In an 1816 letter to Charles Yancey, Thomas Jefferson wrote: “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. …Where the press is free, and every man able to read, all is safe.” One of the cornerstones of American librarianship is access to information. Like many institutions that have adapted and changed over time, libraries have worked to overcome mistakes of the past to help everyone have the opportunity and the freedom to read. In order for the United States to function as a healthy country, it is vital that people have access to the knowledge that will help them make informed decisions when they participate in our political process. People can’t consider what they don’t know.

People have different opinions, tastes, and perspectives. One aspect of emotional maturity is the ability to consider and try to understand beliefs and ideas different from your own. Does that mean you must embrace those ideas? Certainly not, but understanding can nurture collaboration, empathy, and more peaceful interactions. When we are willing to leave our comfort zone to find common ground, we learn to see the good in each other. Libraries are places that provide you with the opportunity to explore new ideas and enjoy ones that are familiar. Do we expect you to read every book in the library or to enjoy or agree with every book you read? Certainly not!

With those ideas in mind, let’s talk about censorship both online and in print. According to the 2023 Freedom on the Net report, global censorship by governments and companies against internet sites, content, and people has increased every year for the last thirteen years. That’s a sobering thought. According to the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom, the number of book titles that people have tried to censor in libraries has increased by a factor of ten in the last three years. We went from 156 titles in 2020 to 1,915 titles in 2023. Censorship is a means of exercising control. It is an authoritarian judgment about who can access what information. Censorship creates forced ignorance. There are many reasons given for censorship, but each is a slippery slope. Are there books and internet sites that promote criminal activity? Yes. Are there books and internet sites that demean or contradict your beliefs. Absolutely. Will forcefully censoring those items change people’s minds or eliminate those ideas? No. The antidote to censorship is healthy discussion and personal decision making.

At the library, we protect both your freedom and privacy to read what you want. We believe it is not our place to tell you how to think or what to read. One of the most common reasons cited for censorship is that something is inappropriate for children. Protecting children is a noble endeavor, and there is a lot of research about the interaction between the development of children and topics that can be harmful to them at certain stages. We try to organize our resources according to guidelines that reflect the mental and emotional maturity needed to engage with a particular resource in a healthy way, but we don’t hide things. We believe in personal responsibility. It is up to the reader to decide what to read not us. We may highlight different aspects of our collection to invite you to consider new ideas or viewpoints, but we don’t force you to read them nor keep them from you. When it comes to children accessing resources, parents and caregivers are responsible for engaging with their child to help them make healthy decisions about what information to consume. Talking with your child about different ideas and explaining why you approve or disapprove of them gives you the opportunity to examine your own beliefs and opinions to be able to express yourself more clearly. It also helps you and your child set clear expectations about how to address challenging ideas together. We hope that whether you are big or small, an avid reader or not at all, that you will find something at the library to expand your understanding, enrich your life, or help your imagination take flight.

The library is located at 17 N. Broadway and is open to the public Monday to Thursday 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.