SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Secretary of State and head librarian Alexi Giannoulias is supporting legislation to combat book banning and censorship in libraries across the state. Under House Bill 2789, Illinois libraries would only be eligible for state-funded grants if they demonstrate that they adhere to the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights indicating reading materials should not be removed because of partisan or personal disapproval. According to the Chicago-based American Library Association, there were 67 attempts to ban books in Illinois in 2022, increasing from 41 the previous year.
“This is an alarming phenomenon that’s occurring throughout the nation, including Illinois, which is designed to polarize and disrupt our communities,” Giannoulias said. “This scourge of censorship has a chilling effect on our democracy. These efforts have nothing to do with books. Instead, they are about ideas that certain individuals disagree with and believe no one should think, or be allowed to think.”
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