Arkansas librarians unite in legal action against book prohibition.
Arkansas Librarians Fight Back Against Book Ban
Librarians in Arkansas filed a lawsuit Friday against the state in an attempt to undo its recently passed book ban.
Act 372, signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) in March, has caused quite a stir. The law codified what “obscene materials” could not be distributed to minors and made “furnishing a harmful item to a minor” an offense that allowed parents to sue. But librarians are fighting back against what they call a “vague, sweeping law” in their suit because it creates “violations of their rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.”
The Fight for Freedom of Expression
According to their claim, it is impossible to “restrict the display of materials covered by the Availability Provision to juveniles without also restricting such access by adults” who have “the right to view, browse through and purchase material.” The law promises that any book that is challenged by a reader “shall not be withdrawn solely for the viewpoints expressed within the material; and Shall be reviewed in its entirety and shall not have selected portions taken out of context.” It will not go into effect until Aug 1.
Librarian advocacy group EveryLibrary Institute reported 15 states with bills that would open public librarians up to criminal charges for letting minors check out certain books this year. Already, Indiana and Montana have joined Arkansas in signing such bills. Idaho and North Dakota attempted to legislate their libraries similarly but were ultimately vetoed by their respective Republican governors.
Join the Fight
Librarians are on the front lines of the fight for freedom of expression. They are the guardians of knowledge and the protectors of our right to read what we choose. If you believe in the importance of free access to information, join the fight and support your local library.
- Attend library board meetings
- Donate to library advocacy groups
- Write to your elected officials
- Spread the word on social media
Together, we can ensure that our libraries remain a bastion of free thought and expression for generations to come.
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