[aisle] HB 2789

[Executive Secretary AISLE]

You may have heard about Illinois House Bill 2789, the Right to Read or
Anti Book Banning Bill. AISLE has been involved in the development of the
bill and endorses the legislation. The bill requires school and public
libraries to adopt policies against censorship and book banning in order to
receive grants from the Illinois State Library. This includes the School
District Library Grant commonly referred to as the “school library per
capita grant.” The bill passed out of committee on Wednesday, March 8. The
Illinois Secretary of State, as state librarian, is promoting this bill
along with the Illinois State LIbrary.

This bill follows the ideas expressed in the AISLE Position Paper on
Censorship
<https://sites.google.com/aisled.org/intellectual-freedom/aisle-position-statement?authuser=0>
approved on 12/16/21, which can be found on the AISLE website under
Intellectual
Freedom <https://sites.google.com/aisled.org/intellectual-freedom/>. As you
know, most Illinois schools and school libraries have statements on
materials selection, reconsideration, library media programs, etc. in the
School Board Policy Manual (usually found on the school website under
school board) and in library policies and procedures. Public librarians
usually have selection policies adopted by the board of trustees as part of
the policy manual. AISLE encourages all librarians to take the time to become
familiar with these policies. This is also an opportune time to promote the
hiring of certified school librarians who are trained in proper procedures
for selecting materials.


As an individual Illinois resident you may write to your elected
representatives concerning this bill. There were over 850 witness slips in
favor of the bill submitted prior to the committee vote. I listened to the
committee discussion and the number of proponent slips made an impact.

Book Riot published a comprehensive article about the bill that can can be
found at:

https://bookriot.com/illinois-right-to-read-bill/

If you have any questions, concerns, or problems, please contact Carolyn
Kinsella, AISLE executive secretary at execsecretary at aisled.org or Lou Ann
Jacobs, legislative function representative at legislation at aisled.org.
AISLE is here to help and support you.

Carolyn Kinsella
AISLE Executive Secretary
P.O. Box 110
Seneca, IL  61360
PH: 815-357-6023
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