Global Courant
An Illinois bill banning books from public libraries in the state was signed by Governor JB. Pritzker on June 12, 2023. The new Illinois law goes into effect January 1, 2024, and libraries that fail to comply will not be eligible for state funding. Attempts to censor library books hit a 20-year high in 2022, according to the American Library Association
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed into law Monday that he says will make Illinois the first state in the country to ban book bans.
Public libraries in Illinois that restrict or ban materials because of “partisan or doctrinal” disapproval will not be eligible for state funding beginning January 1, 2024, when the new law goes into effect.
“We’re not saying every book should be in every library,” said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who is also the state librarian and was the driving force behind the legislation. “What this law does is, let’s rely on our experience and training of our librarians to decide which books should be in circulation.”
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The new law comes into effect as states in the US push for the removal of certain books from schools and libraries, especially those on LGBTQ+ themes and by people of color. The American Library Association announced in March that efforts to censor books in schools and public libraries will reach a 20-year high by 2022 — twice the 2021 record.
“Illinois legislation is a response to troubling conditions of censorship and an environment of suspicion,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signs a bill into law at a library in downtown Chicago on June 12, 2023. The new law requires state libraries to honor a pledge not to ban any material due to partisan disapproval beginning January 1, 2024. (State of Illinois via AP)
To qualify for state funds, public libraries in Illinois must pass the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, which states that “materials shall not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation,” or subscribe to a similar commitment.
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Downers Grove Democrat Rep. Anne Stava-Murray sponsored legislation in the Illinois House of Representatives after a school board in her district came under pressure to ban certain content from school libraries.
“While it is true that children need guidance, and some ideas may be reprehensible, they try to arm local government to force one-size-fits-all norms on the entire community for reasons of bigotry, or if replacement for active and engaged parenting, is wrong,” Stava-Murray said Monday at the signing of the bill, which took place at a children’s library in downtown Chicago.
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Despite Giannoulias’s claim that “this shouldn’t be a Democratic or Republican issue,” legislature approval has splintered across party lines, with Republicans in the opposition.
“I support local control,” Tony McCombie, minority leader in the House of Representatives, a Republican who voted against the measure, said in an emailed statement. “Our caucus does not believe in banning books, but we do believe that the content of books should be considered when placing them on the shelves.”
