The CEO of the Edmonton Public Library and librarians across the province are urging Albertans to speak up against proposed legislation that would limit access to some books.
"It is censorship," Pilar Martinez said of the provincial oversight contemplated in Bill 28, a multifaceted bill introduced on April 2 that includes amendments to the Libraries Act.
The Coalition of Alberta Public Libraries has launched a campaign urging Albertans to contact Premier Danielle Smith, Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams, and their own MLAs to express their concerns as the province takes steps to limit what public libraries can display.
"It just seems so contrary to Canada, to our democracy, to Alberta," said Martinez, who sits on the coalition's steering committee.
Bill 28 would require anyone under 16 to have parental consent to borrow books deemed to contain "graphic visual depictions of sexual acts," and it seeks to ensure such materials are not in "shared public spaces" that serve both children and adults. Williams cited Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and Blankets by Craig Thompson as examples of "pornographic material" at an April 2 press conference.
"Public libraries don't have pornography in their collections," Martinez told Taproot, expressing frustration with the province's chosen language. "These books are award-winning books."
The province's fact sheet on the proposed changes emphasizes that "government is not banning books," but the Coalition of Alberta Public Libraries said on April 9 that enforcing the restrictions risks "creating new barriers for Albertans simply trying to use their public library." Martinez said parents already have the control the bill purports to give them.
"Public libraries have always said that we believe that parents are in the best position to decide what's best for their children to read," she said. "When a parent gets a (library) card for their child, they have to agree to take responsibility for what their children borrow (and) how they use the materials."
Bill 28 also allows the minister to initiate reviews or respond to complaints related to public libraries, even though public libraries are mostly funded by municipalities and are governed by local boards. Martinez noted the high level of public trust in libraries found by pollster Janet Brown.
"We're a little perplexed at what problem we're trying to solve" with this legislation, Martinez said.
Edmonton Public Library CEO Pilar Martinez, seen here at a mayoral forum in October 2025, is among the leaders of the Coalition of Alberta Public Libraries, which opposes Bill 28. (Edmonton Public Library/YouTube)
EPL has long had a system to report materials that library users find objectionable.
"We have a process if folks think that something needs to be withdrawn from the collection," Martinez said, noting that some objections come down to re-categorizing a "teen" book as "adult."
In the interest of transparency, EPL keeps a record of every challenged piece of material, noting why the challenge was made and what the library's ultimate decision was.
"Public libraries have something to offend everybody in their collection, and that means we're doing a good job," said Martinez, whose library has an ongoing campaign for intellectual freedom and now has "Read Freely" T-shirts available for sale.
"Remember, it's a double-edged sword," said Martinez. "Today, it's these graphic novels that are on the LGBTQ2S+ topic. Tomorrow, what is it?"
In March, EPL hosted a banned book bracket, featuring a number of books that were taken off school library shelves earlier this year. The "winner" was A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, a writer that Martinez pointed to as a personal favourite.
"I'm really an Atwood fan — she's had several books that have been banned."
This fight with the province comes as Martinez prepares to leave EPL's helm in August. She said she hopes her successor looks after the people who look after the libraries.
"For me, it's about the people, and I love my team," she said. "It's such an honour, and I think really don't take that for granted."
She'll be leaving before city council makes its funding decisions for the next four-year budget cycle. While money is tight, keeping up with the library needs of a growing city is important, she said.
"We have areas of our city that are underserved and don't have any physical library service," she said, citing Windermere and McConachie as areas that need branches.
This story is based on a larger conversation with Pilar Martinez on the April 8 edition of Taproot Exchange, a members-only livestream conversation that goes deep on issues of interest to Edmontonians. Become a Taproot member for access to future livestreams, as well as recordings and transcripts.