Right to Read Ohio raises awareness

of libraries as vital institutions

and librarians as essential facilitators of knowledge.

News and Insights

Bellbrook Reads Together, Oct. 6, 2025

September 14, 2025

No Kings Day, June 14, 2025

June 17, 2025

Over 700 people from kids to grandmothers braved the rain for the Chagrin Falls No Kings rally in Riverside Park at 10 am this morning. Organizer Lisa Mead played MC, introducing songs, speakers, and protest chants. Sheila Freimark led off with the Star-Spangled Banner, followed later with classic protest songs such as "This Land Is Your Land" and "If I Had a Hammer."   Sharon Hawkes from Right to Read Ohio spoke about the challenges libraries are facing, including the Ohio budget mandate to hide all materials "related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression" from minors. "It's unconstitutional, and they know it," she said. She encouraged everyone to stop Trump from shuttering the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and to tell Governor DeWine to veto the censorship mandate.   Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice William O'Neill equated the use of the National Guard in California with what happened at Kent State in 1970. "That's what happens when you put kids with guns in front of kids with passion," he said. He has been so disappointed that US Representative Dave Joyce voted to "take money from the poor, the libraries, the kids" through Medicaid and other cuts that he declared his intention to come out of retirement and run for US Representative against Joyce. He said, "We've got to stop it."   It was a soggy but optimistic morning!  

ALA Goes to Court

April 08, 2025

Thank you, American Library Association!  The American Library Association announced that it just filed a lawsuit, along with AFSCME, "to stop the President’s attempts to illegally dismantle the Institute of Museum & Library Services. Today we filed suit in federal court to halt and reverse the gutting of the only federal agency dedicated to library funding. The President does not have the authority to destroy a federal agency. That’s why we’re taking action with our co-plaintiff AFSCME." You can read more about it at ala.org/IMLS-suit We still have egregious state laws that most likely will need a lawsuit, too, but this is great news!

Right to Read Day, 2025

April 07, 2025

TODAY IS RIGHT TO READ DAY! Hooray for our Constitutional right to receive speech through reading. Courts have long upheld this right, and recognize that libraries play a special role in the dissemination of information and ideas.   Please stand up for your school and public libraries. Here's a letter to help public libraries across Ohio. Feel free to tailor it with your story about what libraries mean to you.Dear [Ohio legislator]:As a patron of public libraries, I need you to push back against the destructive House budget for libraries, restore the Public Library Fund, and fund it above year 2000 levels after inflation.Please also remove the unconstitutional demand to hide all books "related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression," which is illogical, illegal, unkind, and will further burden all public libraries, especially small ones, as well as causing harm to the people they serve.Signed, Sharon Hawkes, MLISRight to Read Ohio Please find this post on our Facebook group page and tell us what libraries mean to you.

You Can Help Libraries Right Now

April 06, 2025

Happy National Library Week, April 6-12, 2025! After a phenomenal national day of protest, we look forward this week to highlighting one of the greatest institutions in support of the American Dream -- libraries. They allow anyone, regardless of their background or wealth, to better themselves through knowledge. This is made possible by our tax dollars and the dedication of librarians in our communities. Today, librarians in Ohio and across the country need your help. Because of egregious budget cuts and repressive legislation, combined with personal harassment and threats, librarians aren't sure if they will be able to deliver the materials, services, and programs that make Ohio libraries among the best in the nation. But you can help them! Take the simple steps outlined below, and tell your friends. Keep reading at Right to Read Ohio, as we will keep you informed, from the good that librarians are doing to the bad legislation attempting to stop them. Read.

The Severed Federal Connection to Libraries

April 01, 2025

Please read this article by Kelly Jensen, who has painstakingly reported on local book bans, state anti-library legislation, and now federal attacks on libraries.   She quotes the new interim director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services that the Institute would now operate “in lockstep with this Administration to enhance efficiency and foster innovation. We will revitalize IMLS and restore focus on patriotism, ensuring we preserve our country’s core values, promote American exceptionalism and cultivate love of country in future generations.”   Perhaps someone should tell the interim director that "lockstep" might not be the best choice of words.   The Smithsonian Museums were told even more strongly, and it is chilling. Read.   https://bookriot.com/imls-gutted/ 

Tony Morrison Day and the Right to Read

February 21, 2025

Our Press conference on February 18 received a lot of coverage, as the story by the Associated Press reporter was picked up by US News and World Report, the Washington Post, MSN The Canadian Press, and others around the US. Everyone spoke wonderfully, and we are very thankful to Senator Catherine D. Ingram and Representative Joe Miller and their legislative assistants, as well as Lorain Public Library System for partnering with us in this project. Many people stopped by on both February 18 and 19 to see the exhibit. My elevator speech got more honed with each opportunity! You can view the video of the press conference remarks HERE, and the AP article by Julie Carr Smyth HERE. You can also see the excellent report by Morgan Trau of News 5 Cleveland WEWS HERE. I also noticed that the coverage by ABC4 quoted John Fortney, Director of Communications for the Ohio Senate Majority Caucus, as saying that books bans are a "fiction promoted by today's left" and other Republicans saying that all the disagreement is about age appropriateness. We beg to differ. Book bans are real, attempted book bans have been frequent in Ohio (235 titles reported in 2023) and librarians have received threats to their jobs and their personal safety for offering books that so much as mention LGBTQ+ characters with no sex mentioned at all.  I am tired, still shoveling snow, but very, very grateful for everyone's support. Thank you.  

Join Us at the State Capitol for Toni Morrison Day 2025

February 11, 2025

Next Tuesday, February 18 at 1:00pm EST, we will be holding a press conference celebrating Toni Morrison Day and the right to read.