Springfield, IL-(Effingham Radio)- Libraries Can Use State Funding Grants to Increase Safety
Bipartisan legislation drafted by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias designed to improve security at libraries and enhance safety for librarians was recently signed into law.
The measure, which was approved in the General Assembly this spring, allows the Secretary of State’s office to issue funding grants to increase security measures at public, school and academic libraries.
“I firmly believe that libraries should serve as welcoming places for life-long learning and community engagement, but, unfortunately, they have faced increased threats of violence and acts of intimidation in recent years,” Giannoulias said. “Meanwhile, the personal safety and welfare of many librarians has been placed at risk for simply doing their jobs. Their personal safety at work should not be their primary concern.”
The legislation, which was signed into law last week by Governor JB Pritzker and takes effect on Jan. 1, 2026, was sponsored by State Senator Laura Murphy (28th District-Des Plaines) and State Representative Michael Coffey Jr. (95th District-Springfield) and had strong support from the Illinois Library Association and the Illinois Municipal League.
The legislation comes after several libraries across the state received bomb threats in recent years, including the Illinois State Library. There have been more than 25 bomb threats with multiple libraries responding to repeat threats during the past two years.
While state law contains penalties for threats targeting schools, public officials and human services providers, it does not include the same protections for all libraries and librarians.
Under the legislation, state library grant applicants will have the ability to use funding to install things like security cameras, silent alarms, or security check points, for which funding is not always available and until now grants were not authorized to support.
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