Home to the and the in the country, Massachusetts is known for education. Yet in 2025, the state ranked for attempts to restrict access to books, behind Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania.
Seeking to address the issue, the House passed a bipartisan earlier this month designed to protect access to books in school and public libraries.
The bill gives school librarians primary authority over selecting library materials. It requires that materials be age-appropriate, serve an educational purpose and be chosen based on professional training rather than personal or political views.
Massachusetts School Library Association President Reba Tierney said almost every school librarian already follows these standards. Though they can鈥檛 always read every book on the shelf, librarians read multiple reviews and rely on publishers鈥� recommended age ranges when determining whether a book is age-appropriate, she said.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 the piece people don鈥檛 fully understand 鈥� books that make their way to our shelves have purposely been curated and added to the collection,鈥� Tierney said.
The House bill would require every school in Massachusetts to adopt a library policy that includes criteria for handling book challenges. Rather than a complaint going directly to the school committee, the committee and the superintendent would appoint a review committee of school personnel to review the book in question.
The review committee would hold a public hearing and then make a recommendation to the school committee, which would vote on the book鈥檚 removal.
The bill stipulates that the school librarian鈥檚 book selection couldn鈥檛 be overruled unless there is 鈥渃lear and convincing evidence鈥� that the book is 鈥渄evoid of any educational, literary, artistic, personal or social value,鈥� or isn鈥檛 age-appropriate for any child at the school. During this process, the book would remain on the shelf.
Rep. Mark Sylvia, D-Fairhaven, said he recognized the importance of having clear procedures for reviewing challenged books in 2023, when the Old Rochester Regional School Committee 10 commonly challenged books.
Joe Pires, the school committee member who at the time pushed to have the books removed, did not respond to a request for comment.
Tierney said the Massachusetts School Library Association already recommends that every school have a reconsideration policy on file, but it鈥檚 difficult to determine how many districts lack one because there is no centralized database.
Dartmouth Middle School librarian Laura Gardner, who said she spoke only on behalf of herself, told The Light that the district鈥檚 reconsideration policy can help put an 鈥渆arly end鈥� to book challenges. The policy requires complainants to read each book and specify why they would like it removed.
鈥淔or districts that do not yet have that policy, now is an especially difficult political climate in which to pass one,鈥� Gardner said, adding that she was pleased the bill would require every district to adopt one.
Madeline Pimentel, the New Bedford High School librarian, declined to comment, noting that she hasn鈥檛 faced any book challenges at the school.
Public libraries would need book challenge policies
Public libraries would be required to adopt policies that incorporate the American Library Association鈥檚 and prevent books from being selected or removed because of personal or political beliefs.
Like school libraries, many public libraries in the state already have collection development and reconsideration policies, including the and the . The Westport and Fairhaven library directors did not respond to a request to comment by deadline.
Dina St. Pierre, director of libraries in Dartmouth, said the town has not received a formal or informal request for reconsideration in many years. Like Tierney, she said librarians put considerable thought into the books they select.
鈥淲e take our jobs seriously,鈥� St. Pierre said. 鈥淢ost of us have pursued master鈥檚 degrees in library science, so we鈥檝e invested a lot of time and money into educating ourselves to be librarians.鈥�
The bill would also require annual reporting on book challenges and complaints and strengthen protections for school and public librarians against discipline related to their selection of library materials.
New Bedford representatives support the bill
Rep. Christopher Hendricks, D-New Bedford, said protecting librarians is important because threats are 鈥渢rending up鈥� in Massachusetts.
In 2023, of school and public librarians in Massachusetts found that nearly 25% of respondents reported being harassed on social media; 22% reported being harassed via email; and 18% reported being harassed in person because of book or program challenges.
鈥�(Librarians) are hired based on their background and training,鈥� Sylvia said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to ensure that you鈥檙e protecting the professional integrity of a process, and that includes indemnifying the people that make those decisions using those qualifications.鈥�
These protections were the focus of a Republican filed by Rep. John Gaskey, R-Carver. Gaskey鈥檚 amendment attempted to remove .
鈥淚f a school employee is acting in genuine good faith to educate, they have absolutely nothing to fear,鈥� Gaskey said. 鈥淏ut if they are using their taxpayer-funded position to expose children to explicit content under the guise of ideology, then yes, they should face the chill of handcuffs, the loneliness of a cold, dark jail cell.鈥�
The amendment was voted down nearly unanimously. Each of New Bedford鈥檚 representatives voted in favor of the bill and against Gaskey鈥檚 amendment.
