Nashville’s public library has issued thousands of limited edition “I read banned books” library cards in protest at GOP efforts to limit access to literature it opposes.
The library says it will issue 5,000 of the bright yellow limited-edition cards in Davidson County over the next month.
Tennessee saw an “unprecedented” year for book bans in 2021, according to the American Librarian Association. And Governor Bill Lee signed a law that requires school libraries in the state to screen books for age-appropriate content.
This year Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel, Maus, which is about the Holocaust, was removed from schools in McMinn County.
And Williamson County, south of Nashville, voted to remove Sharon Creech’s Walk Two Moons.
“Our job is just to ensure that if you want it, it’s here for you,” said Public Information Officer for the Nashville Public Library, Ed Brown.
“Maus is all checked out right now,” added Mr Brown.
“So we got more copies on order but as soon as word got around about what happened in McMinn County, we got a lot of holds.”
Mr Brown said that the banned books are part of the two million items available at the public library.
“A lot of people don’t want to read these books; they don’t want their children to have to read these books, or forced to read these books, and that’s fine,” said Mr Brown.
“But there are a lot people who do, and we want to be there for the people who do want to read these materials.”
And he added: “We all watch the TV shows that we like; we all watch the different sports or root for the different teams we’re a part of. Books are no different.
“We are not trying to be a push back — a force pushing back against these decisions — we want to be an alternative to say, if you may not be able to get it there... you can get it here.”
