AISLE Response to Recent Chicago Tribune Article

On Sunday, December 8 2024 the Chicago Tribune ran a story entitled “Schools pick local control over grants.” This article discussed how libraries must adopt the ALA Bill of Rights or an equivalent statement against blanket book bans or lose their eligibility for the IL state library per capita grant.   

A number of schools were interviewed, along with AISLE’s Executive Secretary Carolyn Kinsella. AISLE Advocacy Function Representative Gail Meyer felt the article needed clarification. For example, at least one district whose superintendent is quoted in the article works in a district where they already HAVE adopted the ALA Bill of Rights and it is viewable in their board policies posted on their website. 

On Monday, December 9, Gail sent a letter to the editor pointing out the misconceptions in the article and emphasizing the need for licensed school librarians in every school in Illinois. This letter is reprinted here for all Illinois library staff to read. Thank you to Gail Meyer and AISLE for allowing RAILS to reprint this letter. 

In the article printed on December 8 entitled “Schools pick local control over grants,” the superintendents interviewed seem to be misinformed about how the anti-book banning law is written to protect their schools and libraries. 

The purpose of this book banning bill is to PROTECT local control. This is to ensure that school districts and licensed school librarians are the ones choosing which materials, including books, are available to students, not outside political groups or organizations. This bill means that no books will be removed from a school library without properly being evaluated by members of the school staff, administration, and board. Nowhere does the ALA Library Bill of Rights state what material will be added to the school library or say that books can never be removed. Every district in the state is guaranteed local control by adopting this as part of their board policy.  This works for both sides of the political spectrum.  The statement protects a school's ability to maintain control of materials being taught and ensures that challenged materials are evaluated fairly, not just giving in to public pressure and removing books from library shelves. A district can adopt the ALA version or write their own Right to Read statement, which some districts have done. 

The bigger question should be – in districts that do not agree with this idea, who is selecting the books for the students? Do they have a licensed librarian who knows the school curriculum and is choosing materials to support student learning? Licensed school librarians have both teaching degrees and 18 additional hours of coursework specifically in school library management that includes appropriate material selection and integration of print and digital resources into the curriculum. Sadly, over 50% of schools in IL do not have a licensed librarian on staff. In Chicago Public Schools, that number is even higher with 87% of schools not having a librarian.  It’s been shown for decades that school libraries staffed with licensed school librarians lead to higher test scores and increased overall literacy levels. 

Hopefully the districts who have refused to adopt the policy and therefore refused additional library funds have licensed school librarians on staff to ensure books provided to students are age-appropriate with positive professional reviews and/or connections to support the board-approved curriculum. As children’s author Lemony Snicket wrote, “You cannot have a really terrific library without at least one terrific librarian.” 

Any AISLE member can contact the Advocacy committee via email at advocacy@aisled.org