Supporters said the proposal will strengthen protections for library collections, as it now heads to the Austin City Council for a possible adoption.
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin could soon join a growing list of cities declaring themselves a “Book Safe Harbor,” a move aimed at strengthening protections for library collections.
The Austin Library Commission voted Monday to advance a recommendation that would establish the designation. The proposal now heads to City Council, which would decide whether to adopt it as a city ordinance.
If approved, it would establish Austin as a city committed to protecting books and resources that are challenged or banned, and supporting the right to read without limitation to access. The proposal said it will expand the previously adopted Freedom to Read Resolution made in 2022.
According to the recommendation, it comes as libraries across Texas and the country face growing challenges to their collections, primarily in schools but also in public libraries.
“We know that there is kind of this groundswell of efforts to remove materials from libraries,” said Baylor Johnson with the Austin Public Library. “As a public library, we do support the freedom to read, intellectual freedom.”
Over the past four years, the Austin Public Library told KVUE it has received eight requests to reconsider books in its collection, five of which were requests for removal. After committee review, officials said those materials were left where they are.
“The fact that we’ve had, on average, two reconsideration requests per year here at Austin Public Library is a sign that Austin Public Library has already created and is sustaining the collection that the community wants,” Johnson said.
Some local bookstores said they back the proposal, adding that many of the titles they carry have been challenged in other communities.
“Lots of the books that we’re seeing being targeted in school districts or across the state cater around the LGBTQI plus experience,” said Justin Galicz, co-owner of The Little Gay Shop. “And so us being a queer bookstore, a lot of the books that we carry are some of the most challenged books that we’ve seen, not only here in our local counties, but across the state and across the country.”
Galicz said while independent bookstores are committed to offering a wide range of titles, he believes access to books should remain protected in publicly funded spaces.
“Any opportunities that we have to fight back, any opportunities we have to keep this notion of ‘Keep Austin Weird,’ within our government and within our daily lives is really important and really vital to our culture as a city,” Galicz said.
It is unclear when the proposal will reach the city council for a vote. The Austin Public Library says it will not comment on the specific proposal until the council takes action.