Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Professor Emily Knox from the UIUC School of Information Sciences testified yesterday before a Senate committee about Illinois’ new law protecting libraries from outside groups pressuring them to pull books from library shelves.
The Illinois law is the only one of its kind in the country, and the Judiciary Committee is considering whether such protections would be appropriate on the federal level.
Librarians have found themselves under pressure from groups that want to ban or limit access to books and have received death threats and other intimidating messages. Giannoulias told the committee that the concept of banning books contradicts American values of democracy and free speech.
Public Act 103-100 was signed into law in June and allows Giannoulias’ office to provide grant funding to libraries that adhere to the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, which states that reading materials should not be removed or restricted because of partisan or personal disapproval.
Libraries can also issue a statement prohibiting the practice of banning books or resources. Libraries that do not adhere to the law will be ineligible for state grants from Giannoulias’ office.
