Access to information should not be denied

In June, Illinois took its own action against groups attempting to remove certain materials from the shelves of public schools and libraries: The state banned book bans.

The measure signed into law withholds grant funding to libraries that do not adhere to the American Library Association’s guidelines that say books shall not be taken out of circulation based on personal, political or religious reasons.

For 20 years, the ALA has gathered data on attempted book bans, and 2022’s numbers are the highest in history. According to their website, there were “1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022.” That’s the highest number in the 20 years the group has been gathering data and a stark contrast to the 729 challenged in 2021.

I’m not here to scrutinize individual book titles or topics. That’s the job of librarians who have had extensive training and schooling regarding age levels, shelf placement, subject material and the many other details that go into collection development.

The issue is simple censorship, simply withholding information we don’t like or find objectionable. If we are going to call this “The Land of the Free,” then we cannot do that. If we are to be a society of thinkers – people who use logic, research, common sense, facts – then we must have all the information, including information we might not like. To ignore or demand the removal of something to which we personally object – and not just for us but for others as well – is bad practice, whether it’s in libraries, schools, newspapers or the internet. We do not have to let it into our homes or compromise our own beliefs, but we cannot deny others access.

Does The Ledger run columns with which I personally disagree? It does. Does The Ledger cover meetings that conflict with my interests? It does. Does The Ledger report on groups that hold events I typically would not attend, quoting people with opinions different from mine? It does. Do we run letters to the editor that state viewpoints different from my own? We do. We do these things because readers have a right to as much information as this newspaper can find. It is not my job to censor the information, but to give readers as many facts as possible for you to make your own choices and develop your own opinions. The mark of a balanced newspaper is that readers don’t agree with every single word.

We live in an age where information on any topic can be found with a simple Google search. Gone are the days where we had to memorize facts. Teachers – parents and employers, too – bemoan the fact that “kids just don’t know anything anymore. They just look it up!” That’s true. It’s true for all of us. But we can have all that information at our fingertips and still not think. Additionally, that information has to actually be available. When it is, our task is to truly think about it, analyze it, process it and make meaning from it.

Be seekers of information. Read what you disagree with. Fight for access for all groups and all information. Then do what you will with that information. But don’t ban it. Instead, be educated. To paraphrase a popular quote: We can entertain thoughts and ideas without accepting them. That is the mark of an educated mind.

— Annie Wooden