How Libraries Sustain and Support Democracy

In a time of intense political polarization, libraries in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. Yet the Pew Charitable Trust has documented that Americans have consistently put their trust in libraries more than other institutions. Westbrooks will talk about how libraries are fighting anti-democratic activities such as censorship. Westbrooks will highlight the role that research libraries play in providing citizenship education, stewarding facts, and building pluralistic and diverse communities—activities that fundamentally make our democracy more secure and stable for future generations.