State Sen. Jake Oliveira
Reminder Publishing file photo
LUDLOW — When state Sen. Jake Oliveira assumed office in January 2023, his first speech on the Senate floor advocated for public libraries across Massachusetts.
On Nov. 6, the Ludlow Democrat was granted the Caleb Benjamin Tillinghast Award, which honors federal or state legislators who go above and beyond to recognize the importance of public libraries and providing information and resources to all residents.
The award is granted every 10 years and was last received by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey in 2015.
“As the son of an educator, not only is it an honor and very humbling to win this award,” Oliveira said. “But it also gave me the opportunity to learn about Caleb Benjamin Tillinghast.”
Tillinghast dedicated his work to the advocacy of libraries, ensuring all 351 cities and towns across Massachusetts had a free public library. He was described as the “Wikipedia of his time,” Oliveira said, and knew so much information. He was the go-to person for state representatives, state senators and state policy makers.
“He had the goal of making sure that a community, regardless of the size, had a public library that was free and open,” Oliveira said. “The most interesting thing about this reward was learning about Tillinghast himself.”
Raised in Ludlow, Oliveira spent a lot of his time growing up in every local library across Ludlow, Springfield, Chicopee or Palmer, which he said contributes heavily to his dedication to them today.
What makes libraries so special and personal to Oliveira isn’t that they’re just a place to pick out a book, but a space where people can receive free information that evolves over time, with history that dates back to 1790.
“The things that libraries host are a part of a democratic society,” Oliveira said. “Given that Massachusetts had the first public library in the entire country, it dates back to the tradition of libraries being at the heart of our democracy.”
While Tillinghast believed in the need for public libraries, Oliveira said he believes in keeping them open and protecting the materials in the library. On top of the $3 million Oliveira has already added to the state aid for public libraries, he has filed legislation with state Sen. Julian Cyr, a Hyannis Democrat, to ensure library materials cannot be removed or censored based on personal or political beliefs.
The bill, titled “An Act Regarding Free Expression,” passed the state Senate hearing on Nov. 13 in a bipartisan vote. The bill covers a “wide ideological spectrum,” according to Oliveira, who recognizes censorship can happen from any point of view.
“At its core, this bill is about trust,” Oliveira said in his Senate hearing. “Trust in our librarians. Trust in our educators. Trust in the belief that every person in the commonwealth deserves the opportunity to see not only themselves, but their families, their identities and their experiences reflected in the books and ideas available in our public and school libraries.”
Over the last several years, Oliveira says he’s seen many attempts to ban books simply for political purposes. According to the American Library Association, over 4,000 titles were targeted last year. In 2023, 63 titles were removed from Massachusetts libraries.
In his hearing, Oliveira made a point to say that many of the targeted books are “by or about people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals,” and that many of these attempts are making certain people and groups invisible. In many instances, banning books isn’t about protecting children, but erasing stories that “made some people uncomfortable.”
“When we remove those stories, we don’t just erase books; we erase people,” Oliveira said. “We take away the chance for young readers to discover themselves and for communities to understand one another. We lose empathy and without empathy, democracy falters.”
Oliveira said protecting the librarians is important because they have been caught up in a cultural war of which can lead to death threats.
“We want to make sure we can protect them, but also so they can do their jobs,” Oliveira said. “We want to make sure our libraries can be beacons of light for knowledge and accessing materials where people can see themselves reflected. This is exactly what that bill does.”
As a member of the Ludlow School Committee for 12 years, Oliveira also said he wants to ensure a clear process that school committees and library trustees can follow when facing a challenged book. The bill also requires libraries to adopt the Library Bill of Rights, which was born in 1939 by the ALA, to ensure library users the right of intellectual freedom.
“We want to make sure that the libraries keep up with our times and reflect new books that could be existing,” Oliveira said. “We want to make sure that, again, books that are taken off the shelves aren’t taken off for political purposes. The heart of the legislature is supporting libraries as centers of innovation and accessing materials where people can see themselves reflected.”
Oliveira’s next step is getting the bill through the House and onto Gov. Maura Healey’s desk.
