Libraries can and should be advocating on their own behalf. Libraries are not neutral, and it is not partisan to be unabashedly pro-library. No matter which party puts forth a pro-library bill, libraries should seek to have it passed. It’s something they should educate their community about and encourage their community to act upon, too. The same goes in reverse: in a half-decade of bills at the state and federal level escalating attacks on libraries and access to literature for all, libraries need to be speaking out against them.
But so, too, should the groups intimately tied to libraries. Library boards and Friends groups serve different purposes, but both work in the service of the library and its constituency. Yet they aren’t showing up, and in many ways, it’s hard not to see that this is because they, too, too often believe their role is one of neutrality. But neutrality is precisely why libraries are finding themselves in the positions that they’re in–neutrality is inaction. It’s the status quo. It’s sitting back, rather than stepping forward.
This rabbit hole of seeking such letters came about because, in the course of doing these book censorship roundups, I stumbled upon an excellent letter from Medicine Hat Public Library’s Board of Directors. This library is located in Alberta, Canada, where the provincial government is proposing a bill that would impose sweeping bans on public library materials. The piece is structured less as a typical letter to the editor and more as a lengthy comment used to develop a longer story with the local newspaper.
Literary Activism
News you can use plus tips and tools for the fight against censorship and other bookish activism!
The board expressed concern regarding the legislation and damage it could cause to library service for all members of the community.
“The province is worried about youth viewing what they describe as pornography. Pornography is typically defined as sexually explicit material, created with the intention to arouse, and lacking educational or cultural value. No such material exists in Alberta public libraries,” said MHPL.
MHPL explains that more than 90 per cent of youth access to such material is done via cellphone or internet access, which the bill does nothing to address. Meanwhile however, the bill restricts less than one per cent of materials in the library contain imagery potentially considered explicit,and that all are part of larger works with educational or artistic value.
Affected materials would include art books, scientific works, health guides, graphic novels and similar materials, said MHPL, which are are almost always intended for adults, placed in adult collections and housed in adult areas of the library.
These works are selected carefully according to standards defined in library policy, and wanted by the community.
The following day, another Canadian public library board published an excellent letter against Alberta’s proposed Bill 28. This one comes from the board of the Mayerthorpe Public Library.
The Mayerthorpe Public Library does not have pornographic material for children, nor does any other public library in Alberta. Our collection is guided by a board-approved collection development policy and is informed by professional library standards. Materials are catalogued and shelved appropriately by age. The library board has a formal process for patrons to request reconsideration of items – a process that has never been used in our community.
If Bill 28 proceeds as proposed, there are several significant concerns. The province has stated there will be no additional funding to implement these changes, meaning costs would fall to municipalities. For small, rural libraries, this would place additional strain on already overburdened local budgets. New requirements could also lead to the loss of volunteer opportunities and jobs for young people under the age of 16.
While the government has stated that “no books are being removed,” requiring materials to be placed in secured areas and borrowed only through proof of age creates barriers to access and raises privacy concerns. Barriers of this kind function as censorship, regardless of whether materials remain physically present in library buildings.
Both of these letters deserve to be read in full, and both do an outstanding job of explaining the issue, its impact on the library, and why readers should care. The second letter includes a clear call to action, too, directing people to sign onto a digital postcard being sent directly to lawmakers.
There is a direct link between public libraries and school libraries, even when they operate independently and have no formal connection. Where people who understand the library ecosystem understand the differences, the average person may not. In some cases, school administration takes advantage of this. Case in point: a recent attempt to cut middle school librarians in a sizable Chicago suburban public school system.
District 65, which covers Evanston and Skokie, proposed “reassigning” middle school librarians to classrooms in a budget-saving maneuver. Even reading that makes zero sense, of course, because they weren’t laying off those professionals. But what’s the logic behind the board’s suggestion? Students could use local public libraries to meet their information needs. The district’s superintendent noted as justification for the “reassignment” that they’d investigate ways to partner with the local public libraries.
Were the public libraries aware they’d become the place where students would turn to? They were not.
