|
On Jan.1, Illinois will become the first state in the country
that would cut off state taxpayer funding to any libraries that
remove books currently on the shelves. Under the new law,
Illinois public libraries can only access state grants if they
adopt the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights,
which stipulates that "materials should not be proscribed or
removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval."
On Tuesday, Pritzker attended an event at the University of
Chicago to commemorate National Banned Books Week. The school
plans to build a collection of books that have been historically
banned, creating an accessible library open to the public.
“Tyrants and fascists rise up and authoritarian regimes take
hold, and what's the first thing that they do? They ban the
books that disagree with them,” Pritzker said.
Shannon Adcock, president of the advocacy group Awake Illinois,
says it is another example of state government overstepping its
bounds.
“We have local library boards and trustees, we have local school
boards of elected school board members that are there to take an
oath to represent their constituents and to be stewards of their
local tax dollars,” Adcock told The Center Square.
Some advocates for restrictions on books in schools and
libraries say some materials are sexually explicit. Missouri and
several other states have enacted laws that allow school
administrations to restrict books that they deem inappropriate
for young readers.
Adcock said more attention should be directed toward reading
efficiency in Illinois schools.
“It's at 29.9% right now, down from 37.4% in 2019,” Adcock said
of reading literacy rates in the state. “We wish they were as
focused on improving literacy as they are focused on trying to
get pornographic material accessible to minors."
|
|
