When children are unnecessarily removed from their homes, experts say the separation puts them at risk of chronic mental and physical ailments. 

With that in mind, four Kentucky libraries are launching programs to keep families together, well resourced and educated, aided with $200,000 in grant money from the national nonprofit . 

Libraries in Jackson, Johnson, Marshall and Spencer counties received around $45,000 each for a variety of programs to help parents meet their children鈥檚 needs. 

, the executive director of the Youth Village initiative , said libraries are a 鈥渓ow stigma, high access point of contact for all communities鈥� and make sense for grassroots outreach. 

鈥淭hey pretty consistently exist in most counties where they can be reached by lots of families, especially those in rural areas, and they鈥檙e (places) people trust to get information, to get access to resources,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 carry the stigma, for example, of going to a child welfare department and asking for resources in a way that might feel very vulnerable.鈥�  

Among other things, the libraries are using the grant month to host trainings on growing food in an apartment setting, teaching parents how to deal with challenging behaviors and how to cook basic recipes, and connecting families to other community resources where they can get car seats and other necessities. 

Libraries are also a more 鈥渘atural鈥� place to host visitations for parents who are working toward reunification, Binkowski said. 

It鈥檚 鈥渙ften not the case鈥� that a child is removed from a home because the parents are outright bad, she said. Most of the time, parents lack the resources to properly feed, clothe or otherwise care for their children, she said. In fact, about 70% of all Child Protective Services allegations are related to neglect and poverty, the Lantern . 

鈥淲e see and parents who are struggling with that as a significant driver of entries into foster care 鈥� not only in Kentucky, but across the country,鈥� Binkowski said. 

Other preventable issues contribute to removal, she said, like a parent not being able to buy a car seat or access safe child care. 

鈥淭hings like that can cause safety issues that have to be resolved for a child to remain safe and stable,鈥� Binkowski said. 

鈥楤efore there鈥檚 a problem, let鈥檚 fix it.鈥� 

Tammy Blackwell, an author and the director of the Marshall County Public Library, said libraries working in this space is just 鈥渓ogical.鈥�

鈥淟ibraries are already reaching families and just doing a lot of good work giving families a place to be and form bonds,鈥� she said. 

Marshall County鈥檚 grant supported a renovation of the to create a more child-friendly space and funded an eight-week program for mothers of young children called Mom鈥檚 Night Out. 

During the Mom鈥檚 Night Out program, which will start the first week in September, mothers who are referred by Court Appointed Special Advocates will gather weekly and have a meal together. During the meal, representatives from the Marshall County Extension Office and the health department will lead discussions about stress management, home upkeep and how to cook recipes with staples handed out at food distribution centers like rice and beans. 

Because this is grant-funded, it鈥檚 not affected by recent program, Blackwell said. Congress recently passed the Big Beautiful Bill Act, which program, among other things. 

The Mom鈥檚 Night Out discussions will be in a 鈥渧ery non-judgmental way, and not in a lecturing kind of way, but as a conversation and getting those families very comfortable in that space, very comfortable with library staff, comfortable with community partners who they may need to call on at some point,鈥� Blackwell explained. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping that they build a bond with each other; other people with similar lived experiences, and to really give them a sense of community and resources in order to help the mothers thrive, so that the children may thrive,鈥� she added. 鈥淚 love that it鈥檚 鈥榖efore, let鈥檚 fix it.鈥欌�� 

The first round of the program will only include mothers 鈥� Blackwell hopes between 12 to 15 鈥� who have children of preschool to early elementary school age. Should it be successful and receive funding for a repeat, she鈥檇 like to expand it to fathers as well. 

鈥淭here鈥檚 been some coverage of how many kids in Kentucky are in either foster or kinship care situations,鈥� Blackwell said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of kids, and that really impacts their ability to be successful in life. And anything that we can do to strengthen those families and give those kids, then we need to at least try. And I think libraries are in a perfect position to really make a difference.鈥� 

The 2024 Kids Count report, from Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, showed there were in the state from 2021-2023. In that same time period, the number of children leaving foster care and reunited with their families dropped to 32%. Pre-pandemic, from 2016-2018, it was 36%. 

Additionally, in 2024 there were around 55,000 Kentucky children being raised with a relative in a arrangement. 

The Department for Community Based Services came up with the idea to partner with libraries, Binkowski said. Lesa Dennis, the DCBS commissioner, wasn鈥檛 available for an interview but said in a statement that 鈥渂y meeting families where they are, we鈥檙e building pathways to stability, resilience and well-being so no family has to face challenges alone.鈥� 

Removal is 鈥榯raumatizing鈥� 

Binkowski, who previously worked as Assistant General Counsel for the Tennessee Department of Children鈥檚 Services, said that 鈥渁 foster care intervention, even if necessary, is traumatizing to everyone involved.鈥� It can damage bonds between parents and their children and upend daily routine and connections, she said. 

鈥淲e have a substantial body of evidence that tells us that children do best when they are with their families of origin 鈥� when it can be safe,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e know that connections to biological family, knowing where you came from, feeling like you belong 鈥� those are really critical emotional stabilization and safety factors that support children鈥檚 growth and development.鈥� 

Experiencing brokenness in the home, abuse or neglect are Adverse Childhood Experiences, which refers to traumas or stressors in a person鈥檚 life before their 18th birthday. They include, but are not limited to, parental divorce, abuse, parental incarceration, substance use issues in the home and more. The more such experiences a person has, the more likely they are to have poor health, lower education and economic hardships. Childhood trauma also . 

鈥淓nough stressors on a child at early ages without protective capacities to keep them from having negative outcomes can literally take years off of their lives,鈥� Binkowski said. 鈥淪o, while we don鈥檛 want children to experience abuse and neglect 鈥� we also don鈥檛 want them unnecessarily being removed from their home if the issues are not creating those kinds of negative impacts and we can stabilize a family without requiring removal.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.

State lawmakers across the country filed more bills to restrict or protect libraries and readers in the first half of this year than last year, a new report found.

The split fell largely along geographic lines, according to from EveryLibrary, a group that advocates against book bans and censorship.

Between January and July 2025, lawmakers introduced 133 bills that the organization deemed harmful to libraries, librarians or readers鈥� rights in 33 states 鈥� an increase from 121 bills in all of 2024. Fourteen of those measures had passed as of mid-July.

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At the same time, legislators introduced 76 bills in 32 states to protect library services or affirm the right to read, the report found.

The geographic split among these policies is stark.

In Southern and Plains states, new laws increasingly criminalize certain actions of librarians, restrict access to materials about gender and race, and transfer decision-making power to politically appointed boards or parent-led councils.

Texas alone passed a trio of sweeping laws educators of certain legal protections when providing potentially obscene materials; public funding for instructional materials containing obscene content; and over student reading choices and new library additions.

lowered the bar to prosecute educators for sharing books that might be considered 鈥渉armful to minors.鈥�

A bill likewise would鈥檝e made it easier for parents or the state attorney general to bring civil actions against school employees for distributing material deemed harmful to minors, but it was vetoed by .

In , a new law allows for real-time alerts for parents every time a student checks out a book. requires libraries and schools to install filtering software. New laws in Idaho the requirements to form library districts and stricter internet filtering policies that are tied to state funding.

In contrast, several Northeastern states have passed legislation protections for libraries and librarians and anti-censorship laws.

, , 听补苍诲 have each enacted 鈥渇reedom to read鈥� or other laws that codify protections against ideological censorship in libraries.

Connecticut also took a major step in modernizing libraries in the digital age, the report said, becoming the first state in the nation to pass a regulating how libraries license and manage e-books and digital audiobooks.

Stateline reporter Robbie Sequeira can be reached at rsequeira@stateline.org.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.

Librarians and schools weary from escalating efforts to ban books have new protections under legislation Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law Monday.

The 鈥淔reedom to Read Act鈥� limits book bans in public schools and libraries and shields librarians from lawsuits and criminal charges filed by folks who find library materials obscene or otherwise objectionable.

Murphy signed the bill in the children鈥檚 section of the Princeton Public Library, surrounded by a crowd of smiling librarians, lawmakers, civil liberties advocates, and parents.

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鈥淭his law will strengthen, not diminish, the rights of parents to choose what reading materials their children should or should not have access to by ensuring that every family can make their own determination about what books are appropriate for a child,鈥� Murphy said.

Under the new law, the state鈥檚 education commissioner 鈥� in consultation with the state librarian, the New Jersey School Boards Association, and the New Jersey Association of School Librarians 鈥� will develop policies on how library materials are selected and how challenges to books on library shelves should be evaluated. Local school boards and library boards then must adopt their own policies using this model.

The law also bars school and library boards from removing books because of the 鈥渙rigin, background, or views鈥� of the material or those contributing to its creation, and allows only people with a 鈥渧ested interest鈥� to challenge a book in a school library.

It also gives librarians and library staff immunity from civil and criminal liability for 鈥済ood faith actions.鈥�

It will take effect in one year, giving state education officials and libraries time to devise the required policies.

Republicans and conservative activists have fought the measure, warning it would give children access to obscene materials and protect librarians who share obscene books with children.

