Abortion restrictions are not only a reproductive health issue, but also an information access concern. When people can’t access credible health information, they can’t make the best decisions for their mental and physical wellbeing. That’s why the World Health Organization (WHO) includes information access as one of its three cornerstones for comprehensive abortion care. And yet in Wisconsin—and across the United States—we are at a dangerous juncture of both book bans and the criminalization of abortion. Librarians are at the frontlines of this crisis.
Between January 1 and August 31 of this year, the American Library Association (ALA) documented 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources. In 2021 the ALA recorded 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services—which led to more than 1,597 book challenges or removals. Past ALA president Patricia “Patty” Wong stated that this was “the highest number of attempted book bans since [the ALA] began compiling these lists twenty years ago.” In Wisconsin, PEN America tracked twenty-nine instances of book bans in schools between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. In fact, book ban activists have even resorted to fear tactics including intimidation of library staff and harassment of their families.
“Watching book bans hit libraries around the country, I am nervous that it may affect me soon,” says one Wisconsin public librarian, who, along with the other librarians quoted here, asked not to be named. Their fears are not unfounded.
“I’ve had patrons ask about puberty, divorce, physical abuse, and reproductive information. I treat those reference transactions the same way as any other topic.”
Such concerns are further compounded by the anti-abortion fervor sweeping the country, causing some librarians to wonder how this will impact information access for people seeking abortion care. This is especially true in Wisconsin, where I was based as a librarian and where an 1849 abortion ban has forced residents to navigate a state without clinical abortion services. As another Wisconsin librarian explains, “There is a lot of fear and uncertainty of how to protect yourself if you are seeking abortion services.”
They are not wrong. Experts are concerned that one’s digital footprint, including geolocation data gathered by apps for contraception, web searches, and cellphones could be used to criminalize individuals seeking or facilitating a pregnancy termination in states where it is illegal. A recent report found that 98.9 percent of all public libraries in the United States provide free public access to computers and the Internet. As such, people may choose to seek information in libraries where digital and physical information access, patron privacy, and confidentiality are some of the core values of librarianship.
Nevertheless, some Wisconsin-based librarians I spoke to are grappling with how they can “openly provide access to information on reproductive healthcare” while navigating the looming book bans. To some this process “feels extremely limiting.” As one explained, “you’re already operating in a headspace of ‘there are people in my community who will push back on the existence of information or narratives that don't match their opinions.’ ”
And yet, librarians are committed to doing what they always do: providing access to information.
“I’ve had patrons ask about puberty, divorce, physical abuse, and reproductive information,” one librarian tells The Progressive. “I treat those reference transactions the same way as any other topic because it isn’t my business to judge our patrons. It’s my job to help them get the information and materials they need.”
Another librarian noted that library spaces are “well-positioned to seek out resources that provide accurate information.” Indeed, Pew Research reports that 78 percent of U.S. adults agree and believe that public libraries help them find “information that is trustworthy and reliable.”
Library professionals provide an important service in our overwhelming information ecosystem. By procuring, organizing, and providing information access to their communities, they can offer a variety of credible digital and physical information sources. And at a time where abortion and book bans are both surging, these community information spaces are more necessary than ever.