Trustees and a public commenter warn against book bans during library correspondence review

Trustees at the Franklin Public Library reviewed correspondence from library associations at their March 25 meeting and several spoke against attempts to remove books from library collections.

One trustee described the correspondence as “the right side of history,” arguing that efforts to ban books echo past attempts to keep people ignorant and that protecting access to books is central to the library’s mission. The trustee referenced historical suppression of education for enslaved people as part of their argument that restricting books can be an attack on learning.

A public commenter said, “Banning books or doing something with books is killing history,” and asked the board to consider the future impact on children who rely on books to learn about other parts of the world.

Board members acknowledged the issue as serious and described the association materials as informative. The board did not take formal action on collection policy during the meeting, and discussion was confined to correspondence and commentary; no vote or policy change was recorded.

The chair thanked contributors to the correspondence and noted the materials would remain on file for trustees to review going forward. The board left any formal policy decisions for a future meeting or staff follow-up rather than making immediate changes during the March 25 session.