But Sen. Andrew Zwicker (D-Middlesex) said the new law, which he introduced, is a 鈥渂old response to this growing wave of censorship.鈥� Many of the  reported during the 2023-24 school year were of books with characters or themes centered on people of color and the LGBTQ community, he added.

鈥淭hat is not a coincidence. These bans are a deliberate effort to erase voices and perspectives that challenge the status quo, often under the guise of protecting children from discomfort,鈥� Zwicker said.

Zwicker said he was inspired to draft the legislation after hearing Martha Hickson, a recently retired librarian, speak.

Hickson, who successfully fought efforts to ban five LGBTQ-themed books at North Hunterdon High School, got hate mail, was shunned by colleagues and antagonized by administrators, and endured calls for her firing and arrest.

She was there Monday to watch Murphy sign the bill into law.

鈥淚鈥檓 certainly not the only victim of these politically motivated attacks,鈥� Hickson said. 鈥淭he students I serve feel the pain, too, when the books that describe their lived experience were called disgusting, obscene, and depraved. Students recognized that those insults were also intended for them.鈥�

She applauded the new law and shook Murphy鈥檚 hand as he gave her the pen he used to sign it.

鈥淣ew Jersey citizens now have protections to read about the topics that interest them in their libraries. When concerns about books arise, parents now have a clear process for raising issues without resorting to bullying. And for librarians across the state, the dignity of our work will now be recognized and preserved,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ll of that is truly cause for celebration.鈥�

The bill signing received boos from three GOP lawmakers 鈥� Sen. Parker Space and Assembly members Dawn Fantasia and Michael Inganamort 鈥� who said the law will eliminate protections that have kept obscene material out of the hands of children.

鈥淥ur school libraries are meant to be a peaceful place for learning, not littered with lewd or inappropriate materials that distract from a child鈥檚 education,鈥� they said in a joint statement. 鈥淓nabling the distribution of obscene material is reprehensible, but absolving accountability for its distribution is heinous and inexcusable.鈥�

The law was a bit pared-down from what its sponsors initially intended. To appease critics, Zwicker and his bill co-sponsors Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) and Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis (D-Somerset) removed language that would have amended the state鈥檚 obscenity statute to add protections for librarians and teachers and state anti-discrimination law to bar employers from considering librarians鈥� actions on book removal requests in hiring decisions.

The bill ultimately passed the Legislature after lengthy committee hearings largely along party lines, with the Senate  by a 24-15 vote and the Assembly voting 52-20 for it in June.

A poll released earlier this year showed most New Jersey residents  about book bans, with more worried about censorship than classroom content.

Amol Sinha, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, said book bans are related to attacks on other freedoms that have sprung up in recent years as politics have become more polarized 鈥� and will worsen under President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 second term.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a subset of the population that wants to control what children have access to, regardless of whether or not they parent those children. Whether we鈥檙e talking about book bans or sex ed or abortion rights or critical race theory or DEI initiatives, those are all part of the same ecosystem,鈥� Sinha said.

The new law protects the freedom of intellectual choice, he added.

鈥淣o one parent or no one community member gets to decide what books are appropriate for everybody in that community,鈥� he said.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Jersey Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Terrence T. McDonald for questions: info@newjerseymonitor.com.

Local libraries are currently facing almost a dozen different book challenges, with critics of stories like 鈥淏ye-Bye Binary鈥� and 鈥淭he Blackbird Girls鈥� calling for their removal from shelves.

But these books and other challenged stories are still available on the shelves in Anne Arundel County, thanks in part to protections county officials recently put in place.

The Anne Arundel County Public Library this month became the first library system in Maryland to be designated a 鈥渂ook sanctuary,鈥� dedicated to collecting and protecting endangered books, and holding book talks and other events designed to make them broadly accessible.

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鈥淲e want to preserve everyone鈥檚 ability to read the things they want,鈥� said Rachel Myers, the branch manager of Discoveries: The Library at the Mall, one of the county system鈥檚 libraries.

Declaring the library a book sanctuary, Myers said, shows that, 鈥淲e are steadfast in our dedication to being a place that is protective of books and of people鈥檚 freedom to read.鈥�

After beginning in 2022 in Chicago, sanctuary libraries have since spread to 12 other library systems in North America.

In Anne Arundel County, the library鈥檚 board of trustees鈥� decision follows passage of the Freedom to Read act in the last legislative session. took effect on its signing in April.

The new law says that any library receiving funding from the state has to follow certain standards and can鈥檛, among other things, remove material due to partisan, doctrinal, ideological or religious disapproval.

Over the past five years, Maryland public libraries have seen a dramatic increase in staff threats and bomb threats related to book bannings, according to the . More than half of them have also faced book challenges, officials said.

These attempts have been happening 鈥渘ot just in our state, but in our county of Anne Arundel,鈥� said Del. Dana Jones (D-Anne Arundel), the lead sponsor on the Freedom to Read Act. She spoke at a news conference held last week during the national observance of Banned Books Week.

During the event, County Executive Steuart Pittman the entirety of Anne Arundel county to be a book sanctuary.

Once the announcement concluded, Myers rang a big silver bell to announce that it was time for 鈥淏anned Book Storytime,鈥� featuring a book called 鈥淕randad鈥檚 Camper,鈥� by Harry Woodgate.

Woodgate鈥檚 illustrated story 鈥� about a little girl traveling with her granddad after his male partner鈥檚 death 鈥� has been challenged nationwide. But now it finds refuge in Anne Arundel County, and that means something to librarians.

鈥淭o have that backup as a professional, you can鈥檛 understate how much that means,鈥� Myers said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just us out here alone trying to do it. It鈥檚 backed by so many people.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@marylandmatters.org. Follow Maryland Matters on and .

A cohort of book publishers and award-winning authors have filed a legal challenge to the 2023 Florida law that enables challenges to books in school libraries.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Orlando, alleges that the process of removing books from school libraries spelled out in  is overbroad and has caused a chilling effect.

The action names members of the Florida Board of Education and Orange and Volusia County school board members as defendants.

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HB 1069 has enabled parents to seek removal of materials from schools if school boards deem them to be pornographic or contain sexual content, in line with Gov. Ron DeSantis鈥� 鈥減arental rights鈥� agenda.

The publishers and authors are asking the court to deem the state鈥檚 interpretation of 鈥減ornographic鈥� and content that 鈥渄escribes sexual conduct鈥� unconstitutional.

鈥淭he State has mandated that school districts impose a regime of strict censorship in school libraries,鈥� the plaintiffs argued in a 93-page complaint. 鈥淗B 1069 requires school districts to remove library books without regard to their literary, artistic, political, scientific, or educational value when taken as a whole.鈥�

The plaintiffs are Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishing Group, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, and the Authors Guild, plus authors Julia Alvarez, John Green, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jodi Picoult, and Angie Thomas.

Two parents joined the suit, one from Orange and the other from Volusia, arguing for their children to be able to check out books that have been removed by challenges permitted by the law.

They argue the law does not specify a level or amount of detail to determine if a book 鈥渄escribes sexual conduct.鈥�

Overbroad

The law has created a chilling effect, the plaintiffs argue.

鈥淭he term 鈥榙escribes sexual conduct鈥� is so broad that it would require removal of the Oxford English Dictionary 鈥� which defines 鈥榮ex鈥� as 鈥榩hysical activity between two people in which the touch each other鈥檚 sexual organs, and which may include sexual intercourse鈥� 鈥� from school libraries. The Oxford English Dictionary, however, is not obscene,鈥� the lawsuit reads.

鈥淭his vagueness and ambiguity result in overbroad interpretations of [the law鈥檚] prohibition on content that describes sexual conduct and chill protected speech.鈥�

In an email response to the Phoenix, Department of Education communications director Sydney Booker said the lawsuit is a 鈥渟tunt.鈥�

鈥淭here are no banned books in Florida. Sexually explicit material and instruction are not suitable for schools,鈥� she said.

The publishers call for the state government to keep hands off, even in school libraries.

鈥淎uthors have the right to communicate their ideas to students without undue interference from the government,鈥� the plaintiffs wrote. 鈥淪tudents have a corresponding right to receive those ideas. Publishers and educators connect authors to students. If the State of Florida dislikes an author鈥檚 idea, it can offer a competing message. It cannot suppress the disfavored message.鈥�

鈥楴ot remotely obscene鈥�

The plaintiffs argue that they do not wish to prevent schools from ensuring school libraries do not have obscene materials. Instead, their problem is with removing books deemed to be 鈥減ornographic that are not remotely obscene resulting from the Florida State Board of Education鈥檚 unconstitutional construction of the term 鈥榩ornographic.’鈥�

The plaintiffs list several books they believe should not have been deemed inappropriate by school boards, including Alvarez鈥檚 鈥淗ow the Garc铆a Girls Lost Their Accents,鈥� Green鈥檚 鈥淟ooking for Alaska,鈥� Anderson鈥檚 鈥淪peak,鈥� Picoult鈥檚 鈥淣ineteen Minutes鈥� and 鈥淐hange of Heart,鈥� and Thomas鈥檚 鈥淐oncrete Rose鈥� and 鈥淭he Hate U Give.鈥�

鈥淎s publishers dedicated to protecting freedom of expression and the right to read, the rise in book bans across the country continues to demand our collective action,鈥� the publishers said in a .