Rep. Christopher Markey, D-Dartmouth, said the House bill is a direct response to the increasing number of book challenges and threats.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just one of these things that we鈥檝e always taken for granted,鈥� Markey said. 鈥淏ut as with everything, it seems every typical standard has been changed in the last 10 years.鈥�
Hendricks said he supports the bill because it gives libraries a 鈥渄efinitive process鈥� for handling book selection and challenges and sets clear standards for which books should stay on shelves.
Rep. Steven Ouellette, D-Westport, gave similar reasoning in a written statement. He said he voted in favor of the bill because it 鈥済ives people the right to access reading material, doesn鈥檛 attack librarians, requires policies to be done, and has follow-up procedures to address complaints on materials that someone may have an issue with.鈥�
In a written statement, Rep. Antonio F.D. Cabral, D-New Bedford, told The Light he supports the bill because it establishes clear standards and a fair, transparent review system.
鈥淚 strongly believe in safeguarding the freedom to read, to explore ideas, and to encounter perspectives that reflect the full diversity of our communities,鈥� Cabral said. 鈥淲hile I recognize the importance of ensuring that age鈥慳ppropriate materials are selected with care and professional judgment, it is essential that we stand firmly on the side of intellectual freedom.鈥�
Sen. Mark Montigny, D-New Bedford, voted in favor of a that the Senate passed in November 2025.
鈥淭here is no place for politically motivated censorship within our public schools and libraries,鈥� Montigny said in a written statement. 鈥淔reedom of thought and being able to see oneself reflected in the stories and ideas available on our bookshelves is an important aspect of one鈥檚 development and learning experience.鈥�
Like the House bill, the Senate bill allows parents to challenge books they believe are not age-appropriate for any child in the school or lack value. Montigny said the regulation strikes an 鈥渆ssential鈥� balance.
The House bill will now go to a conference committee with the Senate.
Which books are challenged most frequently?
According to an 4,235 unique titles were challenged in the U.S. in 2025. Of these titles, 39% focused on LGBTQ+ people or people of color.
Rep. Christopher Markey, D-Dartmouth, said it鈥檚 鈥渁bsolutely鈥� important to keep books that feature diverse perspectives on the shelf.
鈥淕overnment鈥檚 job is to get people to reach their potential,鈥� Markey said. 鈥淭he way you get people to reach their potential is, they鈥檝e got to love themselves first. They鈥檝e got to understand who they are.鈥�
He added that books also help people to understand others鈥� experiences.
Several librarians agreed with Markey鈥檚 perspective.
鈥淲e want books in our libraries that represent all of our students, and also give a window into other people鈥檚 lives,鈥� Gardner from Dartmouth Middle School said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about choice 鈥� students don鈥檛 have to read books that they don鈥檛 want to, but those books are there for the students who do want to read them.鈥�
Tierney, who is also a high school librarian, has seen firsthand the impact of representation in books. A student and their parent read 鈥� 鈥� by Maia Kobabe 鈥� a graphic novel that 鈥渃harts (Kobabe鈥檚) journey of self-identity,鈥� including coming out to family and society.
The novel was the third most challenged title in 2025, according to the American Library Association. Many complaints about the book stem from what critics say are explicit images. But Tierney鈥檚 student had a different takeaway 鈥� they saw their experience reflected in writing.
鈥淭here鈥檚 some mature content in that book, and I definitely wouldn鈥檛 put that book in an elementary school,鈥� Tierney said. 鈥淏ut that is an actual memoir of someone鈥檚 lived experience, and there are some students that for them, that鈥檚 a lifeline 鈥� That is so powerful.鈥�
New Bedford Free Public Library Director Olivia Melo said the library system has not faced any book challenges in recent years.
The American Library Association鈥檚 data shows that most book challenges don鈥檛 come from parents or library patrons. Nearly 92% of complaints and challenges in 2025 were initiated by 鈥減ressure groups and decision makers swayed by them,鈥� the report says. Only 3% came from parents and only 1% were initiated by library patrons.
Several organizations that have spearheaded the campaign to remove books they consider inappropriate from libraries 鈥� including , and 鈥� did not respond to requests for comment.
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