Canceling Libraries is an Assault on Children

Canceling libraries is an assault on children.

A few weeks ago in Missouri, the state’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted on a state budget proposal that sets the library’s budget at zero, eliminating millions of dollars for the state’s libraries.

In short, the proposal aims to strip all state funding for public libraries — $4.5 million in total. 

The Senate will likely block these cuts. In any case, book bans nationwide — including works by Mark Twain, Shakespeare, and Margaret Atwood – are paving the way for a far more militant method to wage war against books. 

Canceling libraries.

As former CEO of For The Children – a national child welfare agency serving children in foster care in nearly every state – I’ve seen firsthand the pivotal role libraries play in the lives of at-risk children. Like their public schools, libraries are safe havens from isolation at home due to single working mothers and pressure to join local gangs. They provide a peaceful setting that fosters reading, learning, and the cultivation of the human person. 

The first public library in the U.S. was the Library Company of Philadelphia. It was founded in November 1731 by Benjamin Franklin. Opened in 1833, the first free modern public library was The Peterborough (N.H.) Town Libraries. It was the first institution funded by a municipality to establish a free library open to all classes of the community. For centuries, they’ve aided in the education and flourishing of countless communities across the nation.

For children of privilege, libraries are obsolete. For children of crisis – ones living in poverty, with single-parent homes, without the luxury of internet access – they are an indispensable part of learning and safety.

At the Child Rights Foundation, we call on all lawmakers to keep libraries open, for the sake of the children.