We call on the Maryland library community to protect the right to read for all and condemn attempts to remove books from library shelves without due process. 

Across the country, access to diverse material is being threatened and in some cases removed without oversight, endangering the right to equal and equitable access to diverse collections, as outlined in the ALA Bill of Rights (1939). Inaccurately using terms such as “critical race theory" and "pornography," would-be censors are in effect working to suppress books that present an authentic point of view from people of color and LGBTQIA+ people. 

MLA affirms the right of young people to learn about the real world that they live in and the history that shaped it. We condemn any attempt to suppress access to works from marginalized voices. 

We encourage all libraries to report any challenges to the OIF https://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/report. For support when a book is challenged, the Formal Challenge Request procedures and Informal Challenge Request Tool Kit can be found at https://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport. Any librarian defending intellectual freedom is encouraged to apply to the Merritt Fund for assistance. 

MLA supports and endorses ALA's Statement on Book Censorship and MASL’s Statement on Book Censorship. 

https://www.maslmd.org/
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/statement-regarding-censorship