HARTFORD, CT – A pair of Connecticut Democrats introduced the “Don’t Ban Library Books Act” during a news conference Thursday to address the rising issue of book banning while safeguarding intellectual freedom and providing protections for librarians and library staff.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, and Sen. Ceci Maher, a Wilton Democrat who co-chairs the General Assembly’s Children’s Committee, said that despite the clear intentions the bill – Senate Bill 523 – they have faced backlash, including misinformation, vitriol, and even threats.
Duff played audio of one particular threat from an unidentified male caller during the news conference.
The bill specifically aims to prohibit public and school libraries from bans or censorship of books based on the origin, background, or views of the material or its authors, or because someone finds the content offensive. It would also mandate that local school boards and library governing bodies adopt transparent policies for curating and reconsidering materials.
Additionally, the legislation would provide legal immunity to librarians and staff for good-faith actions performed under state law, while establishing a civil cause of action for those who face harassment, defamation, or other forms of personal attack related to their professional duties.
Duff stressed the vital role books play in broadening perspectives, highlighting the cultural and educational significance of titles like Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1984, To Kill a Mockingbird, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
“Books open doors to other perspectives, cultures, and experiences,” he said. “Banning books undermines critical thinking, tolerance, and democracy.”
Maher pointed to an increasing number of book challenges both statewide and nationally, with Connecticut seeing 113 book challenges in 2023 alone. Many of the challenges targeted works addressing issues of race, gender identity, and sexuality, reflecting a troubling trend across the country.
According to PEN America, over 10,000 books were banned in public schools during the 2023–24 school year, with a significant proportion of the bans targeting young adult books and books with racial themes or LGBTQ+ characters.
The national context underscores the urgency of the legislation. Groups like Moms for Liberty, a well-funded organization with chapters in Hartford and Fairfield counties, have led campaigns to challenge books with LGBTQ+ characters or themes addressing race.
In many cases, the challenges originate outside local communities and bypass established procedures. For example, in Newtown, books like Flamer, by Mike Curato, and Blankets, by Craig Thompson, were challenged despite minimal circulation. Flamer had never been checked out and Blankets had last been borrowed in 2015.
The legislation builds on the foundation laid by 2023’s Senate Bill 2, which restored funding for libraries adopting collection management policies. Duff said an earlier version of that bill had fallen short of fully addressing censorship concerns.
Duff and Maher’s proposal this year also reflects lessons from other states, where discriminatory challenges often focus on books featuring characters of color or with LGBTQ+ identities. The Don’t Ban Library Books Act aligns library policy with the principles of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, ensuring that decisions about library collections are not influenced by race, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
The bill also highlights the importance of protecting professionals from harassment or threats.
Ellen Paul, executive director of the Connecticut Library Consortium, emphasized to reporters Thursday the essential role of librarians in fostering a love of reading and providing access to diverse perspectives.
“Librarians are trained professionals who ensure collections are age-appropriate and diverse. This bill defends their essential role and protects their ability to serve the community,” she said.
Melissa Combs, a parent of two public school students, praised the legislation for supporting access to books that foster belonging and connection among young readers.
Duff and Maher described the backlash they’ve been dealing with since filing the legislation.
“In the wake of filing this bill, there’s been a campaign of misinformation and hysteria. This kind of response is outrageous,” Duff said after playing audio of a voicemail his office received that included threats of violence and crude language. “Rather than seeking clarification on this bill or engaging in a meaningful dialogue on these issues, opponents of this bill have called my office screaming, and cursing at me and my staff based on misinformation.”
Maher addressed misconceptions, emphasizing that the bill does not allow pornography in libraries or schools and instead supports trained professionals who curate collections in accordance with established policies.
“I have also been getting messages from people asking, ‘Why are you doing this? Why are you allowing pornography?’ And that is not what we’re doing,” Maher said. “What we’re doing is allowing librarians who are trained professionals to make decisions about the books to have in their libraries, and also to have reconsideration plans for books in their libraries. What we’re working on is preventing libraries from having to take books off of the shelf because there is a groundswell of voices that may not understand that, despite the changes in DEI that have happened across the country, coming down from the federal government, we do know that there are diverse views, diverse ways of looking at the world, diverse ways of being in the world.”
Duff added, “We named this bill the ‘Don’t Ban Library Books Act’ because it defends critical thinking, the right to access information, and the professionals who make libraries the centers of learning and growth in our communities.”
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