Library Declared Book Sanctuary
Millburn Public Library
On Monday, October 16, 2023, the Trustees of the Millburn Public Library unanimously passed a resolution designating the town’s public library a “book sanctuary library.” In doing so, Millburn joins the ranks of the Westfield Public Library and the city of Hoboken in offering a safe space for reading and uniting against book bans.
The Trustees stand firmly in their resolve that: “Individuals should be trusted to make their own decisions about what they read and believe” and that “people should not be making decisions for other people about what they read.”
RESOLUTION 2023-1001
Resolution Against Censorship and Book Bans
WHEREAS, reading is a foundational skill, essential for critical thinking, future learning and exercising democratic freedom; and
WHEREAS, books and other materials are tools for understanding complex issues; and
WHEREAS, libraries provide access to books and other materials that offer lessons to readers of all ages and expand our understanding of people with different backgrounds, ideas, and beliefs; and
WHEREAS, limiting young people’s access to books and other materials does not protect them from life’s complex and challenging issues; and
WHEREAS, all people, including young people, deserve to see themselves reflected in a library’s collection; and
WHEREAS, librarians are professionals trained to not impose their own thoughts and opinions on which ideas are right, but to make knowledge and ideas available so that people have the freedom to choose what to read; and
WHEREAS, removing and banning books and other materials from public libraries represent a loss of liberty, a step toward government censorship, and the erosion of our state’s and our nation’s commitment to freedom of expression; and
WHEREAS, book bans, by virtue of their exclusionary nature, limit choices and thereby harm communities; then
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Trustees of the Millburn Free Public Library endorse the following statement:
Individuals should be trusted to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. Further, people should not be making decisions for other people about what they read.
We are united against book bans.
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we as Millburn Library Trustees will act to protect the rights of everyone to access a variety of books and other materials, in libraries, in bookstores, online, and in other venues; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees of the Millburn Free Public Library hereby designates the Millburn Free Public Library as a book sanctuary.
Adopted by the Millburn Free Public Library Board of Trustees on October 16, 2023
