Latest news with #RhodeIslandLibraryAssociation
Boston Globe
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
R.I. Senate backs uniform process to respond to book ban attempts, passes ‘Freedom to Read Act'
He said one key change to this year's bill is that it requires people challenging a book to have 'a vested interest' in the community. So someone challenging a book in a public library must live in that community, and someone challenging a book in a school library must be a a parent, guardian, or teacher of a student enrolled there, he said. Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up 'This addresses the problem that's occurred with national organizations coming in from outside' that 'have an agenda, looking to ban 50 books.' He cited a Advertisement McKenney said he wishes there was a requirement that people read a book before challenging it, but that's not in the bill. Related : The bill would shield librarians from criminal or civil charges arising from their book collections. And it would allow a librarian who has been subjected to discipline or termination 'for refusing to censor library materials' to file an 'anti-censorship' lawsuit. Advertisement McKenney said a Westerly High School teacher ended up being 'harassed' after a complaint about a book was filed. 'Librarians shouldn't have to put up with that type of thing,' he said. 'Teachers shouldn't have to put up with that type of thing.' Rhode Island Library Association President Beatrice Pulliam has said Rhode Island is the only state in New England that does not protect library staff from criminal prosecution for the content of book collections. According to the EveryLibrary Institute, 44 states have exemptions or defenses from from prosecution under obscenity laws for certain professions or workplaces, and 31 have specific exemptions for libraries. Three Republican senators voted against the bill, as did Senator Leonidas P. Raptakis, a Coventry Democrat. 'I do not support banning books,' said Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz, a North Smithfield Republican. 'Adults may choose whatever books or media they want, whether they access them online, if it's at a public library, a store — whatever they want is fine with me." But, de la Cruz said, 'I do believe there are materials that are not age appropriate, that children should not have unfettered access to in public school libraries.' She said the bill applies the same standards to public libraries as it does to public school libraries. 'And that's where we take issue,' de la Cruz said. 'Those institutions are not the same. A parent can decide whether or not to go into a public library, and they have the ability to supervise what materials their child has access to. And the same does not apply in public school libraries.' Related : Advertisement Meanwhile, Representative David Morales, a Providence Democrat, has filed a House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, issued a statement this week, saying, 'I support the concept of the bill, but the House is working on a possible amendment addressing specific language about the private right of action contained within the legislation.' Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
Boston Globe
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
In Roger Williams' Rhode Island, banning books is a departure from our heritage
Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up There are a lot of reasons to object to this alarming trend. Advertisement You might note that the You might object because such bans are an affront to American ideas. The founding fathers – Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison – were avid readers and writers who valued the free exchange of ideas. And subsequent presidents warned against censorship. During the height of McCarthyism, President Dwight Eisenhower – a Republican – Advertisement You might object because you know that book bans can be a harbinger of worse things to come. After his Holocaust-focused graphic novels 'Maus " were banned by a school district in Tennessee, the author Art Spiegelman And even if you're not persuaded by any of these arguments, you might be offended by more local reasons. Rhode Island was founded by a guy – Roger Williams – who was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for Our state also has a rich history of literacy and education. Newport is home to America's oldest continuous lending library, the It is for all of these reasons – from the hyperlocal to the international – that I support the 'Freedom to Read' bills recently introduced in the Rhode Island Advertisement To be clear, the bills do not mandate that students must read material that they or their parents find objectionable. They simply ensure that one parent's discomfort does not diminish the access of an entire community. Now, as a published author, you might think that I've got a conflict of interest on this issue. And, of course, I don't want my book to be banned. Contrary to what some folks believe, book bans But I'm a straight white guy, who wrote a book – a By opposing book bans in my backyard, I'm speaking up to protect free expression, not my own bottom line. I am defending the local libraries I love, and the civic-minded folks who work there. I am affirming the Rhode Island Library Association's Advertisement Rhode Islanders would never agree to change our state motto from 'Hope' to 'Fear.' Nor would we ever rename the statue atop the state house as the 'Semi-Independent Man.' And yet efforts to pull books from local shelves move us in this direction. Let's pass the 'Freedom to Read' bills and leave book bans in the past where they belong. Philip Eil is a freelance journalist and author based in Providence, his hometown. He is a member of the Rhode Island Chapter of Authors Against Book Bans.
