Advocacy Update: April 29, 2026

ABA and Members Support the Freedom to Read in Albany, NY

Joined by two incredible booksellers, ABA's Philomena Polefrone was in Albany on Monday to support access to literature free from censorship. Suzanna Hermans of Oblong Books and Hillary Smith of Black Walnut Books made their voices heard about the ways book censorship impacts indie bookstores and the importance of access to diverse stories. 

With a coalition of book industry and civil liberties organizations, we spoke with the offices of multiple state Senators in support of two bills:

• The Freedom to Read Act (S 8630A/A 9537A) offers common-sense guardrails to protect the freedom to read in New York’s school libraries.
• The Open Shelves Act (A 3119B/S 1100A) offers the same protections in public libraries.

Both are essential to ensure the next generation of readers in New York has access to books, regardless of income. You can still add your voice in support of this bill by writing to your state legislators today.