Banned Books Find Shelter in Maryland ‘Sanctuary Library’

After beginning in 2022 in Chicago, sanctuary libraries have since spread to 12 other library systems in North America.

By Sofia Appolonio, Capital News Service

This story first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education. Sign up for free newsletters from The 74 to get more like this in your inbox.

Local libraries are currently facing almost a dozen different book challenges, with critics of stories like “Bye-Bye Binary” and “The Blackbird Girls” calling for their removal from shelves.

But these books and other challenged stories are still available on the shelves in Anne Arundel County, thanks in part to protections county officials recently put in place.

The Anne Arundel County Public Library this month became the first library system in Maryland to be designated a “book sanctuary,” dedicated to collecting and protecting endangered books, and holding book talks and other events designed to make them broadly accessible.

“We want to preserve everyone’s ability to read the things they want,” said Rachel Myers, the branch manager of Discoveries: The Library at the Mall, one of the county system’s libraries.

Declaring the library a book sanctuary, Myers said, shows that, “We are steadfast in our dedication to being a place that is protective of books and of people’s freedom to read.”

After beginning in 2022 in Chicago, sanctuary libraries have since spread to 12 other library systems in North America.

In Anne Arundel County, the library’s board of trustees’ decision follows passage of the Freedom to Read act in the last legislative session. The bill took effect on its signing in April.

The new law says that any library receiving funding from the state has to follow certain standards and can’t, among other things, remove material due to partisan, doctrinal, ideological or religious disapproval.

Over the past five years, Maryland public libraries have seen a dramatic increase in staff threats and bomb threats related to book bannings, according to the system’s website. More than half of them have also faced book challenges, officials said.

These attempts have been happening “not just in our state, but in our county of Anne Arundel,” said Del. Dana Jones (D-Anne Arundel), the lead sponsor on the Freedom to Read Act. She spoke at a news conference held last week during the national observance of Banned Books Week.

During the event, County Executive Steuart Pittman also declared the entirety of Anne Arundel county to be a book sanctuary.

Once the announcement concluded, Myers rang a big silver bell to announce that it was time for “Banned Book Storytime,” featuring a book called “Grandad’s Camper,” by Harry Woodgate.

Woodgate’s illustrated story – about a little girl traveling with her granddad after his male partner’s death – has been challenged nationwide. But now it finds refuge in Anne Arundel County, and that means something to librarians.

“To have that backup as a professional, you can’t understate how much that means,” Myers said. “It’s not just us out here alone trying to do it. It’s backed by so many people.”

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