The Michigan Library Association is rallying residents to protect the First Amendment and the freedom to read in libraries around the state.
In response to continued efforts to ban books in local libraries, the state library association launched a petition in July that calls on the state’s elected leaders to provide greater library funding, encourage local governments and library boards to resist censorship and affirm the right to access information at Michigan’s public libraries.
The petition, which has garnered 3,100 signatures so far and can be signed here, will be delivered to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and members of the state Legislature next month.
Public libraries across Michigan and the U.S. have faced growing calls in recent years to remove books from the shelves that are deemed by some as having unacceptable content. These heated debates largely center on LGBTQ and sexual content or themes around race.
In Michigan, the outrage has led to a public library briefly being defunded and its staff later quitting; a prosecutor considering charges against librarians for not removing a book; and other incidents. Efforts to remove books from public libraries in Michigan, and across the U.S., skyrocketed in 2021.
“Michigan’s public libraries serve everyone, not just the loudest voices,” said Dillon Geshel, interim executive director of MLA. “The Petition to Protect MI Right to Read was created to send a clear message to our elected officials that public libraries exist to reflect all of us, and every resident deserves the freedom to see themselves on the shelves.”
A poll conducted in June 2025 by Lansing-based polling firm EPIC-MRA showed strong and growing support for libraries and opposition to book bans, according to the MLA, which commissioned the June 2025 poll and a similar one in March 2023.
The latest survey included 846 voters and had a 3.5% margin of error. The polling showed:
79% of voters approve of the work libraries are doing (up from 71% in 2023).
75% trust librarians to decide what belongs in library collections.
82% agree that we need to protect the ability of young people to have access to books that help them learn about and understand different perspectives.
84% support current library policies on age-appropriate shelving.
“We’re seeing more organized efforts to control what people can read, and it’s happening right here in Michigan,” said Jenny Marr, MLA Board President and executive director of Capital Area District Libraries. “This petition reminds us that libraries are places of curiosity, growth, and empathy, and they’re worth defending.”
The petition will be presented sometime in October and calls on the governor’s office and state lawmakers to:
Uphold the First Amendment right to access information and reject censorship efforts targeting library collections
Trust librarians as trained, professional guides to age-appropriate content
Ensure public libraries reflect the full range of community voices and lived experiences
Increase support for state aaid to libraries and fund the Michigan eLibrary and statewide catalog, MeL and MeLCat, as well as other statewide library services in the Michigan budget
The Republican-controlled House, Democratic-controlled Senate and governor’s office are currently in negotiations over the state’s budget that begins Oct. 1. The state will face a government shutdown if these negotiations continue to stall and no budget is passed by midnight Sept. 30.
Only Senate Democrats are proposing to increase state aid to libraries, Geshel said. The budget proposals from House Republicans and Whitmer call for continuation funding with no increase or decrease.
The House Republican budget excludes the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) line item, which is needed for the Library of Michigan to expend federal dollars that are already awarded and allocated, Geshel said.
“The big concern for us right now when it comes to funding for Michigan libraries at the state level is ensuring that a final version of the state budget includes that LSTA line item,” Geshel said. “Because if it’s not in the budget, that would preclude the Library of Michigan from spending these federal funds that are already allocated for really critical statewide programs like the Michigan eLibrary and the Michigan eLibrary Catalog.”
Michigan’s eLibrary includes databases to support education and workforce development. The Michigan eLibrary Catalog, also known as MeLCat, is the statewide interlibrary loan program that ensures public libraries can borrow materials from others in the state.