Carbondale Reporter

Senator Terri Bryant posted on Facebook on May 3, regarding the approval of House Bill 2789 which seeks to address the issue of book prohibitions.

The Senate approved the bill on May 3 which mandates the State Librarian, Alexi Giannoulias, to create a written policy that asserts the power of public libraries or library systems to disallow the prohibition of certain books or resources. The bill also specifies that written policies prohibiting book bans must be in place for public libraries or library systems to be eligible for grant funds from the state.

"Here we go again," Bryant said. "The Super Majority just passed another piece of legislation that threatens state funding for local libraries if they don't adopt a so-called 'Library Bill of Rights'." 

According to the Illinois Library Association, the Illinois Library Bill of Rights was initiated by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. The bill was created to assist public and school libraries in dealing with the unprecedented censorship of books and resources in Illinois. The ILA has expressed its support for the legislation and has been joined in this support by AISLE, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and NAACP-Springfield.

Sen Bryant added a graphic to her statement which defended the Illinois libraries. In the June 28, 2022 election, Bryant ran unopposed in her efforts to serve the residents of District 58.

"We already have two Bill of Rights, one within the Illinois Constitution and another in the U.S. Constitution," Bryant wrote. "These Bills of Rights, as well as our entire state and federal Constitutions, are the codes of conduct that govern all elected Illinois officials, including our locally elected library boards."

House Bill 2789 made an announcement and emphasized the importance of safeguarding the freedom of public libraries and library systems to acquire materials without external limitations and to protect them from any attempts to ban, remove or restrict access to books or any other materials.

"It is the policy of the State to encourage the improvement of free public libraries and to encourage cooperation among all types of libraries in promoting the sharing of library resources, including digital resources, and to encourage and protect the freedom of public 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." 

Bryant concluded that it is unnecessary for Illinois libraries to be threatened due to state budgeting.

"There is absolutely no reason for Illinois libraries to be forced to adopt a so-called 'Library Bill of Rights' created by a little-known national organization that is not elected or beholden to the people of our state," Bryant wrote. "Nor should our local libraries’ funding be threatened if they disagree."