鈥淔ighting unconstitutional legislation in Florida and across the country is an urgent priority. We are unwavering in our support for educators, librarians, students, authors, readers 鈥� everyone deserves access to books and stories that show different perspectives and viewpoints.鈥�

The publishers have also taken over a similar law and challenged the constitutionality book removals in .

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on and .

McALLEN 鈥� On May 17, with just one week to go until the end of the school year, the superintendent of the South Texas Mission school district received an email with a list of 676 books a group of local pastors believed were 鈥渇ilthy and evil.鈥�

The email came from the personal assistant of Pastor Luis Cabrera, who leads a church in Harlingen, about 30 miles east of the Mission school district.

The email was clear. Cabrera and 鈥渢he community鈥� wanted them removed.

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The email cited state law, , that requires vendors to rate their books and materials for appropriateness, based on the presence of sex depictions or references, before selling them to school libraries.

Despite that law being blocked by a federal appeals court, then-superintendent of the Mission school district, Carol G. Perez, replied within five minutes that the district would check to see if they had the books to remove them.

Later that evening, Deputy Superintendent Sharon A. Roberts asked the district’s director for instructional technology and library services, Marissa I. Saenz, to look into removing them.

Reference:

“Can you prioritize researching these books to ensure we remove them from the school libraries? Can your IT coaches help you track the location of the books to expedite this request?” Roberts wrote in an email.

The emails, which The Texas Tribune obtained through an open records request, offer a window into how close the 14,500-student district was to removing a trove of books over the summer break. It also illustrates the continued pressure 鈥� public and private 鈥� school leaders in every corner of the state face over access to books that discuss race, religion and LGBTQ+ themes.

School district and community libraries have been inundated with requests since 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd鈥檚 death. The public backlash started in the suburbs of Dallas. But communities have wrestled with these questions.

Prior to the May 17 email, Cabrera had made similar requests to other school districts in the Rio Grande Valley. He spoke during public comment at several school board meetings last spring. Cabrera was following, in part, the lead of an organization called Citizens Defending Freedom.

Established in 2021, the nonprofit empowers 鈥渃itizens to defend their freedom and liberty, and place local government back into the hands of the people.鈥� Until recently, most of its work had been in North Texas counties.

Now at the dawn of a new school year, a coalition of Rio Grande Valley faith leaders are denouncing the effort to remove books from South Texas school libraries.

The McAllen Faith Leaders Network, a group of religious leaders in the upper Rio Grande Valley, wrote a to local school districts after hearing about the Mission school district鈥檚 鈥渒nee jerk response鈥� to the Christian conservative group鈥檚 request.

The local faith leaders’ open letter had specifically taken issue with the inclusion of “Anne Frank鈥檚 Diary” on the book list. A spokesperson for Citizens Defending Freedom, Dan Thomas, clarified that that title referred to the graphic novel, an adaptation of “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

This month, seven members of the McAllen Faith Leaders Network signed the letter, which called for a separation between religious organizations and public entities.

“We don鈥檛 believe that a religious organization should exert decision making power over our public schools or any public body,” the religious leaders said.

Rabbi Nathan Farb of Temple Emanuel in McAllen said in an interview with The Texas Tribune that this coalition does not have a political agenda and members of the group often disagree politically and on other topics.

“We thought it was important as faith leaders to speak up and let our educators know that this individual was not speaking on behalf of all faiths, not speaking on behalf of all Christians, was not representing the religious voice of the entire Valley.”

Rev. Joe Tognetti of St. Mark United Methodist Church in McAllen said limits on what is accessible to schoolchildren can be appropriate. However, the process to determine which books are appropriate should be determined among parents, students and teachers 鈥� not a national conservative nonprofit.

Ultimately, the Mission school district did not remove any books, the district told the Tribune late last week.

A few days after the district received the request to remove the books, Saenz, the library director, replied she would review the list against the district鈥檚 collection to ensure any books that did meet the standards set in state law were weeded out.

However, Saenz noted that Cabrera appeared to misunderstand the extent of state law and pointed out that some of the books on the list might not be sexually explicit.

For books that do not meet the criteria in state law, Saenz said board policy states only parents, students 18 years or older, an employee or a resident of the school district can challenge the appropriateness of books.

The school district assured that no books had been reconsidered, restricted, or removed at this time.

“Mission CISD understands the concerns that have been raised regarding this situation,” a district spokesperson said in a statement. “We remain committed to meeting the educational needs of our students within the district.”

Mission was not the only school district to receive requests to remove books last spring. At a May 7 meeting, Cabrera threatened to sue the Brownsville school district if it did not remove certain books.

The district, which serves about 38,000 students, removed five books from its shelves, according to a May 24 email from the district鈥檚 chief operations officer to the superintendent.

Cabrera had just begun his partnership with Citizens Defending Freedom when he began contacting Rio Grande Valley school districts, according to Thomas, the spokesman for the citizens group. The group did not supply the list of books and Thomas said the manner in which Cabrera had approached the school districts was not their usual process.

Cabrera did not respond to a request for comment.

Thomas said they typically take action when people within school districts reach out to them with their concerns.

Thomas also argued that they were not exerting decision-making power on school districts, as the local faith leaders had accused, by trying to remove “vulgar” books.

“Our position is simple,” Thomas said. “We would like school libraries to contain books that have educational value. We do not think it’s appropriate to have vulgar books with no educational value in public school libraries.”

Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

This article originally appeared in 听a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

All but seven of the 56 books the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District removed from school libraries must be reshelved by next week, pending a trial next year, ruled U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason on Tuesday.

The banned books, including well-known titles like Toni Morrison鈥檚 鈥淭he Bluest Eye,鈥� Kurt Vonnegut鈥檚 鈥淪laughterhouse-Five鈥� and Khaled Hosseini鈥檚 鈥淭he Kite Runner,鈥� were removed from schools last year without individual consideration of their content after parents and community members complained of 鈥淟GBTQ themes鈥� or sexually explicit content in district meetings.

Gleason鈥檚 order said the district鈥檚 action violated students鈥� constitutional rights and 鈥渞aises the specter of official suppression of ideas.鈥� That caused irreparable harm, and would continue to do so if they stayed off library shelves until trial, her order found. The order is a preliminary injunction; the books鈥� ultimate fate will be determined in a trial scheduled for April of next year.

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The district released a statement on Thursday that said the order is in line with work the school board has undertaken in the last year, which includes reviewing the books and returning some to library shelves. 鈥淭he Court鈥檚 decision directs the District to report on what it has already done including the reshelving of books as directed by the Board,鈥� the statement said, in part.

Savannah Fletcher, the attorney for the plaintiffs with the Northern Justice Project, said the court鈥檚 ruling shows that the Constitution doesn鈥檛 allow the government to remove books without a compelling reason for an indefinite period of time.

鈥淭he Constitution doesn鈥檛 allow the government to remove ideas simply because some people disagree with them,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a really great reminder during this time of tension around our schools, around students rights and parents rights and the protection of teachers and educators, that there is a baseline we all have to follow, and our Constitution is going to protect that. It really reaffirms the rights of students to access ideas, to access information.鈥�

The case comes against the backdrop of a about which books and what kind of material should be available to students. Fletcher said the Alaska case is unique because the district removed such a large quantity of books without individual review.

鈥淭his has never been written about by a court before. It is kind of a novel spin on it,鈥� Fletcher said, adding that the lack of precedent presented a challenge when briefing the court.

Meanwhile, some books have already been approved to go back to library shelves by the community. After the district removed them, it established a library committee, a majority of whose members were selected by the school board. The committee was tasked with determining whether the books were 鈥渃riminally indecent鈥� and it allowed more than a dozen books to return to schools, according to court filings. Another 14 titles were referred to the district for a final decision; others were not reviewed or found to be out of circulation or missing entirely. The court鈥檚 decision overrides these determinations, unless the school administration or board provides the court with a compelling reason to remove a specific title.

Scott Adams and his wife Dawn were plaintiffs in the case with their middle school-aged daughter, who he said is an avid reader and fan of the Harry Potter series.

He said he joined the lawsuit because the family felt the district鈥檚 action was a violation of the First Amendment and he was 鈥渆cstatic鈥� with Tuesday鈥檚 order.

鈥淚 took an oath when I joined the military over 30 years ago. And the oath 鈥� to support and defend the Constitution 鈥� doesn鈥檛 end when you leave the military,鈥� he said.

He said he wants to see a better process for deciding which books should be in the library, and said teachers and librarians should be trusted with those decisions.

The seven books that will remain off the shelves for indecency in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough school district are 鈥淐all Me by Your Name,鈥� 鈥淰erity,鈥� 鈥淚t Ends with Us,鈥� 鈥淯gly Love,鈥� 鈥淎 Court of Mist and Fury,鈥� 鈥淎 Court of Silver Flames鈥� and 鈥淵ou鈥� Their removal will be reviewed with the others in the trial next year.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alaska Beacon maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Andrew Kitchenman for questions: info@alaskabeacon.com. Follow Alaska Beacon on and .

