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Freedom to Read Act
"The Freedom to Read Act, which now awaits Gov. Wes Moore’s signature after passing both the House and Senate chambers, would prohibit libraries from removing books or complying with book ban requests based on the origin or political affiliation of the author or for ideological or religious reasons."
According to the Maryland State Library Agency, since 2019 Maryland’s public libraries have seen a 133% increase in formal challenges to their collections, and a 263% increase in informal challenges. [Book Challenge Survey, MSLA, Retrieved 1.12.24]
In a September 2023 survey by the Maryland Association of School Librarians (MASL), over 70% of respondents reported book challenges at their school districts. [Maryland Book Challenge Impact Survey, MASL, 10.10.23]
These challenges attempt to ban certain titles like Water for Elephants, Slaughterhouse Five, The Handmaid’s Tale, and even a book by renowned children’s author Judy Blume. [Carroll County Public Schools Challenged Books List, Carroll County Public Schools, as cited in The Baltimore Banner, 9.13.23]
The MASL survey also found that 52% of school librarians reported that book challenges have made their job more difficult and 42% said book challenges have had a negative impact on their personal lives and/or interactions in their communities. [Maryland Book Challenge Impact Survey, MASL,10.10.23]
53% of public school librarians reported not purchasing books that they were afraid would be “controversial.” Some reported being “fearful” of purchasing a book even though they knew that there were students who could benefit from it because they would receive pushback from parents. Others stated that they “second-guessed” their decisions when it came to purchasing books because of a sense of fear of repercussions and losing their jobs.[Maryland Book Challenge Impact Survey, MASL,10.10.23]
“There were attempts to censor more than 100 titles in each of these 17 states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.” [American Library Association reports record number of unique book titles challenged in 2023, ALA, 4.2.24]
Public School Ban Attempts/ Calls*:
Carroll
Frederick
Montgomery
Wicomico
Worcester
Somerset
Baltimore City
Howard
Public Library System Book Challenges:
Allegany
Anne Arundel
Baltimore County
Calvert
Carroll
Charles
Enoch Pratt
Frederick
Garrett
Howard
Kent
Prince George’s
St. Mary’s
Talbot
Wicomico
According to an internal survey by the Maryland State Library Agency, from 2019 to 2023, there was a 600% increase in threats to staff and 11 incidents of bomb threats to library branches according to an internal survey by the Maryland State Library Agency.
Addressing School Libraries:
The Freedom to Read Act will require each local school system to operate its school library media program consistent with the following standards:
The materials, services, and resources provided in a school library media program are provided for the interest, information, and instructional support of students and school personnel of the schools the program serves;
Materials may not be excluded from a school library media program solely because of the origin, background, or views of the individual who created the material; and
Materials may not be excluded or removed from the catalogue of a school library media program because of partisan, ideological, or religious disapproval.
The bill also requires each school system to develop and implement a policy and procedure to review objections to materials in the school library media program, including:
They must establish a process to submit an objection to material in a school library media program by a student, parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school in the local school system, or school personnel;
Materials under review must remain available for use by students and school personnel until the review process has concluded;
Establish a reasonable timeline to conduct and conclude the review process in a timely manner.
Finally, the bill establishes that a county board may not dismiss, demote, suspend, discipline, reassign, transfer, or otherwise retaliate against a librarian, a certified library media speciality, or school library media program support staff for performing their job duties consistent with the standards.
For Public Libraries:
The bill establishes that it is the policy of the State that each library shall operate in a manner consistent with the following standards:
Library materials, services, and resources exist and should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all persons the library serves;
A library should not exclude material from its catalogue because of the origin, background, or views of a person who created the material; and
A library should not prohibit or remove material from its catalogue because of partisan, ideological, or religious disapproval.
The State Library Board shall develop policies consistent with these standards and ensure that all libraries that receive State funds are operated consistent with the State Standards for libraries. If the State Library Board certifies that a library receiving State funds has failed to meet the State standards for libraries, the Comptroller shall withhold all State funds until the State Library Board certifies that the county has adopted a written policy consistent with the State standards for libraries.
Finally, the Freedom to Read Act protects our public library workers by preventing them from being dismissed, demoted, suspended, disciplined, reassigned, transferred, or otherwise retaliated against for their adherence to the State Standards for Libraries.
American Library Association: Banned book lists and censorship by the numbers nationwide. Great resource for a primer on the issue and understanding book bans from a 30,000 foot view.
Pen America: PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. Additional resource to understand scope of issue.
Maryland Association of School Librarians (MASL), Impact of Book Challenges in MD: In September of 2023, MASL conducted a survey of its membership to better understand how book challenges in Maryland are impacting school librarians across the State. This survey provides a by the numbers status update on school library challenges, how librarians are dealing with them, and immediate actions by MASL.
Collection Development: An Elementary Perspective: Librarians, from elementary school to public, employ a rigorous and constantly scrutinized selection process. This and the following articles provide a detailed description of that process for our elementary, middle, and public schools.