Mass. puts "freedom to read" law on the books

Driving the news: Gov. Maura Healey signed the bill Monday afternoon at the Franklin Public Library, the nation's first public lending library.

• The law will require school and public librarians, or other educators selecting library materials, to pick media that's age-appropriate and for educational purposes.
• Each selection must be based on the instructor's professional training "and not on personal, political or doctrinal" views.

Yes, and: This law shields school and public librarians from professional, civil and criminal penalties over a controversial book selection, including a license revocation.

What they're saying: "We're keeping book bans out of Massachusetts," Healey said Monday before she signed the bill into law.

Context: Campaigns to ban books in Massachusetts libraries have increased by 50% since fiscal 2023, mirroring the rise of book ban campaigns nationwide.

How it works: School districts, charter schools and local education agencies will adopt book selection rules based on the American Library Association standards.

• The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners will be tasked with writing a policy on media selection and use, also based on ALA standards.

• The new law also mandates a public process and a threshold for removing a challenged book.

Zoom in: If a book is challenged, a school has to keep it on the shelves unless or until a complaint undergoes a public hearing and a vote from a school committee or board of trustees to remove it.

• A student, parent or guardian could fight a school committee's vote to remove library materials in Superior Court or the Supreme Judicial Court.
• If a book is removed from a public library, an author, creator or resident could fight that decision in Superior Court.