Republicans in the Alabama House of Representatives have refiled a bill that would attach criminal penalties for having some materials in libraries that are accessible to children.

 sponsored by Rep. Arnold Mooney, R-Indian Springs, would apply certain criminal obscenity laws to public libraries, public school libraries and 鈥渆mployees or agents acting on behalf of the legitimate educational purposes of the K-12 public school libraries or public libraries.鈥�

The bill, which does not apply to institutions of higher education, does not outline the level of felony or misdemeanor that would be applicable. Other penalties under the include mostly fines, with some potential imprisonment.

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Mooney did not return messages seeking comment.

The bill, which has nearly 50 co-sponsors including Republican leadership, would add another definition of 鈥渟exual conduct鈥� to the Alabama code: 鈥淚n K-12 public schools or public libraries where minors are expected and known to be present without parental presence or consent, any sexual or gender-oriented conduct, presentation, or activity that knowingly exposes a minor to a person who is dressed in sexually revealing, exaggerated, or provocative clothing or costumes, who is stripping, or who is engaged in lewd or lascivious dancing.鈥�

Mooney鈥檚 legislation provides 15 business days for staff to move material to an age-restricted section; remove material; cease conduct; or make an official determination that the material or conduct does not violate the law.

If the parent, resident or guardian does not receive not receive notice within 25 days, the copies can be taken to law enforcement.

鈥淧rotecting Alabama鈥檚 children will always be a top priority,鈥� House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, one of the co-sponsors of the legislation, said in a statement.鈥淭he goal of HB 4 is to ensure that our school and public libraries are an educational resource for children that parents can trust. I look forward to continued conversations and moving this legislation through the process.鈥�

The legislation comes amid attacks on public libraries nationwide.found that there were more than 4,000 book bans in the first half of the school year.

Mooney filed a similar bill last year but with fewer co-sponsors. The bill passed the Last year鈥檚 version of the bill did not allow library staff to make a determination that material did not violate obscenity laws.

Craig Scott, the president of the Alabama Library Association and a library director in Gadsden, said in an interview that the bill does not offer a reasonable timeframe for the material to be removed from the library.

鈥淚f a book is objectionable, we will review it as a staff and make a decision if whoever the challenging person or persons are,鈥� he said.  鈥淚f they don鈥檛 like our determination to move it or not move it, okay, then they can appeal that and here in Gadsden, it goes to a committee or and then it would go to our library board. In other libraries, it would go straight to the library board to adjudicate, okay? So, it鈥檚 a process, and it鈥檚 going to take a lot longer than 25 days. I sure wish they would have put 60 in there.鈥�

He also said he takes 鈥済reat offense鈥� to the bill.

鈥淢y long story short, we have been doing the moving of books, or not ordering books, whatever the case might be as part of our jobs that a librarian has been trained for decades upon decades, and now these extremists and our legislators want to legislate our activities,鈥� he said. In other words, they don鈥檛 trust us.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com. Follow Alabama Reflector on and .

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the Texas Education Agency on Wednesday from enforcing a state law requiring booksellers to rate the explicitness and relevance of sexual references in materials they sell to schools.

The appellate court, one of the most conservative in the nation, sided with booksellers who after claiming violated their First Amendment rights. The court affirmed a lower court鈥檚 decision to prevent TEA Commissioner Mike Morath from enforcing the 2023 law.

Wednesday鈥檚 decision was somewhat surprising since the appellate court blocked the lower court鈥檚 ruling in November. Addressing the reversal, Judge Don Willett with the 5th Circuit wrote that a 鈥渄ifferent panel of this court鈥� had granted the state鈥檚 appeal to block that ruling.

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The plaintiffs 鈥� which include bookshops in Houston and Austin, the American Booksellers Association, the Association of American Publishers and the Authors Guild 鈥� argue that it is logistically impossible and cost-prohibitive to comply with the law.

The law requires vendors to rate all their books and materials for appropriateness, based on the presence of sex depictions or references, before selling them to school libraries. The law鈥檚 definitions of sexual conduct lean on state criminal statutes that are somewhat vague and open to interpretation to outline what might be considered 鈥渟exually explicit鈥� or 鈥渟exually relevant鈥� content.

鈥淭he ratings [HB 900] requires are neither factual nor uncontroversial,鈥� the court鈥檚 ruling read.

The law requires booksellers to submit ratings of materials to the TEA for review, which the state can correct and then publicly post online. The appellate court agreed with the vendors鈥� argument that the rating system violates their free speech protections and amounted to compelled speech that forced vendors to support a certain point of view.

The court also agreed that complying with the law would be an undue economic burden on the vendors.

Wednesday鈥檚 decision did not completely block the law. Still in effect is a component of HB 900 that requires the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to create new library collection standards. The new rules must prohibit school libraries from acquiring or keeping sexually explicit materials.

Plaintiffs originally sued Keven Ellis, chair of the Texas Board of Education, and Martha Wong, chair of the Texas State Library, alongside Morath. The 5th Circuit on Wednesday dismissed claims against Ellis and Wong because those officials don鈥檛 have purview over the book ratings that the court found to be unconstitutional.

Supporters of HB 900 have argued the law restores parents’ rights to protect their children from certain themes, rather than exposing them to potentially inappropriate material in publicly funded books. Book bans have gained steam across the state since the Texas law was passed, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica .

Opponents, which include librarians, literacy advocates and other parents, say laws like HB 900 often target books and materials that explore sexuality and race 鈥� topics that, while uncomfortable to some, they say are important for youth who may not typically see their lived experiences reflected in literature.

This article originally appeared in at .

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

To be clear, the music legend, business executive and philanthropist doesn鈥檛 bring 2.4 million children鈥檚 books to the post office every month and drop them in the mailbox herself, but she is far more than just the face of . Every chance she gets, Dolly Parton reads bedtime stories on video and shares her inspiration behind the gift-booking program and The Dollywood Foundation. Best of all, as soon as every ZIP code in a state is covered, she shows up in person to celebrate.

Launched in 1995, the Imagination Library sends free books to 1 in 10 U.S. children under 5 years old. The program operates in all 50 states. Here鈥檚 a look at how Dolly鈥檚 delivering early literacy in three of them.

Arkansas

鈥淭he children don鈥檛 know her as a famous singer,鈥� laughs Charlotte Rainey Parham, executive director of the . 鈥淭o them, Dolly is the book lady.鈥�

To help pay for the books and distribution, the Arkansas Imagination Library receives funds that originated as the largest federal grant ever received by the Arkansas Department of Education. Thanks to this investment, 43% of all the eligible children in Arkansas are enrolled, says Brooke Ivy Bridges, affiliate resource director of the Arkansas Imagination Library.

鈥淎nd we鈥檙e working hard to increase that number,鈥� Bridges says, describing efforts to develop partnerships with birthing hospitals. 鈥淭hat way, before a family even leaves the hospital with its new baby, the newborn is registered. By the time the child starts kindergarten, he or she will have a home library of 60 books.鈥�

Before coming to work at the Arkansas Imaginary Library, Bridges was involved as president of one of the Rotary clubs in Little Rock鈥攁nd as a mom. 鈥淢y daughter loves Dolly,鈥� she says. 鈥淪he has grown up seeing a life-size Dolly Parton cutout here in my home office. She loved her books from the Imagination Library.鈥�

In many rural communities, Bridges notes, public libraries are less accessible, so home libraries become even more important. She adds that, in multigenerational households, grandparents, aunts, or uncles also get involved in reading to children. 鈥淭he ultimate goal is to create a family conversation around the love of reading,鈥� she says.

Colorado

Laura Douglas, 鈥檚 director of operations, says there have been Imagination Library programs in communities throughout Colorado for about 15 years. But it really took off in November 2021 when Governor Jared Polis signed legislation to make it part of the state budget. 鈥淗alf of our book bill is paid by the state of Colorado,鈥� she explains, 鈥渁nd the other half is paid by the local affiliates.鈥�

Douglas, who previously worked for the , travels across the state, meeting with local affiliates and training them how to implement the program. She and her team are working to improve access where early literacy resources can make the most difference, including Spanish-speaking migrant communities.

Douglas notes that these families especially appreciate dual-language books. Partnering with the state鈥檚 is vital to the mission but presents challenges. 鈥淭hose children don’t necessarily have a permanent home location or a permanent address,鈥� she says, 鈥淪o those books are mailed to a local preschool, rec center or other central location.鈥�

Douglas appreciates the cultural diversity of the books in the program and singles out Emily Kate Moon鈥檚 as a personal favorite.

Jack Tate, president and CEO of Imagination Library of Colorado, captures the sentiment of many of the state programs when he emphasizes the importance of partnerships to drive expansion. Rotary Clubs, libraries, early childhood councils and United Ways have been especially enthusiastic. 鈥淥ne of our United Way affiliates told me why they liked the program,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey see it as a tangible way to bring the whole community together, because all the children get books, and that has a really great way of unifying a community.鈥�

California

runs . State Librarian Greg Lucas credits Governor Gavin Newsom and bipartisan support from Senators Shannon Grove and Toni G. Atkins for a $68.2 million one-time funding commitment in October 2022 to promote early literacy through free books.

