California: San Diego County Agrees to Protect Books Targeted For Censorship

From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

San Diego County is taking a stand against censorship amid what some are calling an alarming trend across the nation toward restricting access to books based on the topics, views or ideas they express.

The county Board of Supervisors passed the policy Tuesday — by a 3-2 vote along party lines — to have all 33 county libraries carry nationally recognized “challenged and banned” books. They also will be on display annually at every library during Banned Book Week, slated this year for Sept. 22-28.

“We took another important step today to protect the rights of San Diegans,” said Supervisor Lawson-Remer, who proposed the changes. “Right-wing, conservative extremists and politicians are trying to suppress certain viewpoints and limit access to information, but we’re not going to let that happen in San Diego County.”

The board also agreed to support Assembly Bill 1825, which would create policies for state-funded public libraries — excluding schools — on how to develop their collections. The bill would also prevent library boards from restricting materials based on their content or expressed opinions.

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Filed under: Libraries, News, Public Libraries