As we settle into November, some of us have recently voted in special elections but most of us are gearing up for the mid-term elections in November 2026. This is an ideal time to recognize the politicians in your area, be they building level or legislative, and to continue to develop your relationships with your decision makers and representatives. Most of us know that building partnerships takes time and the job of the advocate is continuous. Happily, sometimes, the representative comes to you. Here is Delaware’s story…
Why focus on Delaware? I confess, for me, it is personal. I spent twenty of my thirty-five professional years in Delaware, both as a librarian and library educator, including serving as president of the Delaware Association of School Librarians and member of the Delaware Library Association Legislative Action Committee. Therefore, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride that my former home state has passed this bill. However, personal feelings aside, the fact that this legislation was written by a legislator rather than librarians makes it special. there is a uniqueness to this legislation in that it stemmed not from librarians but from a legislator.
According to PEN America, the impetus for this legislation came from a chance meeting on a train between PEN America Freedom to Read program director, Kasey Meehan, and Delaware State Representative Krista Griffith. After finding out that other states had freedom to read legislation, Representative Griffith went back to Delaware and contacted, among other people, the State Librarian, Dr. Annie Norman, to discuss the issue.
Library advocacy is always important
Dr. Norman informed me that she and her colleagues had been working with EveryLibrary on previous legislation leading to the Libraries for All Act and reached out again for help with new legislation being proposed by Representative Griffith. The folks at EveryLibrary helped with drafting the language of the legislation and helped with advocacy actions including letter writing, media communications, and letters to the editor. Significant to the bill is specifically for school librarians is that only students, parents or guardians, or school personnel can challenge materials. From my perspective, I think this is important because, as we have seen, book challenges these days are coming from organized groups rather than from the community.
But, says Dr. Norman, the legislation isn’t perfect. This, I believe, is crucial to remember in being an active advocate. We have to remember that we might not get everything we need or want. But having a champion at any level of the decision making process and protecting everyone’s right to access all information as best as we can is just as crucial. So make those calls, attend those meetings, talk to people on the train, on the bus, or wherever you might be, to further the cause. As Dr. Norman told me, “Library advocacy is always important; the profession can be even more powerful if we not only speak with one voice but actually join forces as a system to deliver outcomes and impact.” (personal communication, September 22, 2025)
Today’s blog post was written by Allison G. Kaplan, Information School, University of Wisconsin-Madison (retired), on behalf of the ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee.
This post addresses the core competencies of I. Commitment to Client Group and IV. Knowledge, Curation, and Management of Materials.