Massachusetts may soon join a dozen other states in enacting a law aimed at standardizing the process for removing books from a public or school library, commonly known as an anti-book ban law.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would set statewide standards for removing a book from circulation in public and school libraries. A similar bill, modeled after Freedom to Read laws passed elsewhere, already passed the state Senate last year.
Andrea Fiorillo, co-chair of the Massachusetts Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom and Social Responsibilities Committee, said that since 2021 there’s been a record-breaking wave of censorship aimed at American libraries.
The measure, she said, will protect library staff and the public’s right to access information.
“I am very pleased that the legislative body has moved forward on this. We’ve really had now five-plus years of evidence on what’s happening to readers and library workers in Massachusetts and nationally,” she said.
Last year, Massachusetts was sixth in the nation in the number of book challenges, resulting in more than 200 titles being banned or censored, Fiorello said. She adds that 8,000 unique titles were challenged nationwide, and 77% of those were censored, with 66% banned outright according to the American Library Association.
Fiorello said she’s been alarmed at a similar trend in Massachusetts.
Supporters of the Freedom to Read bill have said it reaffirms that the legislature stands behind the freedom of Massachusetts readers and families to decide what kinds of books they read.
“It is high time that we put in protections and restate our values, and our values are a commitment to the First Amendment and freedom of expression and our commitment to the best education,” she said.
State Sen. Julian Cyr said he expects some version of the bill to go to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk by the end of the current session on July 31. Healey’s office told GBH News that when the legislation is ready, she’ll carefully review it.
Maureen Amyot, director of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, said the measure will provide protections for librarians regarding the choices they make in adding to their collections. Many librarians have faced name-calling, doxing, harassment or threats surrounding issues of intellectual freedom.
“No librarian will have to worry that they’ll be fired or disciplined for selecting books that they know are appropriate for the students in their school or the people in their communities,” Amyot said of the new bill, if passed. “They’ll be able to do their work with that confidence, and that that is huge.”
Three New England states have joined nine other states in passing anti-book ban laws such as the Freedom to Read act. But Amyot said there’s a misconception that because Massachusetts is liberal, there are no efforts to ban books.
“The data that we have only reflects public libraries. It does not reflect what’s happening in schools where there are significantly higher numbers of books being challenged by people all across the Commonwealth,” Amyot said.
Amyot says the majority of book challenges are generally backed by national organizations.
“There are several of them that are operating, trying to [ban] books that feature characters of color, that are written by authors of color that represent the LGBTQIA+ community,” she said.
Opponents of Freedom to Read laws include as the Massachusetts Family Institute, which has argued the bill will block the rights of students and parents to challenge inappropriate content in schools and libraries. The MFI did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the proposed legislation.
Amyot argues that the bill does the opposite, and simply standardizes policies and procedures for all schools and public libraries to have a collection development policy.
“It’s a policy that outlines how books are selected, how they’re removed, and what the process is for someone with standing to challenge materials in the library. So it’s not to say that no one can ever challenge a book in a library collection. They certainly can. There just will be procedures around it in now for every library,“ she said.
Jennifer Varney, co-chair with Massachusetts Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee, said the bill would send a message that the freedom to read is enshrined in the Constitution and that people can still challenge books, but librarians will have more protection to do their jobs.
Varney said similar legislation is being proposed across the country, mostly in red states. But she adds it’s needed in today’s political climate.
“It is hard to be a public and school librarian. There’s a lot of backlash, a lot of vitriol out there, and this legislation will help us do our job, which is to make sure that students have access to the information they have a right to receive,” she said.
