Public libraries belong to all of us. They are funded by taxpayers, shaped by community needs, and grounded in the principles of access, transparency, and trust. Right now, that trust is at risk. The current board has: • Wasted taxpayer money on a strategic planning process that they later refused to accept. • Disregarded overwhelming public input calling for the plan to be adopted as written. • Taken steps that limit access to information, undermining the core mission of public libraries. When public officials ignore the community, sideline expert work, and restrict access to knowledge, it affects everyone — families, students, seniors, small businesses, and anyone who relies on the library as a free and open resource. “Build a Better Board” is about restoring: • Fiscal responsibility • Respect for public input • Transparency and ethical governance • Full and equitable access to information This campaign isn’t partisan. It’s about accountability. It’s about ensuring that the library board reflects the values of the community it serves. If you believe public institutions should listen to the public, steward tax dollars responsibly, and defend intellectual freedom, we invite you to stand with us. Because a strong library requires strong leadership.

Removing an entire board — publicly acknowledged to have followed procedure — undermines public trust, destabilizes library governance, and sets a precedent that political pressure can override established bylaws. We call on the Board of County Commissioners to reinstate the library board to safeguard the library’s mission to cultivate a thriving community by nurturing readers, empowering learners, and creating connections. Please sign and share this petition if you agree.

Public libraries and public schools are cornerstones of democracy. They exist to provide access to information, not to enforce political ideology. If states are allowed to ban books based on vague claims or political pressure, no idea is safe. Today it is books about race, gender, or history. Tomorrow it could be religion, politics, or science. Georgia residents do not want Florida-style censorship exported here. We expect our Attorney General to defend the Constitution, not help dismantle it. The right to read is not a partisan issue. It is a constitutional one.

Removing and banning books of any topic is censorship; plain and simple. We cannot allow books to be removed because it creates a slippery slope. This is a PUBLIC library paid for by taxpayers, and those taxpayers and their children have the right to read whatever books they see fit for themselves and their kids. 

Equity and intellectual freedom are core values of public libraries. As a district serving diverse populations across multiple counties, FVRLibraries must ensure resources are distributed fairly and that patrons of all ages can access a broad, diverse collection without political interference. Community members, staff, and an outside consultant shaped these strategic priorities. Removing equity language or weakening the district’s commitment to intellectual freedom undermines that work and threatens the library’s ability to serve everyone with integrity. AFSCME Local 307L urges the Board of Trustees to retain the equity language in the mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities, and to uphold a full and uncompromised commitment to intellectual freedom. Please sign and share this petition if you believe FVRLibraries must continue to serve all communities equitably and protect the right to read.

Our rights to freedom of expression, freedom of choice, and access to information—free from censorship—are under threat at Hartland’s Cromaine Library. Local library boards hold tremendous power over whether our communities maintain open access to books, diverse viewpoints, and professionally curated collections. When boards pursue partisan agendas, consider hiring politically motivated legal counsel, or initiate censorship reviews, they jeopardize the constitutional freedoms that protect all of us. Libraries must remain places where ideas can be explored—not restricted. Petition for Cromaine District Library To the Cromaine District Library Board:  We, the undersigned, urge the Cromaine District Library to continue providing patrons with access to a broad range of information free from censorship or political or religious influence. Recent actions by the Library Board—such as pursuing partisan legal counsel and reviewing materials for potential censorship—raise serious concerns about violations of the First Amendment, professional library standards, and the role of public institutions in a democratic society. We call on the Board to: 1. Uphold the Constitution and honor the legal protections that guarantee access to information. 2. Follow established library law, professional ethics, and best practices when evaluating collections and policies. 3. Reject censorship efforts and ensure all decisions are grounded in neutrality, fairness, and respect for the diverse needs of the community.

