Books and libraries could be in trouble across the state; Alabama students working to save them
In the past five years
By Ayron Lewallen
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TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (WVTM) — According to Pen America, 10,000 books were banned in the United States in 2024. A group of University of Alabama students is working to keep more from being added to the list.
In the past five years, only one library in Alabama has closed. There’s a fear of the state pulling funding from local libraries, with some librarians saying their branches won’t last more than 10 years.
That’s why students at Alabama hosted the Save Our Stories exhibit. The goal was to raise awareness about these issues. With the threat of pulling funding from libraries and banning more books, students wanted to encourage others to take action to protect these spaces and free thought.
Students leading this effort believe there are two bills the state house and senate will look at this year to remove protections from books and libraries, and they hope to get in front of that.
“These laws are trying to politicize library boards,” Alabama junior Counts Shanks said. “And then, they’re also prosecuting librarians if they don’t pull books off a shelf in 25 days to invalidate them. Now, when there’s over 280 books being threatened and trying to be censored over just the past three years. Do you think it’s very feasible for a library to be able to properly and fully assess a book on whether it’s appropriate for all audiences? I don’t think so.”
State senator Chris Elliott proposed Senate Bill 6. He hopes to give the decision-making power back to local government like the county commission or city council.
“There’s been a lot of drama and controversy about local libraries,” he said, “and that makes sure that these issues are handled locally by local appointing authorities. I want to not do that necessarily at the state House and at the state legislature.”
If Senate Bill 6 passes, the law would go into effect on Oct. 1 of this year.
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