Governor McKee has signed the Freedom To Read Act.
The measure provides protection for readers, authors, librarians and others from censorship.
“Public libraries are places where you can find yourself in other people’s words. The differing experiences and world views captured in books are as varied and interesting as every individual who is browsing the shelves,” said Governor McKee said. “In Rhode Island, we promote free expression. We don’t restrict it. And in Rhode Island, we see censorship for what it is: a way to limit what we can learn about the world—and about each other.”
The legislation encourages library selections that provide a wide range of viewpoints and prohibits the censorship of library materials. It mandates the creation of a model policy for materials in public and school libraries, and it offers library staff members protection from civil and criminal liability for following that model policy in good faith.
“We can decide what books we want to check out from the library, and we can decide what our own children read or don’t read. But what we can’t do is decide what everyone else gets to read or what other people’s children get to read or not read,” said Senator Mark McKenney.
(Photo: The Governor's Office)