A self-described 鈥渂roken-down old newspaperman,鈥� Lucas is preparing to fill leadership roles to conduct this massive undertaking. 鈥淲e have 2.4 million kids under five. Los Angeles alone has 500,000,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat’s not what the program looks like in Delaware. California is the most diverse group of people that have ever been brought together as equals in the history of human civilization.鈥� Chaired by Jackie Wong of , the Imagination Library board in California is actively shoring up existing local partnerships.

Lucas says the San Diego Literacy Council is jumping in feet first, prioritizing the ZIP codes with the lowest literacy rate. He also mentions Long Beach, which has the largest population of Cambodian Americans in the country. Other communities speak Mandarin, Vietnamese, Russian and Farsi, among other languages.

Lucas is optimistic that those 2.4 million young children in California will get their books, thanks to the simple power of its model: 鈥淎 package arrives, addressed to you, with a cool book inside that鈥檚 going to make you think and make you eager to get the next one.鈥�

OZARK鈥� The Ozark Dale County Library Board of Trustees Wednesday approved new policies that will require more parental supervision of children in libraries but did not explicitly remove or ban any books.

The approval came in a meeting that was far less tense 鈥� and far less crowded 鈥� than that followed challenges to books with LGBTQ+ content by local officials. The new policies will require more children to be accompanied by adults and limit children鈥檚 access to certain parts of the library.

Members of the board said Wednesday the changes would reaffirm the role of the parent and protect staff from potential legal liability.

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鈥淭he only defense our librarians would have when a child checks out that book a minor checks out a book that may or may not have that kind of material in it is because their parents allowed them to do so,鈥� said Christina Faulkner, the board鈥檚 secretary.

The board Wednesday voted on changes that were discussed at the meeting about the potential accessibility of some books to minors. The initial informal complaint to the library focused on rainbow stickers on books with LGBTQ+ content, but the library Board of Trustees had mainly focused on potentially age-inappropriate sexual content.

The changes include:

• Raising the age of children needing to be accompanied by an adult from 10 to 13.
• Adjusting age ranges for sections of the library and adding age range stickers to books in the young adult section, based on publisher鈥檚 recommendations.
• Signage saying all books may not be in line with parents鈥� wishes and offering assistance from staff for questions and concerns. The sign will also ask parents to monitor their children.

A three-member committee will consider where a book challenged ahead of the August meeting should go.

Public speakers in attendance thanked the Board for the work the library has done over the last several weeks.听

鈥淚 think the parental control, if that鈥檚 the right word, is it, you鈥檝e done a fabulous job,鈥� said Jim Hill, who said at the August meeting that he wanted books monitored.鈥淎nd I want to say thanks. I鈥檓 not trying to isolate any group or, it鈥檚 not about me or another person, it鈥檚 about our children or grandchildren.鈥�

Other speakers also expressed gratitude for the library鈥檚 efforts but said they were concerned that these compromises would lead to more and more concessions.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e going down a rabbit hole,鈥� said Gene Lynn. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e done nothing wrong.鈥�

Libraries across the country and state are facing challenges to books. The Prattville City Council earlier this month narrowly rejected a contract that would have limited the local library鈥檚 autonomy

At the previous meeting, Board Liason Monica Carroll read a sexually explicit passage from 鈥淭he Mirror Season鈥� by Anna-Marie McLemore. The website says the book tells the story of a girl following a sexual assault at a party. The book was one of two formally being asked for reconsideration by County Commissioner Adam Enfinger.

Adam Kamerer, who started a Facebook group that opposed the moving of books, said that he did not think it was appropriate that two board members had shared negative views of the book at the last meeting.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe any member of the audience was aroused or sexually excited when that passage was read,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e were certainly moved to an emotional feeling. We were disturbed, horrified and uncomfortable.鈥�

Michael Cairns, vice-chairman of the board, later said that the board does not have authority to overrule the appointed committee鈥檚 decision about whether the book should be moved up to the adult section.

Later in the meeting, Carroll said that she valued different opinions and said they rely on the process.

鈥淲ithout the process, we don鈥檛 know how you feel,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know about the books because we do not have the staff to read them all.鈥�

The board was not given the names of the people who will review the book but received information on their backgrounds. They are a professor, a teacher and a lawyer.

At the end of the meeting, Cairns criticized those he described as 鈥減rominent鈥� community members for claiming that the board members do not care about children.

鈥淣othing could be further from the truth,鈥� he said.

Also at the meeting, the board discussed the farewell reception for member Imogene Mixson, who served 30 years in two stints.

鈥淲hen I have been asked the question about why I would serve so long, it was an easy question to answer because I always say the same thing, and it鈥檚 a repeated response,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is such a wonderful place that provides resources and services to all the people of Ozark and all the people of Dale County of all ages from children through all the adult ages, including senior adults, with a strong commitment to work with partners and agencies and all of the funding agencies, all the volunteers, the Friends of the Library. Much of my life has been spent in libraries and I鈥檝e loved them those days from childhood until this day.鈥�

The library will be closed Thursday to work on the new system.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com. Follow Alabama Reflector on and .

With schools continuing to find themselves caught in emotional debates over students鈥� access to controversial books, the U.S. Department of Education has hired a new official to oversee its response to content challenges and take action if it finds that removing materials violated students鈥� civil rights.听听

Matt Nosanchuk, a former Obama administration official and nonprofit leader whose work has focused on the Jewish and LGBTQ communities, started his job Monday as a deputy assistant secretary in the Office for Civil Rights. In the coming weeks, he鈥檒l lead training sessions for schools and libraries on the shifting legal landscape related to restricting books available to students. The American Library Association will host the听听Sept. 26.

鈥淎cross the country, communities are seeing a rise in efforts to ban books 鈥� efforts that are often designed to empty libraries and classrooms of literature about LGBTQ people, people of color, people of faith, key historical events and more,鈥� a department official said in an email to reporters Thursday. 鈥淭hese efforts are a threat to student鈥檚 rights and freedoms.鈥�

The move comes as conservative groups continue to push for the removal of books they argue are inappropriate for students and GOP leaders take action against districts with books that include sexual content or discuss historical racism. 

鈥淭he Department of Education has decided to lawlessly leverage its civil rights enforcement power to coerce school districts into keeping pornography in their libraries,鈥� said Max Eden, a research fellow at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute. 

, an advocacy organization, found almost 1,500 instances of book bans affecting 874 unique titles last school year. In many cases, parents complained that the books were too advanced or graphic for younger readers. But civil rights officials say removing a book just because it has LGBTQ characters or discusses racial violence is a form of discrimination.

In a first-of-its-kind resolution in May, the department found that a Georgia district may have created a 鈥渉ostile environment鈥� when it withdrew several books with LGBTQ and Black characters following parent complaints. The agreement required the Forsyth County Schools to notify students of its library book review process and survey middle and high school students about harassment based on race or sex and whether they feel comfortable reporting it. 

Some parent leaders applauded the appointment. 

鈥淟eadership and energy on this has been a long time coming,鈥� said Keri Rodrigues, president of the National Parents Union. She hopes 鈥渢o see real action and resources for children, parents and families who have been caught in the crossfire of this hate-filled political campaign for far too long.鈥�

In Florida, for example, a new states that districts must remove books that contain 鈥渟exual conduct鈥� if the material is determined to be inappropriate. Those who disagree with a district鈥檚 decision to keep a book on the shelves can ask for a review by a special magistrate.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 one more level of control from the state to overturn what they don鈥檛 like,鈥� said Melissa Erickson, executive director of Alliance for Public Schools, a nonprofit. She鈥檚 expressed concerns about the ability of conservative-leaning school boards to dictate what鈥檚 taught in the classroom.

In 2021, some parents in the Williamson County, Tennessee, district sought to remove the children鈥檚 book 鈥淩uby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story,鈥� an autobiography about Bridges鈥檚 experience as the first Black student to desegregate an all-white school in New Orleans. They objected to the word 鈥渋njustice鈥� and a reference to 鈥渁 large crowd of angry white people.鈥�

In Oklahoma, the state that said officials can downgrade a district鈥檚 accreditation if it has books with 鈥渟exualized content鈥� that an average person might find unfit for students. The rule followed state Superintendent Ryan Walters鈥檚 claims that some included books such as 鈥淕ender Queer鈥� and 鈥淔lamer鈥� that feature graphic illustrations of sex. In several cases, the books had already been removed.

Some advocates say they鈥檝e been unfairly criticized for supporting the rights of parents to restrict their children from access to explicit material.

鈥淲hen people ask questions they’re crucified,鈥� Nicki Neily, president and founder of Parents Defending Education, testified Tuesday in a . 鈥淧retending that objections to minors accessing explicit sexual content is a threat to liberty and literature is a straw man and a distraction from real concerns about the quality of children’s education and whether students are safe in school.鈥�

Margaret Crespo, superintendent in residence for ILO Group, an organization that supports women leaders in education, said Nosanchuk鈥檚 hiring is likely to rankle those who think the federal government should stay out of local school board matters.

She resigned in August as superintendent of the Laramie County School District 1, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where board members pushed for a policy in which books with sexually explicit content would be off limits unless to children without parents鈥� prior permission. The school board is .  

