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    • Monday9:30 am - 8:30 pm
      Tuesday9:30 am - 8:30 pm
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      Thursday9:30 am - 8:30 pm
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      Saturday9:30 am - 4:30 pm
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    • 550 East Broad Street
      Westfield, NJ 07090
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Westfield Memorial Library

The Westfield Memorial Library connects and engages all residents to make our community a better place to live.

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September 29, 2022

Westfield Memorial Library Board of Trustees Passes Resolution Against Book Bans

At their September meeting, the Board of Trustees of the Westfield Memorial Library unanimously voted to adopt a resolution recognizing that the freedom to read is a critical underpinning of our democracy, and individuals should be trusted to make their own decisions about what they read and believe.

This resolution came to the Board of Trustees in response to a recent alarming trend in attempted book bans and the censorship of intellectual freedom throughout the United States.

The role of the public library is to collect and make available a wide variety of information resources representing the range of human thought and experience. Library workers have a professional and ethical responsibility to be fair and just in defending the library user’s right to read, view, or listen to content protected by the First Amendment, regardless of the creator’s viewpoint or personal history.

This is supported by the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, which stipulates that “materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.”

The Library Bill of Rights was first drafted in 1938 in response to the “growing intolerance, suppression of free speech and censorship affecting the rights of minorities and individuals.”

“Everyone should have the right to see themselves reflected in books, regardless of their backgrounds, ideas, or beliefs,” says Allen McGinley, Library Director. “And broadly reading diverse stories helps to bring our community together by increasing our empathy and understanding of differing perspectives and experiences.”

Click here to read the full text of the Westfield Memorial Library Board of Trustees resolution against book bans.

Article by Allen McGinley / Uncategorized

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    Westfield Memorial Library

    550 East Broad Street, Westfield, NJ 07090
    (908) 789-4090
    Director | Allen McGinley

    Hours

    Monday9:30 am - 8:30 pm
    Tuesday9:30 am - 8:30 pm
    Wednesday9:30 am - 8:30 pm
    Thursday9:30 am - 8:30 pm
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    Saturday9:30 am - 4:30 pm
    Sunday1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

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    Copyright © 2023 · Westfield Memorial Library · Developed by Renaissance Web Solutions

    • About Us
      • About Westfield
      • History of the Library
      • Holiday Closings 2023
      • Library Board of Trustees
      • Library Curbside
      • Library Policies
      • Mission Statement
      • Positions Available
      • Publications
      • Solar Energy Production
      • Back
    • Circulation
      • Catalog Resources
        • Borrowing
          • Get A Card
          • Loan Periods
          • Pay Fines
          • Books From Other Libraries
          • Health Literacy Tote Kits
          • Museum Passes
          • Books on Wheels
          • Back
        • Reserve & Renew Items
        • Search The Catalog
        • Back
      • Devices
        • Book Clubs in a Bag
          • Adult Book Clubs
          • Children’s Book Clubs
          • Back
        • Kill-A-Watt Devices
        • Mobile Hot Spots
        • Back
      • Back
    • Books & Media
      • Book Recommendations
      • Downloadable Audiobooks
      • Downloadable eBooks
      • Digital Magazines
      • Digital Music
      • Library Apps
      • Local History
      • Movies and Videos
      • Museum Passes
      • Online Book Club
      • Back
    • Events
    • Library Services
      • Adult Services
        • Adult Book Club Kits
        • Adult Events
        • Ask a Librarian
        • Book Match for Adults
        • Book Recommendations
        • Books on Wheels
        • Health Literacy Tote Kits
        • Meeting Room Policy
        • Museum Passes
        • Online Book Club
        • Remote Printing
        • What to Read Next (Novelist)
        • Back
      • Teen Services
        • Book Genie
        • Booklists for Teens
        • Teen Volunteering
        • WML Teen Book Review
        • Brainfuse: Help Now
        • DMV Practice Test
        • Online Book Club
        • Back
      • Youth Services
        • 1000 Books Before Kindergarten
        • Book Genie
        • Booklists for Kids
        • Brainfuse: Help Now
        • Children’s Events
        • Tumblebooks
        • Back
      • Back
    • Research
      • Library Tutorials
      • Local History
      • Recommended Websites
      • Research Databases
      • Social Media Tutorials
      • Back
    • Support
      • Foundation
      • Friends of the Library
      • Gifts and Memorials Program
      • Back
    • Connect
      • Ask a Librarian
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • Take Note Newsletter
      • Town of Westfield Code
      • Wowbrary
      • Back