Attempted book bans at schools and public libraries are on the rise, with a small, yet vocal minority voicing disapproval of texts about race and LGBTQ issues. 

The implications? Libraries are facing defunding efforts, and librarians are receiving death threats. 

In an article on Upper Peninsula news site Copper Beacon, University of Michigan School of Information clinical professor Kristin Fontichiaro discusses the how libraries are fighting to protect free speech, marginalized voices and the future of democracy 

“There is a coordinated national attack on the ideals we hold most dear, which is access for all, to all,” says Fontichiaro. “It’s important to realize that loud voices are not always majority voices. Surveys have shown that the majority of Americans do not want books banned.” 

“Libraries have always been pro-family. We let families decide what’s right for them. We don’t determine what every family reads, and we don’t want a vocal minority to determine that either,” she adds. 

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Read “Librarians Protect Our Right to Choose What We Read” on Copper Beacon. 

Learn more about Kristin Fontichiaro’s research on libraries and digital literacy by visiting her UMSI faculty profile.