But Crespo acknowledged the department鈥檚 assistance could be helpful to districts.

鈥淢any don鈥檛 have policy or state statute to guide the conversation,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd are struggling to meet the needs of all students.鈥�

A federal judge said last week he will stop a new Texas law aimed at keeping sexually explicit materials off of school library shelves on the eve of the law going into effect, according to state attorneys and lawyers for a group who sued over the proposal.

District Judge Alan D. Albright indicated during a hearing that he will grant a temporary injunction sought by a group of book groups and sellers, including two Texas bookstores, who the state over in July, the group鈥檚 lawyers said in a statement. Albright will issue a written order in one to two weeks; in the meantime, the state cannot enforce the law, according to the statement.

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HB 900, which was approved during this year鈥檚 regular legislative session, requires school library vendors to rate all their books and materials for appropriateness before selling them to schools based on the presence of sex depictions or references. It also requires vendors to rank materials previously sold to schools and issue a recall for those that are deemed sexually explicit and are in active use by a school.

The plaintiffs argue that the law violates their constitutional rights by targeting protected speech with its broad and vague language. The lawsuit further alleges HB 900 would force plaintiffs to comply with the government鈥檚 views, even if they do not agree with them, and that the law operates as prior restraint, which is government action that prohibits speech or other expression before the speech happens. The vendors say it is impossible for them to comply with the rating system because of the sheer volume of materials they would need to review.

The law also calls for creating state school library standards that prohibit sexually explicit materials, requiring parental consent for students to check out materials classified by vendors as 鈥渟exually relevant鈥� and giving the Texas Education Agency authority to review a vendor鈥檚 rating. If the TEA disagrees with the vendor鈥檚 rating and gives it a different one, the vendor must use the agency鈥檚 rating. Vendors who do not will be added to a list of vendors that schools cannot buy library materials from.

During the bill鈥檚 legislative hearings, and worries that its language would ensnare books that are not inappropriate and, to the contrary, may be titles important for students whose lived experiences may not be reflected in other literature.

The proposal, from Rep. , R-Frisco, arrived amid an ongoing debate about what materials are appropriate to be stocked in school and public libraries. Patterson and supporters of such regulations say libraries are infested with inappropriate books that must be vetted and removed.

However, skeptics of that panic and literary advocates counter that the books singled out by politicians often explore sexuality and race, topics that have been swept up in culture-war politics but remain important for youth who may not be comfortable talking about such matters with others.

Despite the concerns, HB 900 through the before Gov. signed it in June. It was set to go into effect Friday; however, the law鈥檚 language suggests the new requirements won鈥檛 have to be fulfilled immediately.

Most, if not all, of the state鈥檚 roughly 5.4 million public schoolchildren have already begun the 2023-2024 school year.

The lawsuit鈥檚 plaintiffs include two bookstores, Austin鈥檚 BookPeople and West Houston鈥檚 Blue Willow Bookshop, as well as the American Booksellers Association, the Association of American Publishers, the Authors Guild and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

The Texas Attorney General鈥檚 office said Thursday it would move to reverse the injunction and appeal the judge鈥檚 decision. The office had not received the judge鈥檚 written order or decision by Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson said.

A court representative for Albright did not respond to an inquiry about his comments during Thursday鈥檚 hearing, reported by the plaintiffs鈥� lawyers and on social media by at least .

鈥淲e are grateful for the court鈥檚 swift action in deciding to enjoin this law, in the process preserving the long-established rights of local communities to set their own standards; protecting the constitutionally protected speech of authors, booksellers, publishers and readers; preventing the state government from unlawfully compelling speech on the part of private citizens; and shielding Texas businesses from the imposition of impossibly onerous conditions,鈥� the plaintiffs said in a joint statement after the hearing. 鈥淲e look forward to reading the court鈥檚 full opinion once it is issued.鈥�

This article originally appeared in a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

Philadelphia is known for its prominent universities like the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel, Temple, St. Joseph鈥檚, and others.

Their presence boasts a rich educational and medical landscape. While the abundance of such institutions suggests an ample availability of libraries, this is seldom the case for Philadelphia public school students.

And according to one union leader, the numbers are stark.

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Across Philadelphia鈥檚 217 public schools, there are making the ratio four to 113,000 students, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan told the Capital-Star.

Without staffing 鈥� and resources 鈥� many of the city鈥檚 public school libraries are unable to run at full capacity. While teachers and volunteers are trying to make sure students have access, a number of groups around Philadelphia are also working to make a difference.

鈥淟ibraries are important for the holistic growth of children and teens in literacy, social skills, collaboration, cooperation, creativity, and more,鈥� said Christine Caputo, chief of Youth Services and Programs at the Free Library of Philadelphia.

鈥淟ibrary programs are some of the first places that young children can make their own decisions,鈥� Caputo said. 鈥淭heir families bring them for storytimes and then they can choose what books they want to borrow to read at home. This is a very powerful experience for the growth of children.鈥�

, that reading at grade level by the fourth grade sets up many students for success and encourages healthy behaviors. A student鈥檚 reading comprehension skills impact overall academic success, and ultimately the ability to go on to college.

is an early literacy movement that is supported citywide by more than 150 partner organizations, parents, volunteers, and community members. It provides resources not only to students but parents.

鈥淩ead By 4th is [one of] the many organizations in Philly doing awesome literacy work,鈥�

Gina Pambianchi, who leads the Penn Libraries鈥� work with public school libraries, told the Capital-Star.

鈥淒uring the pandemic, a lot of the focus was kind of switched around, from like classroom collections [to] building students鈥� home collections,鈥� Pambianchi said.

Universities have been stepping up in the last 15 years as funding across Pennsylvania for public school libraries declined. Pennsylvania ranks sixth among states that have lost the most librarians since 2010.

It鈥檚 a loss that usually hits low-income schools hardest because of limited resources and hard budget decisions staff must make, Jordan said.

Temple University has been trying to offer more support for surrounding public school libraries. 鈥淜ids in relatively well-off suburban high schools have access to a whole lot more support, and sort of general resources,鈥� Temple Dean of Libraries Joseph Lucia told the Capital-Star. 鈥淧art of this for us is about trying to do a little bit of equity work, [to] create more access to the things that make a difference when you are curious, or ambitious, intellectually or creatively.鈥�

The university鈥檚 efforts were stymied by the pandemic.

鈥淧art of what we would like to do is bring some of the early grade students into the library for reading story hour type experiences and then allow them to borrow materials, take them away for three weeks, and bring them back. So using our collection to give them greater access to books they may not have in their homes,鈥� Lucia said.

A Sign of the Times

The nonprofit , was founded to provide literacy programs to young public school students and today it circulates 45,151 books per month. According to its website, WePAC 鈥渋s funded entirely by private dollars and provides all of its services at no cost to schools or to the School District of Philadelphia.鈥�

Before the pandemic, WePAC had reopened 19 public school libraries. It鈥檚 now on track to reopen 13 more, according to Pambianchi and administrators at WePAC.

Executive Director Jennifer Leith said the group receives a lot of support from retired teachers and the University of Pennsylvania. Penn Libraries, staff and students have provided technical assistance with cataloging and helped WePAC acquire new books.听

Leith described the experience as 鈥渆ye-opening.鈥�

听鈥淭he district does want teachers to have library collections in their classrooms, but the teachers have to fund that themselves. It鈥檚 been a little eye-opening. I have to say some of the things I didn鈥檛 realize about what was happening behind the walls of the schools. But a lot of expectation is put on the teachers in terms of filling their classroom with resources and tools so that they can in fact teach the kids 鈥� so hopefully that will change,鈥� Leith said.

Like many others in the district, Leith is hoping for more fully operational, equitable public school libraries, especially after this year鈥檚 ruling finding Pennsylvania鈥檚 school funding system unconstitutional and its mandate that policymakers fix the system.

The issue isn鈥檛 limited to just Philadelphia, Leith said.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a sign of the times, not just the district. It begs the question if the school district does, in fact, magically become able to support a certified school librarian in each of its schools, where are those people going to come from,鈥� Leith asked. 鈥淭he larger question is can we leverage some of the people in the greater Philadelphia area who [are] studying library science and bring them into these library spaces? Ironically, Drexel鈥檚 program no longer has a track for certified school librarians because there is no need in Philadelphia, there are no jobs for them.鈥�

Still, with the recent Commonwealth Court ruling and the need for in Philadelphia, it is unclear whether libraries and librarians will be a priority in the next few years. It was not listed in Superintendent for the district.

Said Caputo: 鈥淔or communities, public libraries are about the only space remaining that is free, safe, and a place you can come and stay a while no matter who you are and what your background is.听 Libraries do not require anyone to buy anything or to be anything [other] than who they are.听 Libraries are also very important places for the success of democracy.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John Micek for questions: info@penncapital-star.com. Follow Pennsylvania Capital-Star on and .

A federal judge temporarily blocked portions of the law that would have changed how Arkansas libraries handle controversial material and put the availability of certain books in the hands of elected officials.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks granted two of the five sections of , which would alter libraries鈥� material reconsideration processes and create criminal liability for librarians who distribute content that some consider 鈥渙bscene鈥� or 鈥渉armful to minors.鈥�

Brooks鈥� decision means much of Act 372 will not go into effect in the next few days as originally scheduled.

