Talk Pittsburgh host Heather Abraham sat down with Ann Marie Schiavone, J.D., of Duquesne University School of Law, and Amy Anderson, of Allegheny County Library Association, to discuss the controversial topic of book banning.
“From the library’s perspective, we are tasked with giving information and materials for everyone in our communities,” Amy said. “We want to make sure we are representing all aspects of our communities, so when you start pulling books and taking them out of circulation, you’re really causing a detriment to certain segments of your community. Just because a book is not something you prefer, or you prefer for your children, doesn’t mean that there’s not someone else in your community that that is an important work for them. Our job is to make sure that we have materials for everyone, and unfortunately when you start pulling books and having them requested for removal, it’s really going to cause harm to the community.”
Amy’s appearance on Talk Pittsburgh was featured in the Associated Press alongside their coverage of book challenges, and has subsequently appeared in online news coverage nationally.