Illinois Gov. Pritzker signs law blocking library book bans – “Regimes ban books, not democracies.”
Those were the words from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), who signed what he hailed as the nation’s first state law to outlaw the practice of banning books from public libraries.
In this screenshot from a livestream, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs a bill, Monday, June 12, 2023, at Harold Washington Library’s Thomas Hughes Children’s Library in downtown Chicago. The new law, effective Jan. 1, 2024, requires the state’s libraries to uphold a pledge not to ban material because of partisan disapproval. Pritzker said the law will make Illinois the first state in the nation to outlaw book bans. (State of Illinois via AP)Illinois Gov. Pritzker signs law blocking library book bans
Pritzker signed HB2789 into law on Monday.
The legislation appears to be a direct response to the recent wave of attacks on books — largely those that tell stories relating to race, gender, and sexuality — targeting public and school libraries nationwide. It specifically aims to “encourage and protect the freedom of libraries and library systems to acquire materials without external limitation and to be protected against attempts to ban, remove, or otherwise restrict access to books or other materials.”
The law, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2024, not only mandates that free library services be expanded such that libraries are provided for all citizens of Illinois, but also specifies that these libraries must have “adequate library materials to satisfy the reference and research needs of the people of this state” as well as “adequate staff of professionally trained librarians” on hand.
The new law explicitly requires that any state-funded library either adopt the American Library Association’s (ALA) Library Bill of Rights, which prohibits censorship based on “partisan or doctrinal disapproval,” or work with the state librarian to develop its own written statement committing to keeping the book supply adequate.
Most notably, the law includes an outright prohibition on the practice of banning specific books or resources.