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The 18 plaintiffs include libraries, bookstores, advocacy groups and individual library patrons. Lead attorney John Adams argued that Act 372 unfairly restricts librarians鈥� speech and is unclear about how librarians can avoid the criminal charges put forth in the law.

Brooks concluded that the challenged portions of the law were too vague and could lead to arbitrary interpretation and 鈥渃ontent-based restrictions鈥� that violate the First Amendment right to freedom of expression, which would cause the plaintiffs 鈥渋rreparable harm.鈥�

The Central Arkansas Library System and its executive director, Nate Coulter, are two of the plaintiffs. Coulter said in a statement Saturday that he was 鈥渆xtremely pleased and gratified鈥� by Brooks鈥� ruling.

鈥淚鈥檓 relieved that for now the dark cloud that was hanging over CALS鈥� librarians has lifted 鈥� they will not be threatened with jail for making books available to our patrons,鈥� Coulter said.

He also said he appreciated Brooks鈥� affirmation that 鈥渢he librarian鈥檚 only enemy is the censor who judges contrary opinions to be dangerous, immoral, or wrong.鈥�

Supporters of Act 372, both in public and in the Arkansas Legislature, have said the policy is necessary to keep 鈥減ornographic鈥� content out of children鈥檚 reach. Opponents of the law have said it will be used to reduce access to content that reflects the general public, such as the LGBTQ+ community.

The Crawford County Library System moved children鈥檚 books with LGBTQ+ topics to a segregated 鈥渟ocial section,鈥� accessible only to adults, at all five branches in December 2022 after county residents objected to their availability at multiple quorum court meetings. County officials have cited the law as a reason to keep the books segregated.

The plaintiffs challenging Act 372 chose to sue Crawford County and Crawford County Judge Chris Keith, in addition to the prosecuting attorneys in each of Arkansas鈥� 28 judicial districts.

In a ruling separate from the one granting the injunction, Brooks denied the Crawford County defendants鈥� request to dismiss the case against them alone.

鈥淯njustified burden鈥�

Defense attorneys for both the state and Crawford County argued Tuesday that the plaintiffs鈥� claims were 鈥渕erely speculative or hypothetical,鈥� but the plaintiffs proved 鈥渢hey will suffer imminent, particularized injuries鈥� under the challenged portions of Act 372, Brooks wrote in his 49-page ruling.

He said he saw merit in the plaintiffs鈥� claim that 鈥渓ibraries and bookstores may eliminate many, if not all, books from their collections that contain any sexual content鈥� in order not to run afoul of the new law.

鈥淚f merely having a book accessible on the shelf where a minor can reach it will potentially subject librarians and booksellers to criminal penalties, such books may simply be removed,鈥� Brooks wrote. 鈥淎s a result, these patrons claim their First Amendment right to access non-obscene (i.e., constitutionally protected) reading material will be dramatically curtailed.鈥�

A 2003 state law banned displays of reading material deemed 鈥渉armful to minors,鈥� a phrase included in Act 372. Then-Gov. Mike Huckabee signed the 2003 law; his daughter, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in March.

The Arkansas Supreme Court in 2004, partially basing the ruling on the fact that the law did not differentiate based on children鈥檚 ages.

Brooks upheld this precedent in his ruling, saying that both the previous law and the current law were too broad, especially since the 2004 ruling 鈥渁lready determined that 鈥榟armful to minors鈥� includes a broad category of protected speech,鈥� he wrote.

鈥淭ake for example, a paperback romance novel, which contains descriptions of sex,鈥� Brooks said. 鈥淚t is unlikely young minors would be interested in reading such a book, but if for some reason it were 鈥榤ade available鈥� to them in bookstores or libraries, booksellers and librarians could possibly face penalties 鈥� depending on how that term was construed.鈥�

Keeping all individuals under 18 away from books that are not appropriate for younger minors 鈥渨ould likely impose an unnecessary and unjustified burden on any older minor鈥檚 ability to access free library books appropriate to his or her age and reading level,鈥� Brooks wrote.

One of the plaintiffs is 17-year-old Hayden Kirby of Little Rock, who stated in court documents that she often goes to the library 鈥渦naccompanied by a parent鈥� and would have trouble finding library materials at her reading level if they were relocated on the basis of being unsuitable for younger minors.

鈥淎辫辫谤辞辫谤颈补迟别苍别蝉蝉鈥�

Act 372 requires a committee of library staff, selected by head librarians and 鈥渞epresentative of diverse viewpoints,鈥� to be the first to review library materials challenged on the basis of 鈥渁ppropriateness.鈥�

If a challenger disagrees with the library committee鈥檚 decision, city or county elected officials will have the final say on where material is placed.

Brooks called this portion of the law 鈥渧ery poorly drafted,鈥� especially since it 鈥減rovides no criteria to guide the governmental body鈥檚 evaluation.鈥�

鈥淧erhaps any vagueness may be chalked up to the General Assembly鈥檚 haste to enact Act 372, but the lack of clarity seems to have been by design,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淎fter all, by keeping the pivotal terms vague, local governing bodies have greater flexibility to assess a given challenge however they please rather than how the Constitution dictates.鈥�

Since the law does not define appropriateness or cite libraries鈥� material selection criteria as a guide, Brooks said it is 鈥渄ifficult, if not impossible, to assess a challenged book鈥檚 鈥榓ppropriateness鈥� without considering its content, message, and/or viewpoint.鈥�

Act 372 prohibits material from being 鈥渨ithdrawn solely for the viewpoints expressed within.鈥� Brooks鈥� ruling repeated his statement from Tuesday that the word 鈥渟olely鈥� implies material could be relocated for several reasons, including its expressed viewpoints.

He also repeated that requiring a diversity of viewpoints on the initial review committee would not matter if the viewpoints within the challenged material would be irrelevant to the committee鈥檚 decision.

Act 372 did not in March until it had been amended to say library materials would be relocated to an area inaccessible to minors, not removed from the premises, if elected officials find them to be 鈥渙bscene.鈥�

However, the law 鈥渃ontemplates challenges to appropriateness writ large, not just with respect to minors,鈥� Brooks wrote.

鈥淭he law, then, must allow for withdrawal,鈥� he said. 鈥淥therwise, where would such a book 鈥� deemed broadly inappropriate for all readers, regardless of age 鈥� be placed?鈥�

Brooks also said the state鈥檚 attorneys did not prove a 鈥渃ompelling state interest鈥� for the challenge procedure outlined in this portion of Act 372.

Crawford County

Adam Webb, the Garland County Library executive director and one of the plaintiffs against Act 372, said in court documents that the library received 鈥渁 blanket request鈥� to remove all books with LGBTQ+ characters. Webb said he declined the request and expected those books to be challenged under Act 372.

In contrast, the creation of 鈥渟ocial sections鈥� at Crawford County鈥檚 libraries was a 鈥渃ompromise鈥� in light of public outcry about LGBTQ+ children鈥檚 books, the library system鈥檚 then-director said.

The 鈥渟ocial sections鈥� are evidence of Crawford County鈥檚 interpretation of the challenge provision of Act 372, Brooks wrote in his ruling.

Attorneys for the Crawford County defendants argued Tuesday that the plaintiffs had no standing to sue them. Brooks disagreed in his denial of the defendants鈥� motion to dismiss them from the case, since the county and its county judge will be responsible for implementing Act 372 if it goes into effect and if appeals reach the county government.

鈥淭heir lead argument is that Plaintiffs have no First Amendment right to receive information in a public library and that Crawford County may legally censor and deprive the public access to material at any time and for any reason,鈥� Brooks wrote. 鈥淭hey cite no authority for this position.鈥�

The county and Keith, along with the county鈥檚 library board and interim library director, are facing a separate lawsuit from three parents who argue that the 鈥渟ocial sections鈥� violate the First Amendment.

The rest of Act 372

Three sections of Act 372 will go into effect this week since they have not been challenged in court.

The law removes schools and public libraries from that previously exempted them from prosecution 鈥渇or disseminating a writing, film, slide, drawing, or other visual reproduction that is claimed to be obscene鈥� under existing obscenity laws.

The state鈥檚 is 鈥渢hat to the average person, applying contemporary community standards, the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeals to prurient interest,鈥� with prurient meaning overtly sexual.

Act 372 did not change the definition of obscenity, but it adds the loaning of library materials to the statute governing the possession and distribution of obscene material. Employees of public or school libraries that 鈥渒nowingly鈥� distribute obscene material or inform others of how to obtain it would risk conviction for a Class D felony, the law states.

The new law also changes the way that school libraries handle challenges to material, similarly to the law鈥檚 blocked section pertaining to public libraries. School librarians would create committees to review challenges, and if the committee does not relocate a book, the challenger could appeal the decision to the school board.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com. Follow Arkansas Advocate on and .

A coalition of Texas bookstores and national bookseller associations filed suit on Tuesday over , which aims to ban sexually explicit material from school libraries.

in the Legislature and was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year. It is set to go into effect on Sept. 1 and requires book vendors to assign ratings to books based on the presence of depictions or references to sex. In school libraries, books with a 鈥渟exually explicit鈥� rating will be removed from bookshelves. And students who want to check out school library books deemed 鈥渟exually relevant鈥� would have to get parental permission first.

