Whether cultural or geographical, Stevens is closely related to the City of Hoboken, which recently announced that the entire city will be a book sanctuary. The Stute sat down and spoke with Hoboken Public Library Director Jennie Pu, who organized the book sanctuary initiative, to learn more.
To start, Pu explained what exactly a book sanctuary is. She explained that a book sanctuary is an initiative started by the Chicago Public Library in the wake of a drastic increase in banned books nationwide in recent months. The sanctuary status states that any visitor of the Hoboken Public Library can “borrow and read” any book about any topic.
Pu also went over the process for Hoboken to become a book sanctuary. The first step, she explained, was to introduce the idea to the library board. They unanimously approved the initiative, which the library sent to the city council for approval. Once there, the board voted unanimously to name Hoboken as a book sanctuary, with one council member noting that while Hoboken is usually a “follower” of trends, ensuring access to all stories regardless of background is something Hoboken must be a leader in. The vote officially made Hoboken a book sanctuary, the first of its kind in New Jersey.
Aside from the story of how the book sanctuary was declared, Pu also gave insight into why the library saw this as an essential initiative for Hoboken. Pu recalled last June when the library offered a “Banned Books Read-a-Thon” to raise awareness of book bans nationwide, primarily impacting works by or about marginalized communities. While the event went smoothly, the library, after the fact, received many mentions on social media, emails, letters, and phone calls from people across the country in protest of the event. Additionally, with banning books becoming more and more common, Pu and the library agreed Hoboken should support readers’ freedom and denounce book bans.
The hope is that Hoboken’s status as a book sanctuary will bring attention to the need to protect books against bans and perhaps compel other towns to do the same. Pu explained that the local communities strongly opposed the request, and towns even as close as Glenridge had requested to ban a book. Pu, wanting to emphasize the surge of book bans, referred to the American Library Association research, which showed that 2022 had the “highest number of attempted book bans” since records of bans began.
Hoboken’s initiative to declare the city a book sanctuary is crucial to protecting readers’ freedom and denouncing book bans. With the library board’s and city council’s support, Hoboken has become the first book sanctuary in New Jersey, setting an example for other towns to follow. Hoboken promotes inclusivity and diversity in literature by ensuring visitors can borrow and read any book about any topic. The city hopes this initiative brings attention to the need for book protection and inspires other communities to do the same.