That’s when Gail Meyer, a school library advocate who works with the Association of Illinois School Library Educators, the state’s school library association, stepped in. Seeing the note that the public libraries would become the solution to D 65’s budget issues, she sprang into action and got in touch with the local librarians. She let them know what was happening, what was said, and what role they’d be playing to solve budget challenged at a local district–where their own colleagues in the field would be taken out of their roles and placed elsewhere.
It was the kind of communication that spurred many of those librarians into action as well.
The community came together to protest the cuts, including those working in the public library. That played out loudly at the next board meeting, where District leadership walked back the cuts. But the leadership’s reputation and clear lack of consideration for the role libraries and librarians play in student development, education, and information literacy have been sullied.
That is why it is crucial that public libraries speak up about the damage being done in public school libraries. These are sister institutions of democracy and civic engagement, even if they operate differently. Even if they aren’t equally affected by legislation.
If you’re part of a library board of directors or a Friends of the library group, consider where and how you can discuss supporting your local public school librarians by speaking up and out about HR 7661. Consider where and how you can use your positions to support the efforts in getting people to call their representatives about this terrible and bigoted bill that will only continue causing undue harm to students. This kind of bill doesn’t “just” impact LGBTQ+ youth. It impacts all youth who are denied the opportunities to learn, explore, and be exposed to the reality of our diverse and interconnected world.
All of that said, something that may be useful for those involved in their local library boards, Friends groups, or who are simply library lovers without additional volunteer roles within the library system, are some excellent letters to the editor supporting public libraries and diverse collections. Find here seven great examples of letters to the editor that you can use as templates and/or inspiration for writing to your own local or regional newspapers (if you have them). If you don’t have a local news outlet–and recall that one of the reasons we’re in this heap of censorship and attacks on libraries and schools is because of the death of local news–consider where and how you can post these on social media. Perhaps there’s an active town Facebook group. Maybe there’s an opportunity to partner with a local business to spread the message. Get creative here and consider where and how you can amplify the importance of showing up and advocating for your local libraries.
The letters below are excerpts. Take the time to click through and read them in full. They address the values of local libraries, of programming that encourages inclusive literature, and more.
Here is one from this week, out of Rocky Mount, North Carolina. This member of the local Friends of the Library emphasizes the harm that will be done to the library were it to see proposed budget cuts. There is a great call to action at the end of the piece (not seen here–click through for the full letter).
As a Rocky Mount resident and president of the Friends of Braswell Memorial Public Library, I urge our community to speak out against proposed funding cuts to our library. Public libraries are not luxuries; they are essential infrastructure for an informed, connected, and resilient community.
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If these cuts go forward, residents could see reduced hours, fewer staff, fewer programs, and fewer materials, along with added strain on security and building maintenance. Those losses would fall hardest on the people who already face the greatest barriers, widening gaps in access to information, opportunity, and support.
This is another very recent letter about budget challenges for public libraries. Again: straight to the point, reflecting the harm that will ensue, as well as what locals should be thinking about.
I write today in earnest in support of our town’s library. I realize we are currently facing budget struggles, but that is often the case as any parent or “head of household” will tell you. However, we have a responsibility to keep our library (fully) open to offer the materials needed for early and lifelong learning. In the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Free libraries are the cradle of democracy.” Honestly, there is no doubt in my mind as to the truth in that ideal. Also, consider Albert Einstein’s words when he declared, “The only thing that you absolutely need to know is the location of the library.”
Everyone has a hill that they would die on; that hill for me is access. The access to decent housing, education equality and clean water are things we often think of when questions of access arise. Here, access refers to books, periodicals, computer usage, tax help, community events just to name a few. These services and the assistance of knowledgeable librarians is critical. Libraries hold not only the books with language and stories that “map” our young brains and feed developed ones but also offer a quiet haven to those young and old.
This is an excellent post from a library director in Indiana, who wanted to inform taxpayers about the new laws state legislators wanted to pass that would directly impact their libraries. It’s a reminder of where and how library workers–especially those in leadership–can and should use their spaces to advocate for the library.
