Approved by the Board of Library Trustees on October 6, 2022
Whereas the Oak Park Public Library adheres to the American Library Association Freedom to Read Statement;
Whereas the Oak Park Public Library adheres to the American Library Association Freedom to View Statement;
Whereas the Oak Park Public Library has Collection Strategy Statement that was developed by staff and approved by the Board of Trustees;
Whereas the Oak Park Public Library Board has adopted the following policies Library Bill of Rights, Equity and Anti-Racism Statement, and A Library for Everyone;
Whereas there have been renewed organized efforts to censor and remove materials from school and public libraries across the country;
Whereas efforts to provide equitable and diverse programming has been met with hate speech, protests, and threats;
Whereas these challenged books and programs are often elevating the voices and viewpoints of historically marginalized peoples; and
Whereas the Oak Park Public Library actively recruits trained and passionate individuals to manage our collections, provide services, and execute programs for our community;
Resolved, that the Oak Park Public Library Board:
1. Supports its professional staff and the decisions they make in selecting the collection materials and programs that in their judgment best engage with the community;
2. Stands in solidarity with public libraries across the region, state, and country as they face renewed efforts to limit access to books and programs;
3. Encourages library staff everywhere to continue raising voices of historically marginalized peoples regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation;
4. Calls on people who believe in the mission of public libraries to run for election to their local public library board; and
5. Calls on communities to restore their faith in and support of the professional library staff members who work to bring resources and opportunities to their communities in their continued improvement.
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