However, patrons have a right to appeal the committee’s decision to the TADL board of trustees, which happened in this case. Howard says it’s the first time in library staff’s memory such a request has been elevated to trustees, whose decision is final. Numerous groups have written to TADL opposing the book’s removal, including ACLU Michigan – which said restricting book access violates the First Amendment – as well as Friends of TADL and the League of Women Voters of the Grand Traverse Area. The LWVGTA said that “the freedom to read and access written materials is a cornerstone of a free and democratic society” and urged trustees to “stand firm in fighting any form of censorship and in protecting the rights of our free society to have access to any materials contained in the Traverse Area District Libraries.”
Local Book Challenge – My Letter to the Library Board
Written by Michael Stephens