From a Lake County Public Library Facebook post:
I am writing to you today with urgent news regarding proposed library legislation in Indiana. The Indiana House of Representatives plans to vote on this troubling legislation as early as Monday, February 23, 2026.
Yesterday evening, I learned that Indiana Senate Bill 4 (https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/senate/4/details), which addresses various fiscal matters, includes specific language that could fundamentally destabilize and harm every public library in Indiana.
If Senate Bill 4 passes, libraries could be easily defunded by their respective county or city governments. This is a significant departure from how library governance has functioned in Indiana for generations.
**Take Action Now – Your Voice Matters More Than Ever**
The post then provides clear, concise, and easy-to-follow actions for patrons to advocate for how their money is used to fund their public library.
Up next is a longer guest essay from two high school students who wrote about the diverse book club spearheaded by one of their teachers and how valuable it is to them. Letters can be in support and in celebration of doing good as much as they can be about informing people about the bad and concerning things happening. This one is especially good because it’s a reminder of the good that librarians do as part of their job.
At a time when reading for pleasure, or even for school, can feel like a low priority, when library programs are losing funding, and when so many campuses lack dedicated librarians, the libraries like ours — and librarians like Mr. Biddle — are invaluable.
From conversations about the latest political news to debates about the next fantasy book in a series to listening to awe-inspiring music during free periods, the YWA library is so much more than just books. For Marium, the library is a place of new ideas. That’s because Mr. Biddle encourages us to research, think critically, and look for the untold stories and perspectives.
This next letter is a response to a different letter in the same outlet. It takes a measured approach to naming the tactics that groups like Moms for Liberty and others use to create mass misinformation and disinformation campaigns about the books available in libraries.
The agenda of these book banning groups is insidious. Their goal is to interject their own politics into classrooms in the name of protecting children from harmful content. I have been a teacher for over half a century and can attest to the fact that the problem is not that young people are being asked to read inappropriate books but that they are not reading at all. Current analyses of teens’ literacy achievement are what frighten me. Recent tests of international literacy among high school aged students show that almost half of seniors are below basic proficiency, and only about a third are at or above proficient, indicating struggles with complex texts and critical analysis. I have taught high school and college level students with the goal of their embracing wide reading and developing critical perspectives on the many texts they encountered in my classroom.
Parents who want to understand what their children are reading (or not) in school should have conversations with teachers about their curricula. That is an appropriate action. What they should not be doing is second-guessing professionals and attempting to determine what all students should have access to in public schools. Targeting teachers and librarians in an attempt to control what students read is a dangerous and slippery slope. Ray Bradbury knew that all too well, as did those who opposed book burning in Nazi Germany. The book-banning attacks, often funded and fueled by donors who refuse to reveal themselves, weaponize outrageously inflammatory language to accuse librarians of the most appalling of crimes: “pornography,” “pedophilia,” and “grooming” with hyperbolic rhetoric about “the radical left.”
Similarly, this letter does a great job of highlighting how some politicians choose to pick on kids via the books they have access to as their pet cause, rather than addressing the actual challenges within a state. This letter is direct, short, and effective.
What State Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, is doing trying to ban books is a waste of time and frankly an attempt to stifle free speech. Republicans were hell bent on calling out the left for its “cancel culture” and here he is dolling it out under the guise of protecting children.
The books he’s talking about have been around and in libraries for years. I challenge him to site one instance where something dangerous, nefarious or illegal happened as a direct result from a child reading one of these so-called “obscene” materials.
Why wasn’t he speaking out against these materials years ago?
The final example worth highlighting here ties into ongoing conversations about protecting libraries and the access they provide to diverse collections: board elections. Perhaps your library isn’t under attack, or it is, and you are looking for a way to ensure things are right-sided. A letter to the editor or even a letter on your own social media about the upcoming election can do wonders. This piece discusses the importance of library board elections and the insights from candidates running in this community. It’s done cleverly, too, as it talks about how four candidates at a local election forum responded to a question about the freedom to read…but it doesn’t name any of the candidates or their stances. Three had pro-reading stances, while one did not. Why is this clever? The letter writer encouraged readers to look up the video from the forum so they could learn who said what. There’s advocating voting and encouraging people to do their own research through first-hand sources, like a candidate forum.
