Evanston dust-up highlights the role of libraries in public debate

Evanston dust-up highlights the role of libraries in public debate
Evanston dust-up highlights the role of libraries in public debate

Evanston dust-up highlights the role of libraries in public debate

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Social media was on fire this weekend when a talk featuring Ali Abunimah, the pro-Palestinian author and co-founder of the Electronic Intifada-was seemingly pulled from the calendar at the Evanston Public Library. Abunimah blogged that he was being censored, and within hours thousands chose their sides and had their say on twitter, facebook, and more. The library claims three things: that the talk was never cancelled, that like much of their programming this was intended to be a larger discussion featuring many points of view, and that they handled things poorly. The library’s director, Karen Danczak Lyons, clarifies the situation and talks about the role of libraries in public debate. Photo: Flickr/jojolae