VERMILLION, S.D. (KFGO/PNS) – Leaders from public libraries will be speaking out next week about calls for book bans and the effects it will have on their libraries.
The American Library Association has designated Monday as “Right to Read Day.” It marks the first anniversary of the group’s Unite Against Book Bans campaign.
Daniel Burniston of Vermillion Public Library said creating awareness about the freedom to read is especially important as the censorship movement shows no signs of slowing down.
“When we start heading down a road of censorship is where we start eroding those core tenets of democracy – the First Amendment, free speech and people’s right to access, read and review materials that are important to them, or that they simply want to learn more about,” Burniston said.
The ALA said 2022 saw a record number of demands to censor library books and materials by groups who target books written by or about members of the LGBTQ community and people of color.
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