Battle against book bans: Librarians strategize at annual conference
| Chicago
School librarian Jamie Gregory has been called a 鈥減edophile鈥� and 鈥済roomer,鈥� bombarded with private messages threatening harm, accused of distributing pornography in schools, and had her personal address posted on social media.
She takes it on the chin.
鈥淚鈥檓 just not going to quit. I鈥檓 not going to let them call me that, especially when I鈥檝e worked my whole entire life to get to where I am,鈥� said Ms. Gregory, who was named the 2022 South Carolina school librarian of the year.
The 鈥渟hocking鈥� allegations made her think: 鈥淢y whole entire adult life, and all of my education, and all my work 鈥� what if this is over? I鈥檓 not going to let that happen,鈥� Ms. Gregory said Saturday to a room packed full of about 100 fellow librarians at a training session on fighting book bans at the American Library Association鈥檚 annual meeting.
The attendees broke into applause at Ms. Gregory鈥檚 declaration.
Book bans and how to fight them are a major focus of this year鈥檚 ALA conference. The conference is being held in Chicago. On June 12, Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill that he says will make Illinois the first state in the nation to outlaw book bans.
Illinois public libraries that restrict or ban materials because of 鈥減artisan or doctrinal鈥� disapproval will be ineligible for state funding as of Jan. 1, 2024, when the聽new law聽goes into effect.
鈥淲e are not saying that every book should be in every single library,鈥� said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who is also the state librarian and was the聽driving force behind the legislation. 鈥淲hat this law does is it says, let鈥檚 trust our experience and education of our librarians to decide what books should be in circulation.鈥�
The ALA conference, dubbed 鈥渢he world鈥檚 largest library event,鈥� provides training and education for library professionals, according to the conference website. Librarians may attend sessions, like the one Ms. Gregory spoke at, aimed at helping them confidently counter book challenges, fight legislative censorship, and ensure the freedom to read.
The ALA conference hosts thousands of librarians, library staff, authors, publishers, and educators as several states push to restrict access to books in schools and libraries 鈥� overwhelmingly those about race, ethnicity, and LGBTQ+ topics. The association in March released data showing a record 1,269 demands to censor library books in the U.S. in 2022, a 20-year high.
鈥淎ddressing book censorship and protecting library users鈥� intellectual freedom, protecting librarians鈥� ability to provide information in their communities, is at the forefront of this year鈥檚 meeting,鈥� said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of ALA鈥檚 Office for Intellectual Freedom and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation.
All day Saturday, attendees are invited to climb atop a giant chair to read their favorite banned book.
Ms. Gregory selected 鈥淕ender Queer,鈥� Maia Kobabe鈥檚 autobiographical comic on what it means to be nonbinary and asexual 鈥� the source of the firestorm against the school librarian and the most challenged book of 2022, according to the ALA. She also chose 鈥淥ut of Darkness鈥� by Ashley Hope Perez, a historical fiction novel about an interracial teen romance.
鈥淭his one always makes them crazy,鈥� said Ms. Gregory, patting the copy of 鈥淕ender Queer鈥� and ascending the stepladder to the massive velvet reading chair, books in hand.
Librarians 鈥渕ake information available to people freely and equitably,鈥� and Ms. Gregory said she plans to keep doing that.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 impose my own personal moral system on students or patrons. They have to have their own, that鈥檚 not my job,鈥� she said.
In Ms. Gregory鈥檚 conservative community in Greenville, South Carolina, the public library board is pushing branches to remove Pride displays. In March, she testified against a bill that would allow parents to challenge any educational materials they say violate banned teachings around white privilege and implicit bias.
Still, Ms. Gregory said she feels the majority of her community supports her, despite the vocal minority.
鈥淚鈥檝e had a lot of people reach out to me who I don鈥檛 even know, saying, 鈥榃e think you do a great job鈥� 鈥� even parents at the school,鈥� she said.
Parents always have the right to choose what their children read, but they don鈥檛 have the right to restrict access for the whole community, said Christine Emeran, director of the Youth Free Expression Program of the National Coalition Against Censorship, a First Amendment advocacy organization.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just concede to demands of a particular group of parents and to censor libraries,鈥� she said.
Ms. Emeran, who is scheduled to be featured in a panel discussion called 鈥淗elp! They鈥檙e coming for our books!鈥� at the conference Sunday, began to notice an increase in book bans starting in 2021, at the beginning of President Joe Biden鈥檚 term. She attributed the shift to 鈥渁 cultural backlash鈥� against changing views on LGBTQ+ issues, women鈥檚 rights, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Local libraries are calling in the National Coalition Against Censorship for help now more than ever. In the past, the organization assisted a few book ban cases per year. 鈥淣ow we鈥檙e getting two or three a week,鈥� Ms. Emeran said.
鈥淟ibrarians are under pressure and they鈥檙e feeling frustrated, discouraged,鈥� said Ms. Emeran, who encouraged readers to support local libraries, attend school board meetings and get involved in their communities to protect the right to read.
Groups such as Moms for Liberty, No Left Turn in Education, and Citizens Defending Freedom have had an outsized effect on what is allowed to be read, she said.
鈥淭he majority may oppose censorship as a whole. But the problem is that the majority are silent,鈥� Ms. Emeran said.
Ms. Gregory and fellow panelists Lindsey Kimeri, coordinator of library services for Metro Nashville Public Schools, and Chris Chanyasulkit, an elected library trustee in Brookline, Massachusetts, advised attendees on how best to navigate book challenges in their communities.
Attentive faces bent over notebooks followed every word.
鈥淣o more humble brag, no being quiet, no more 鈥榖e quiet at the libraries,鈥欌�� Mr. Chanyasulkit said. 鈥淣ot quiet anymore. Now we鈥檙e going to talk about how it鈥檚 an incredible, game-changing place for communities because you need to be loud. The others are, and we鈥檙e not doing enough.鈥�
This story was reported by The Associated Press.聽
