At its Monday, May 15, regular meeting, the Township Council issued a proclamation, and later passed a resolution declaring “Book Choice Freedom” in town.
The resolution confirms the township’s support of residents’ freedom to read whatever books they please. It denounces censorship and the efforts of “some individuals, groups, and public authorities” to “remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label ‘controversial’ views, to distribute lists of ‘objectionable’ books or authors, and to purge libraries of materials reflecting the diversity of society.” The resolution notes that “the freedom to read is essential to our democracy,” and that the township “encourages free people to read freely, now and forever.”
Council member Rosy Bagolie encouraged the Council to draft the resolution, which the Council supported.
Members of the Livingston Library Board of Trustees were presented a proclamation during the meeting.
Board co-president Laurence Bergmann thanked the Council for supporting book choice freedom.
“It’s a library. If you don’t like a book, bring it back. You don’t have to read it,” Bergmann said.
The resolution, in its entirety, reads: “Whereas, the freedom to read is essential to our democracy, and reading is among our greatest freedoms; and “Whereas, privacy is essential to the exercise of that freedom, and the right to privacy is the right to open inquiry without having the subject of one’s interest examined or scrutinized by others; and “Whereas, the freedom to read is protected by our Constitution; and “Whereas some individuals, groups, and public authorities work to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label ‘controversial’ views, to distribute lists of ‘objectionable’ books or authors, and to purge libraries of materials reflecting the diversity of society; and “Whereas, both governmental intimidation and the fear of censorship cause authors who seek to avoid controversy to practice selfcensorship, thus limiting our access to new ideas; and “Whereas, every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of American society and leaves it less able to deal with controversy and difference; and “Whereas, Americans still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression, and can be trusted to exercise critical judgment, to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe, and to exercise the responsibilities that accompany this freedom; and “Whereas, intellectual freedom is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture; and “Whereas, conformity limits the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend; and “Whereas, the Township of Livingston and this governing body has always valued and affirmed inclusive practices supporting the rights of every person to have free choice in their decision making and always denounced hate, intolerance, and racial bias; “Whereas, we celebrate the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to express them respectfully; now, therefore, be it “Resolved, that the Township of Livingston supports its Library and encourages all libraries and bookstores to acquire and make available materials representative of all the people in our society; and be it further “Resolved, that the Township of Livingston encourages free people to read freely, now and forever.”
