Advocating Against Book Bans in Public Libraries: A Role for Friends of the Library Volunteers?

Rising reports of attempted book bans suggest a growing organizational sophistication on the part of advocates supportive and opposed to such efforts. While there are various potential allies in the fight against book bans, Friend of the Library (FotL) organizations stand out. Led by volunteers often called Friends, FotL organizations have historically been seen as independent fundraisers and supporters for public libraries throughout much of the United States and world. This study surveys 197 Friends across 37 US states and the District of Columbia to understand what they see as the roles of their organization, how tolerant they are of divergences from those roles, whether they see FotL as library advocates and advocates against book bans specifically, and how important the residency of advocates is to their success. Thematic analysis of the data suggests future research ideas and considers how public libraries can better engage these advocates for combating book bans.