American libraries are under attack. Compliant library boards in several states have removed controversial books from their libraries. The federal Institute of Museum and Library Services is being dismantled, eliminating funding to public libraries across the country. The President fired the Librarian of Congress for, according to his spokeswoman, supporting diversity and inclusion and acquiring “inappropriate” children’s books.
It is in this context that Bethlehem voters will elect two trustees to the Library’s Board of Trustees on May 20th.
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Judgments on whether a book is hateful are subjective and leave the door open to censorship. There are many books that one person or another might find hateful, but should remain available to Library patrons. I urge that candidate to re-think her views on censorship. We need trustees who will support policies ensuring that there is no censorship of reading materials or program content or use of meeting rooms by community groups. Voters should expect full-throated defense by our Library trustees of the freedom to speak and read.
Book Censorship News: May 22, 2026
The above was drafted prior to the passage of HR 2616 on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. It is as imperative to speak up and out against that bill. Here’s what HR 2616 is and what you can do right now.
- New Hampshire legislators are still trying to make book banning easier across the state.
- “That vision of the Old South is increasingly a harder sell. Younger visitors and a more historically informed public are asking the questions that the tours were designed to sidestep. Taken together, Knox County and Natchez reveal two expressions of the same impulse: the desire to manage how the South’s history of slavery is seen, taught, and felt. One removes a book from a shelf. The other fills a parlor with hoop skirts. Both treat the full truth of that history as something to be contained rather than confronted.” This is a great read about the banning of Roots in Knox County, Tennessee, schools, in terms of what that and other such censorship and mis/dis information about the South is really pointing to.
- Public libraries in Colorado recorded 25% fewer book bans last year than in previous years. Don’t let this state fool you–it’s likely there’s plenty of quiet censorship happening, which is the kind that isn’t recorded for a reason.
- If you’re in Arkansas, you have until June 15 to let the state know you’re not interested in more policies to ban more books.
- I wrote a letter to the editor of a local library that has seen its board take on extremist–and nonsense–stances. You can read it here.
- What’s next for the Librarian of Congress and the Register of Copyright? You won’t be surprised that Artificial Intelligence may be undergirding some of the thinking here. (From last year, catch up on what the Library of Congress is and what it does).
- Academic libraries are being pushed to the brink with demands on what they offer, while funding to keep staff or libraries able to offer what’s needed continues to wither.
- Board members at Knox County Schools (TN) are questioning why the book Roots was removed from the schools under the “Age Appropriate Materials” Act.
- Local school board elections in Indiana will become partisan beginning this election.
- Good luck to any librarian eager to step into the role of director at Rutherford County Library System (TN). You’ll be expected to follow the library board’s orders and run a library reflective of far-right politics, not one representative of your community.
- The Fremont County Library Board (WY) has put a new materials acquisition policy out for public comment. The new policy would lead to plenty of book banning, as it mirrors one of the worst legislative propositions put forward by the state last year that ultimately failed.
- “Satilla Regional Library System [GA] becomes first in the nation to offer BRAVE+ streaming access to patrons” Woof. Imagine if a company that didn’t actively hate and try to dismantle public libraries could offer this kind of content instead. (Plenty do!).
- Get to know the conservative law firm being hired by some school boards in Colorado to rid their curriculum of actual history lessons and access to inclusive books.
- On the Las Culturistas podcast, Jenna Bush Hager rants against banning books.
- “After nearly three years of discussion about Samuels Public Library’s collection, organization and financing, supervisors unanimously passed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that reestablishes the public-private partnership between the county and the county’s only library and guarantees funding for Samuels for five years.” This is great news out of Virginia. The article gives a solid rundown of the three years of attacks on this library from a tiny number of people in the community.
- Looking for an excellent read about a Black librarian who has dedicated her career to helping other people find books that reflect their lives? This is such a great piece (n.b., there is a factual error–Utah currently leads the country in book bans, not South Carolina).