A series of unsubstantiated bomb threats at several area libraries sent shock waves through northern Illinois communities in late August and September.

These threats reached Evanston last week. Evanston Public Library received anonymous bomb threats via email on Sept. 12 and 14, prompting the evacuation of both the Main and Robert Crown library branches. 

In both instances, the Evanston Police Department cleared each location and determined there was no threat to visitors. But after putting library operations on pause twice in one week, EPL spokesperson Jenette Sturges said staffers and community members were left feeling angry.

“It just makes it difficult for us to be able to provide the services that are really critical here in the community,” she said.

And, for nearly a month, libraries across the Chicago area have received very similar threats, most of which have come in anonymously and digitally. Libraries in Aurora, Addison and Chicago also had to evacuate last week. Other libraries on the North Shore that received threats include those in Wilmette, Oak Park and Morton Grove.

All threats were unsubstantiated, and the libraries remain safe to visit, officials and police maintain. Sturges said both EPL branches have “highly trained” security staff and protocols in place for emergency evacuations.

But some worry the threats could be emblematic of wider tensions. The recent wave of bomb threats has played out amid ongoing national debates about book banning and free speech in local public libraries.

In a recent statement, the ACLU of Illinois said recent threats, including those against Evanston libraries, may have been motivated by “ideologically driven attacks on libraries … from a small handful of loud voices who seek to ban books and displays that reflect and elevate the experiences and views of LGBTQ+ people, people of color and other voices too often ignored in our society.”

Officials across Illinois, including Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, also condemned the threats.

In Evanston, Sturges said the community has been consistently supportive of EPL in recent debates about intellectual freedom. EPL has only received two requests to review content over the past two decades, she said, and the staff has a process to fully investigate each request and consistently review the books they’re providing. Statewide, there were 67 attempts to ban books in 2022.

In June, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill outlawing book bans, making Illinois the first U.S. state to do so. Once the bill goes into effect this January, all Illinois libraries will be required to adopt the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights. Any library that removes or restricts books “because of partisan or personal disproval” will be ineligible for funding through state grants.

For now, Sturges said, librarians want to make sure people know that “you’re safe when you go to the library.”

“We take the safety of our staff and our patrons very seriously here,” she said, “And we have just really appreciated the outpouring of support that we’ve gotten from the community.”

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Twitter: @lilylcarey

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