Local libraries weather book bans

The American Library Association has noted an "unprecedented uptick" in book challenges. Last year alone, nearly sixteen hundred individual books were targeted including stories of marginalized people within our society such as The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson. 

To discuss this topic, we're joined by Veronica De Fazio, Emily Knox, Leah Gregory, and Matthew Matkowski, all of whom are well educated on this topic and understand the impact that book banning has had on various states and the education of children. This conversation covers everything from determining the roots of book banning, to how libraries are preparing for challenges, and much more!

Guests:

Veronica De Fazio

Deputy Director, Peoria Public Library

Emily Knox

Associate Professor, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

Leah Gregory

Membership Coordinator School Liaison, Illinois Heartland Library System

Matthew Matkowski

Associate Head of Public Services, Palos Heights Public Library