Letter to the Editor: Books Should Be ‘Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Glass Doors’

To the Editor:

This letter of support for Old Lyme Board of Education candidate Devin Berke comes from a place of concern for our First Amendment rights. As a retired school librarian, as a forty year member of the American Library Association, and one who supports Freedom to Read, I believe that no one has the right to determine what another person reads.

Mr. Berke is a listener and a thinker. When we discussed Connecticut Senate Bill 1271: An Act regarding School and Public Libraries, which was passed into law in June of 2025, he wanted time to understand how the bill impacts the work of a local school library board. 

We also had a lively discussion about our favorite books and censorship issues around outside groups pressuring local residents to consider challenging a book. The law clearly states that only “town residents, parents, students and school staff” in writing can submit a formal challenge. I appreciated the follow-up and his mention of Region 18’s Policy Library Materials Library Material Review and Reconsideration Policies, #6161.12-14.

Adopted in 1939, the  ALA Bill of Rights states that “libraries should provide materials presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.” Region 18’s policy reflects this: “No library and other educational material, display, or program shall be removed from library media centers, or programs be canceled, because of the origin, background, or viewpoints expressed in such material, display, or program, or because of the origin, background, or viewpoints of the creator of such material, display, or program.” 

I am confident that Mr. Berke will be a proponent of Region 18’s school library program and will help ensure that the books and education materials that students access are “windows, mirrors and sliding glass doors” (Dr. Rudine Bishop, 1990).

Sincerely,
Deborah Lang Froggatt, Ph.D.

Editor’s Note: The writer is a member of the Old Lyme Democratic Town Committee and the former director of library services for Boston Public Schools.