IHLS Supports AISLE Statement on Attempts to Censor or Remove Books from School Libraries

Illinois Heartland Library System supports AISLE in opposing attempts to censor or remove books from school libraries. AISLE's statement reads, in part:

AISLE is opposed to any attempt to force the removal of materials from school libraries.  We strongly condemn recent efforts, by force or intimidation, to remove works that focus on or document the experiences of members of the LGBTQIA+ or BIPOC communities. We oppose censorship and any effort that limits or denies access to materials to coerce belief, suppress opinion or punish those whose expression does not conform to a singular point-of-view of history, politics, or religion.

Read the Full Statement

If you'd like to learn more about book challenges and intellectual freedom: 

• AISLE Intellectual Freedom Resource Kit
• ILA Intellectual Freedom Committee article "The Time Is Now: Preparing for Challenges to Library Resources"
• ILA Noon Network webinar: "Beyond Banned Books: Defending Intellectual Freedom Throughout Your Library with Kristin Pekoll" (Jan. 31)
• ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association "Intellectual Freedom News 12/31/2021" 
• ALA Intellectual Freedom: Issues and Resources