Senator wants to prohibit book bans for Pennsylvania-funded libraries

Pennsylvania could join a growing number of states that have prohibited publicly-funded institutions from enacting bans on books and other material, if state Sen. Amanda Cappelletti has her way.

Citing 2023 data from the American Library Association, Cappelletti said in a co-sponsorship memo that Pennsylvania is among the worst states for banning books and that there were 56 attempts to prohibit just over 300 titles ― the most in more than 20 years.

“Of those titles, the vast majority were written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community or by and about Black, Indigenous, and people of color,” Cappelletti wrote.

Her forthcoming legislation would require the state librarian and local libraries to adopt the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights and develop a statement prohibiting the banning of books and other materials. The former states that, “materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval,” Cappelletti noted. State funding would be denied to any publicly funded library that fails to comply with the legislation.

Cappelletti, a Democrat, said Pennsylvania “should follow closely behind” other states that have adopted prohibitions on book bans, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, and Washington.

Most oppose book bans

Polls suggest there is opposition to book bans from people across the political spectrum, Cappelletti noted. However, “libraries and librarians nationwide face unprecedented censorship of books and resources.”

In 2022, a poll conducted for the ALA found that of the 1,000 voters and 472 parents of children in public school who were surveyed, 71% opposed efforts to remove books from public libraries because someone found them offensive or inappropriate. The sentiment about book bans crossed party lines, with 75% of Democrats and 70% of Republicans opposing bans.

Many conservative groups, including Moms for Liberty, have pushed for book bans in public schools in the years since.

Still, a majority of Americans oppose book bans.

A 2024 study by the nonprofit Knight Foundation found that two-thirds of Americans were against restricting access to certain titles.

Even 59% of parents opposed book bans, compared to 67% of non-parents.

“The idea of banning books is a direct contradiction to First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press, integral elements of democracy,” Cappelletti wrote in her co-sponsorship memo. “Americans have a right to explore and engage with differing perspectives to form their own views. Public libraries are places where young people should be able to learn about themselves and people who are different from them, not denied access to the diverse perspectives that books and art offer us all.”