Bloomington Public Library Director explains the current state of book censorship

NORMAL, Ill. –  According to the Los Angeles Times,  the results of the 2024 presidential election have led conservative parental groups to push further to limit books they deem inappropriate or immoral. Bloomington Public Library Director Jeanne Hamilton explains what exactly goes into 

“We have seen recently that states are putting laws in place that govern local choice and we also are seeing that there are more united efforts throughout the country,” Hamilton said. “Some of that could be due to the nature of the internet, that things are so much easier to share widely, but it does seem there’s a maybe more coordinated effort to remove certain material than we saw previously.”

Book censorship is a process that attempts to question books that may be deemed inappropriate by a certain audience. A book challenge is the initial question of the book and request as to why it should be removed, and the ban is when the item is actually removed from the shelf.

The goal of banning books is not unanimous. Many libraries, like the Bloomington Public Library, have a request for reconsideration process. This is a form that encourages those contesting a book to explain why they are questioning it to allow for a solution that may not include a complete removal.

“Maybe it’s more geared towards adults and it’s in the children’s section, so we do take all of those seriously and have a process for reviewing those materials and concerns,” Hamilton said. “So I would encourage people to look into that process if they do have concerns at their local library.” 

While books may be questioned for their library location, they are also questioned for their general topics. Common themes that are challenged are those of LGBTQ+, diverse or political content. Many argue the negative effects of the potential controversy that appears in those types of books, while others highlight the benefit of them being on the shelves.

“We try to offer multiple points of view, and we also understand that not every book is for everyone, so we really want that choice to be in the hands of the individual people and in the cases of children, in the hands of their parents to make those choices,” Hamilton said.

The state of Illinois has not passed any recent book-banning legislation.