US News
US public libraries face breaking point from political interference, PEN America report says
The study documents rising book bans, harassment of librarians, and legislative efforts to exert political control over library boards.
The short version
- A new PEN America report warning that U.S. public libraries are at a "breaking point" due to rising political censorship, harassment, and funding cuts.
- The American Library Association has documented that 51% of all attempted book bans nationwide now target public libraries, shifting from a previous focus on school libraries.
- Advocates report that independent library governance is increasingly being undermined by local and state legislative efforts to control staffing and board appointments.
Key facts
- The free expression advocacy group PEN America published a report titled 'Out of Circulation: Expanding Censorship in Public Libraries' highlighting systemic pressures on local libraries.[The Guardian]
- The report notes that 51% of all book bans attempted nationwide, as documented by the American Library Association, now occur in public libraries.[The Guardian]
- PEN America documented physical and verbal harassment, bomb threats, protests, and a physical assault on a librarian, leading to canceled events in states like New York, Massachusetts, and Nevada.[The Guardian]
- Legislative measures are shifting oversight; an Idaho law passed in March allows city councils to hire and fire library directors directly, while efforts in Alabama aimed to let local governments remove board members without cause.[The Guardian]
- In Sumter County, Tennessee, conservative activist Riley Gaines was appointed to a library board, where she criticized fellow board members on social media for not removing books she labeled as inappropriate.[The Guardian]
Sources
- US public libraries at ‘breaking point’ amid ideological attacks, report findsThe Guardian - World