a moving tribute to Judith F. Krug, director of the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom from its founding in 1967 to her death in April of stomach cancer.

Last week, Tom Lowenburg of New Orleans' Octavia Books testified against a Louisiana Senate Bill (S.B. 152) that would authorize civil suits against booksellers who are accused of selling a book that depicts nudity to a minor.

ABFFE Welcomes New Board Members

The two newest members of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression Board of Directors are Becky Anderson and Dan Cullen. Anderson was elected to a one-year term as ABFFE vice president. She is part of the fifth generation of Andersons at the helm of Anderson's Bookshops in Naperville, Aurora, and Downers Grove, Illinois. Anderson is also the vice president of the American Booksellers Association.