Since 2020, the American Library Association has seen record increases in the number of banned and challenged books across the country.  Two of the most active groups demanding that libraries and schools ban or remove books are Moms for Liberty (M4L) and Mass Resistance.   As described in Wikipedia, Moms for Liberty "is an American political organization that advocates against school curricula that mention LGBTQ rights, race and ethnicity, critical race theory, and discrimination.  Multiple chapters have also campaigned to ban books that address gender and sexuality from school libraries."  According to an article in a southwest Wisconsin newspaper (The Muscoda Progressive), a meeting was recently held in the area by an organizer for Moms for Liberty, who stated that M4L already has 130,000 members in 20 Wisconsin counties, and that it is looking to start chapters in four more counties in the region. The Wikipedia entry for Mass Resistance says it is "an American organization that promotes anti-LGBT and socially conservative positions" with "claims linking LGBT people with pedophilia and zoophilia, and claims that suicide prevention programs aimed at gay youth were created by homosexual activits to normalize and 'lure' children into homosexuality." According to a report by Wisconsin Public Radio on October 25th protestors with Mass Resistance have, over the past two months, demanded the removal of books on LGBTQ+ topics from the library in a Milwaukee suburb (Hales Corners), 

Lamar CISD has quietly banned over 700 books — including The Paper Bag Princess, Pinkalicious, The House on Mango Street, The Glass Menagerie, The Bluest Eye, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Families and community members only found out through an open records request. This isn’t just censorship — it’s a violation of our rights and our children’s freedom to learn. • Students are being denied stories that build empathy, imagination, and critical thinking. • Families who pay taxes deserve a say in what their children can read. • Partisan websites should never decide what’s in our libraries. Books should be reviewed fairly and completely — not pulled without process. • Parental rights in education and library access must be respected. We can change this together. By signing this petition, you’re demanding that LCISD: • Reinstate all removed books immediately • Adopt transparent, fair, and accountable review procedures • Protect every student’s right to explore diverse perspectives and ideas Our schools should be about learning, discovery, and growth — not secrecy and censorship. Sign today and demand LCISD respect its students, families, and community.

Book banning has no place in our schools. Please reverse this harmful decision and demonstrate that the GKB Board values academic freedom, intellectual rigor, and the professional judgment of the people you hired to educate our children. 📚 Banning books is always on the wrong side of history.  Watch the meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erUw_6kQNPw  Read more about SEA 442: SB0442.05.ENRH.pdf 

The mission of CCPL is to improve literacy, enhance knowledge and create a sense of community by making useful information easily accessible to the Corpus Christi area. It’s a mission impossible when CCPL is persistently and chronically underfunded. The Libraries are the sixth (6th) least funded department in the City and only received 1.8% of the General Fund Expenditures for FY 2024-25 which is $6,197, 791 of $1.8 billion dollars.  It's also a mission impossible to create a sense of community and make information easily accessible with the reduced operating hours at all the Library Branches, but especially at Harte Library in Flour Bluff where weekly operational hours will be reduced from 44 to 28 effective Monday August 11th.

Since 2021, a small group of individuals have been challenging books at the Columbia County Libraries. Over 90% of book challenges have targeted LGBTQ+ content. At least four challenges were from a right-wing political action group. One candidate for political office even submitted a book challenge for a book that Columbia County Library didn’t even have in its possession. When librarians refused to censor, county officials rewrote library policy in September 2024, mandated the use of a Moms for Liberty-linked database (BookLooks), and moved dozens of books to the adult section. Legal experts, including the ACLU of Georgia and the Freedom to Read Foundation, have warned these actions violate constitutional rights. Even after BookLooks was abandoned, LGBTQ+ titles continued to be pushed to higher age categories. Now, Columbia County is breaking away from the Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library System (effective 1/1/2026). This is their last chance to get it right. The Freedom To Read Coalition of Columbia County (FTRCCC) believes families—not the government—should decide what their children read. Libraries must uphold professional standards, support free thought, and reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.

State leaders have threatened our superintendent with legal action if he does not remove books they deem inappropriate from our schools. (See: Hillsborough County schools remove books after state threatens legal action | WFLA) In addition to those specifically mentioned by the state, he has pulled hundreds of titles from school library bookshelves in Hillsborough for review, using lists of books challenged in other counties (even if those books were ultimately returned to the shelves).  Up until now, whenever a book was challenged, Hillsborough used a very transparent and thorough review process that included teacher, parent, student and community input. Now, however, with hundreds of titles removed, no community input is being sought, and reviews are happening in the dark. We, the community, are not being given a say in a matter involving public schools, and parents and students most effected have no opportunity to give input on whether or not titles should stay on school library shelves. (These books are self-selected reading and are not part of school curriculums.) These actions by the state and the superintendent do not respect the rights of Hillsborough parents.