Illinois Secretary of State to Address ‘Freedom to Read’ on October 2 at Panel Discussion Hosted by Area Libraries
Illinois Secretary of State / State Librarian Alexi Giannoulias will discuss the freedom to read with a panel of experts on Zoom on Monday, October 2, at 7:00pm, CDT. The event is free and open to all. Signup is required; visit http://bit.ly/IllinoisF2R to register.
Giannoulias took office in January 2023, the start of what has been a challenging year for libraries. Across the country, school and public libraries have seen a dramatic rise in the number of requests to remove books from their shelves or restrict public access.
The American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. A record 2,571 challenged titles in 2022 represented a 38 percent increase from the 1,858 unique titles targeted for censorship in 2021. Of those titles, the vast majority tell the stories of Black or LGBTQ people or are by authors in those communities.
Giannoulias will be joined in conversation by the executive director of the Reaching Across Illinois Library System Monica Harris and two Illinois authors whose books have been challenged: Jasmine Warga and Jarrett Dapier. Journalist Heidi Stevens will moderate the discussion.
The panelists will examine the current state of book challenges, Illinois’ legislative response, the implications of censorship on communities, and share how viewers can effectively support intellectual freedom.
More than 75 public libraries across the state have signed on as partners and are promoting the webinar to their patrons, including Northbrook Public Library.
The webinar is offered as part of Banned Books Week, an annual national celebration of the freedom to read. The observance also highlights the value of access and draws attention to the harms of censorship.
About the Panelists
ALEXI GIANNOULIAS was sworn into office as Illinois’ 38th Secretary of State in January 2023. As State Librarian, Giannoulias is dedicated to fighting against book censorship in Illinois libraries. Amid a surge of book bans across the nation, Giannoulias introduced first-in-the-nation legislation designed to support public and school libraries by withholding state grants from libraries that remove books. Giannoulias is a staunch supporter of librarians, who have found themselves on the frontlines of culture wars and have been targeted by extremist groups in Illinois.
MONICA HARRIS believes in the transformative power of libraries. She serves as Executive Director of the Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS), a library support organization that serves more than 1200 libraries of all types across northern and west-central Illinois. She has also worked in administration, youth services, and circulation in public libraries in Illinois and Michigan over the last 20 years. In addition to her work in library systems and public libraries, Harris taught as a lecturer in Innovation in Libraries for San Jose State University’s iSchool.
JARRETT DAPIER is a librarian and author of picture books including “Jazz for Lunch!,” “Mr. Watson’s Chickens” and “The Most Haunted House in America,” a 2023 Illinois Reads selection. His debut young adult graphic novel, “Wake Now in the Fire,” is about student resistance to book censorship in Chicago Public Schools. It will be published by Chronicle Books in 2024.
JASMINE WARGA is the New York Times–bestselling and award-winning author of middle-grade novels “Other Words For Home,” “The Shape of Thunder” and “A Rover’s Story.” She is also the author of a young adult novel, “My Heart and Other Black Holes,” which has been translated into more than 20 languages. Warga teaches in the MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Moderator HEIDI STEVENS is a Chicago-based writer and the Director of External Affairs for the University of Chicago’s TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health, which works to provide parents, caregivers and communities the knowledge and tools to optimize foundational brain development in all children. Prior to joining University of Chicago, Stevens worked at the Chicago Tribune for 23 years, where she wrote a daily column called “Balancing Act.” She was awarded the Anne Keegan Award for Distinguished Journalism. Stevens maintains a nationally syndicated column once a week, works as a fellowship coach for the OpEd Project and serves on the Family Action Network board of directors.
About Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and highlighting the value of free and open access to information. This year’s Banned Books Week will be observed October 1 – 7, 2023.
By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.
Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. Find more information at http://BannedBooksWeek.org.
