Image – Getty: Anya Berkut
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Murphy: ‘To Amplify the Voices of Our Past and Present’
On Monday (December 9) in the United States, the state of New Jersey’s governor, Phil Murphy, signed into law a new ban on book bans, called the “Freedom to Read Act.”
Related article: ‘US Election Eve: PEN America’s Book Banning Report.’ Image: PEN America
New Jersey, as reported by Mike Catalini for the Associated Press, becomes the fourth (of 50) US states to enact such legislation, the other two being Illinois and—as of May of this year—Minnesota. PEN America also points to such protection in the state of Maryland, where a “Freedom To Read Act” was signed by the governor there, Wes Moore.
As Publishing Perspectives readers know, PEN America last month released its newest report on book bannings in the United States’ market, led by the finding that a record 10,046 book bans were attempted in the 2023-2024 school year, a 200-percent increase over the previous school year. The total number of unique titles targeted came to 4,231, impacting 2,877 authors, illustrators, and translators.
In signing the ban on bannings in New Jersey, Gov. Murphy said, “The Freedom to Read Act cements New Jersey’s role on the forefront of preventing book bans and protecting the intellectual freedom of our educators and students.
Phil Murphy
“Across the nation, we’ve seen attempts to suppress and censor the stories and experiences of others. I’m proud to amplify the voices of our past and present, as there is no better way for our children to prepare for the future than to read freely.”
This new legislation, as the governor’s office puts it, “requires local school boards and governing bodies of public libraries to establish policies for curation and removal of library materials, including a system of review to address concerns over library materials. The department of education, the state librarian, the New Jersey Association of School Librarians, and the New Jersey School Boards Association will support establishing these policies.
“The Freedom to Read Act also provides protections for library staff members against civil and criminal lawsuits related to complying with this law.
“Under the law, boards of education and governing boards of public libraries are barred from excluding books because of the origin, background, or views of the material or of its authors. Further, boards of education and governing boards of public libraries are prevented from censoring library material based on a disagreement with a viewpoint, idea, or concept, or solely because an individual finds certain content offensive, unless they are restricting access to developmentally inappropriate material for certain age groups.”
Image – Getty: Yulia Kaveshnikov
PEN America: ‘Important Safeguards’
As the New Jersey bill was signed in Princeton, PEN America released a comment from Kasey Meehan, the organization’s program director in freedom-to-read issues.
Kasey Meehan
“We applaud the signing of New Jersey’s Freedom to Read Act by governor Phil Murphy, Meehan says.
“At a moment in which we are seeing increased pressure put on librarians and libraries to censor, laws like these implement important safeguards to protect the freedom to read and learn within schools and public libraries. We hope others will join states like New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota, and Illinois in ensuring the right to read for all.”
Among the most poignant reactions to the news of the New Jersey law being signed comes from a retired high school librarian named Martha Hickson, who was at the Princeton Public Library ceremony. Her comment reminds us that one of the most alarming elements of many book-banning efforts by the far right in the United States is intimidation, often quite brazen, of various education-system workers.
Hickson said, “After three years of harassment, I can finally celebrate. Thanks to the New Jersey Freedom to Read Act, library users now have protections to read about the topics that interest them. When concerns about books arise, parents now have a clear process for raising issues without resorting to bullying. And for librarians across the state, the dignity of our work will now be recognized and preserved.”
As PEN sums up the new legislation’s effects, “The law prevents arbitrary book banning and protects the rights of students, parents, and communities to have free access to age-appropriate books and learning materials at schools and public libraries.
More from Publishing Perspectives on book bannings is here, more on censorship in the broader context is here, more on the freedom to publish and freedom of expression is here, and more on the work of PEN America is here.