Dupage Policy Journal

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on June 13 signed off on legislation that bans libraries from banning books, making Illinois home to the first state in the country to do so.

"Book bans are about censorship, marginalizing people, marginalizing ideas and facts. Regimes ban books, not democracies," Pritzker said.

The law that was pushed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who also serves as the state's top librarian, would cut off funding to any library that removes books currently on the shelf and comes in the wake of several local school districts banning what some see as controversial books, particularly some championed by the LBGTQ community.

With the American Library Association reporting there were 67 attempts to ban books in Illinois in 2022, compared to just 41 the year before, House Bill 2789 declares it to be the policy of Illinois to "encourage and protect the freedom of 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." 

Backers of the measure have also argued that their support for it is grounded in seeking to make sure that all students have access to diverse voices, ideas and their First Amendment rights.

 "Parents and only parents have the right and responsibility to restrict their children and only their children's access to library resources," said Giannoulias. 

In 2022, the state gave out at least $62 million in grants to libraries across the state; under the guidelines of House Bill 2789 libraries that don't adhere to the standards set by the American Library Association on the issue would not be eligible to receive those grants.