Lise Bernstein is chair of the steering committee of the statewide Right to Read Coalition in Missouri. She says the purpose of the coalition "is to support Missouri’s libraries, both public libraries and those in schools.”
Bernstein tells Ozarks Public Radio that the Right to Read Coalition is a response to recent Missouri laws and policies that, in their view, make it harder for trained collection development librarians to do their jobs.
Meanwhile, challenges to books in American public school libraries have often focused on works that address race, sexuality or gender.
“Libraries are there to serve the entire community, and to be inclusive and to meet the diverse needs of the public," Bernstein says.
She says Right to Read is especially concerned about Missouri’s rural libraries. A new rule links state library funding to a requirement that library districts have policies to keep perceived “obscene” material away from kids under 18.
“In the smaller cities and towns," Bernstein notes, "state funding makes up a larger percentage of a library’s budget than it does in the metropolitan areas.”
The Right to Read Coalition currently includes a half-dozen anti-censorship groups from around Missouri, including Nixa-based U-Turn in Education. Bernstein says the coalition has launched a Facebook page to attract more supporters.
