The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost.
A bill aimed at fighting book bans would require school libraries to prohibit removing books based on personal beliefs, content related to sexual health or the identity and political and religious views of authors or characters.
S.220, which the Legislature sent to Gov. Phil Scott last week, would also require all public libraries, when deciding what books live on their shelves, to adopt policies that align with the First Amendment and state and federal anti-discrimination protections.
In recent years, libraries across the country have come under fire for housing books that focus on gender, sexual and racial identity, especially those for children. There’s been a nationwide rise in challenges to library books and in successful book bans since 2020.
The Department of Libraries would craft model policies, guidelines and best practices for libraries to use. The department would also ensure Vermont public libraries have collections that reflect the state’s diverse people, history, and political beliefs, according to the bill.
Some libraries already have similar policies in place, like the South Burlington Public Library, but not all. If the bill passes those libraries without policies will make sure they are in compliance, Jennifer Murray, the library’s director said in an interview.
“I think that is a very useful thing to have,” she said. “It helps us to drive our purchasing and to respond to the public when they are interested in removing a book.”
Another section of the bill proposes that library card holders above 12 years old will have confidential library records, meaning teenagers’ parents will not be able to see what books they’ve checked out.
Right now, if a parent of a child under the age of 16 asks library staff about the books the child has checked out, the library is required to provide that information.
The intent is that young readers who are exploring different aspects of their bodies and their sexualities will have an opportunity to do so without a librarian reporting back to their parents upon request, Murray said.
“It gives them that freedom to read — that is important to what we do in libraries across the country,” Murray said.
The bill would take effect July 1 if signed into law.