Plaintiffs in the suit include two Texas bookstores, Austin鈥檚 BookPeople and West Houston鈥檚 Blue Willow Bookshop, as well as the American Booksellers Association, the Association of American Publishers, the Authors Guild and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

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They are suing defendants Martha Wong, chair of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission; Keven Ellis, chair of the Texas State Board of Education; and Mike Morath, commissioner of the Texas Education Agency.

According to the , the plaintiffs argue that HB 900 violates the First and 14th amendments by regulating speech with 鈥渧ague and overbroad鈥� terms and targeting protected speech.

They go on to argue that HB 900 forces the plaintiffs to comply with the government鈥檚 views, even if they do not agree, and that the law operates as prior restraint 鈥� which is government action that prohibits speech or other expression before the speech happens.

鈥淭he book ban establishes an unconstitutional regime of compelled speech, retaliation, and licensing that violates clear First Amendment precedent and this country鈥檚 history of fostering a robust marketplace of ideas,鈥� the complaint says.

The CEOs of both bookstores say it is not possible for them to comply with the rating system required of book vendors in HB 900. The sheer volume of titles they would need to rate is too much, Charley Rejsek, CEO of BookPeople, said in a statement.

In a joint statement by the three bookseller associations, they said they are not questioning that content for students should be age-appropriate, but rather that they believe HB 900 does not accomplish such a goal.

鈥淚t robs parents, schools and teachers from across the state of Texas of the right to make decisions for their respective communities and classrooms, instead handing that role to a state entity and private businesses,鈥� the statement says.

The complaint emphasizes how the plaintiffs believe HB 900 will 鈥渟hatter鈥� small bookstores in Texas, placing 鈥渁dditional economic pressure鈥� on them.

Supporters of HB 900, like Cindi Castilla, president of conservative think tank Texas Eagle Forum, characterized the proposal as a child protection bill. In a Senate education committee hearing in May, Castilla said explicit materials in books are educationally unsuitable for students and that taxpayers should not fund such books.

鈥淥ur schools must not sexualize our students or provide them pornographic reading material or introduce them to inappropriate materials that distract from the educational goals we鈥檝e set as a state,鈥� she said.

Lawmakers like state Sen. , R-McKinney agreed, arguing that HB 900 is a 鈥渢ool鈥� to be used by communities to address 鈥渉armful sexually explicit material.鈥�

Opponents ofhave been worried that by targeting so-called 鈥渟exually explicit material鈥� lawmakers will be specifically targeting books that explore LGBTQ+ themes, including books such as 鈥溾�� and 鈥溾�� Bill author Rep. , R-Frisco, also condemned the book 鈥� a graphic novel that traces the author鈥檚 experiences with gender growing up.

Many librarians and booksellers, including representatives from the Texas Library Association and individual libraries across the state, testified to the House and Senate in May that the bill will slow down book sales and acquisition of books by school libraries.

鈥淪uch oversight has not been needed in the past and is not needed now,鈥� said Mark Smith, the former director of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. 鈥淭he bill will interfere with student learning and achievement by blocking access to materials that have been restricted.鈥�

This article originally appeared in , a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

Librarians across Arkansas are preparing in different ways for a new state law that is set to take effect next week and changes how libraries handle controversial material.

Some library systems have altered their existing material reconsideration forms in hopes of handling future book challenges smoothly and in compliance with the law.

Others have come to what they believe are reasonable conclusions about which local authorities will choose whether children can access certain books.

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鈥淥ne size does not fit all with public libraries, and that was not given consideration when this bill was put together,鈥� said Judy Calhoun, regional director of the Southeast Arkansas Regional Library system, which covers Bradley, Chicot, Desha, Drew and Lincoln counties.

While library systems take steps to carry out the law, many librarians will be watching the outcome of a federal court hearing on Tuesday over a lawsuit that asks a judge to prevent from taking effect.

The law requires a committee of library staff selected by head librarians to review a challenged book or other material on the basis of their 鈥渁ppropriateness鈥� for children and to vote publicly on whether to keep the material where it is currently shelved or relocate it to an area of the library that minors cannot access.

If a challenger disagrees with the library committee鈥檚 decision, city or county elected officials will have the final say on where material is placed.

All public library systems in Arkansas have existing material reconsideration policies and procedures that need to be altered to comply with Act 372. The existing policies have rarely been used throughout the state, and people who challenge books often want them to be removed rather than relocated.

Librarians statewide have expressed concerns that Act 372 will be used to discriminate against specific groups, such as LGBTQ+ people, but they have also said parts of the law are unclear and left to interpretation.

During the legislative session earlier this year, the sponsors of Act 372 repeatedly claimed that the policy would be straightforward.

Calhoun and several other library directors, including Nate Coulter of the Central Arkansas Library System, spoke against the bill before legislative committees.

Coulter and CALS are now two of 18 plaintiffs in . The lawsuit not only alleges viewpoint discrimination but also claims the law gives 鈥渦nfettered discretion to quorum courts and city councils to decide whether materials are 鈥榓ppropriate鈥� without any definite procedural safeguards or standards.鈥�

U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks will conduct a hearing in the case Tuesday morning in Fayetteville. Some library systems have board meetings scheduled for later in the week, so their policy changes are not final, and the boards鈥� decisions might hinge on a decision from Brooks, library directors said.

Relocation concerns

Act 372 has brought statewide attention to the debate over whether anyone under 18 should be able to access content pertaining to racism, sexual activity and LGBTQ+ identities. Supporters of the law say this content amounts to 鈥渋ndoctrination鈥� and is fundamentally inappropriate for children. Opponents contend the content reflects the community and that restricting access is censorship.

The legislation did not until it had been amended to say books would be relocated, not removed, if elected officials find them to be 鈥渙bscene.鈥�

Library directors and staff have repeatedly said libraries do not have segregated sections that children cannot access. Coulter said in May, when the CALS board , that relocating books under Act 372 would be 鈥渢otally impractical to enforce,鈥� even in one of the state鈥檚 largest library systems.

Additionally, regional, multi-county library systems allow patrons in one county to check out books in another county, so a quorum court decision to relocate a book in Faulkner County would not keep the book away from minors in Van Buren County, said John McGraw, the executive director of the library system covering those two counties.

鈥淓ven if I had a vault I could stick these things into 鈥� which I don鈥檛, and I don鈥檛 know how I would do that 鈥� there鈥檚 nothing that prevents those materials from going to another county through the courier system,鈥� McGraw said.

The Crawford County Library System moved children鈥檚 books with LGBTQ+ topics to a segregated 鈥渟ocial section鈥� at all five branches in December 2022. The library director at the time said relocating the books was a 鈥渃ompromise鈥� after community members objected to their availability at multiple quorum court meetings.

Crawford County officials have cited Act 372 as a reason to keep the books segregated, so the county and its county judge, Chris Keith, are defendants along with the state in the CALS-led lawsuit against Act 372.

Additionally, three parents in the county in May against Keith, the quorum court, the library board and the interim library director for segregating the books, alleging 鈥渦nlawful censorship鈥� based on an 鈥渆xtreme and malevolent view of the Bible.鈥�

A range of policy changes

Act 372 states that a book challenged under the law 鈥渟hall be reviewed in its entirety and shall not have selected portions taken out of context.鈥�

, the Saline County Library board of trustees updated the system鈥檚 challenge policy to align with this portion of the law by requiring people to 鈥渞ead, view, or listen to the entirety of the work鈥� before filing a reconsideration request.

Meanwhile, Washington County Library System director Glenda Audrain said she and some library staff have preemptively reserved a block of time at the county courthouse once a month to handle book challenges, since they have to be heard in a public meeting.

Earlier this year, Audrain wondered if the library system would have to buy more copies of challenged books for quorum court members to read if an appeal against the book reached the court.

鈥淚t鈥檇 be sad to buy books that are possibly going to be hidden, or that there might not be that much demand for, since we have 15 quorum court members and eight libraries,鈥� she said.

The law does not require libraries to provide elected officials with copies of challenged books, McGraw said, but it also does not require officials to read the books. simply says officials 鈥渟hall review the information submitted to them鈥� by the library committee.

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 even have to look at the cover,鈥� McGraw said.

The Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library plans to incorporate legal precedent into its updated challenge process, since obscenity is a judicial term repeatedly referenced in Act 372 and brought up by those who want certain books to be relocated, McGraw said.

Obscene material is not protected by the First Amendment, according to , a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that created the three-step 鈥淢iller test鈥� for obscenity.

An item must meet all three criteria to be considered legally obscene:

If the entire work 鈥渁ppeals to the prurient interest鈥� based on 鈥渃ontemporary community standards,鈥� as judged by the average person;If it depicts or describes sexual behavior 鈥渋n a patently offensive way鈥�;If the entire work 鈥渓acks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.鈥�

McGraw provided the Arkansas Advocate with a draft reconsideration policy that specifically includes these criteria and also requires challengers to read the entire work. The Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library board is expected to vote on the policy this week.

鈥淒uring this whole conversation, there鈥檚 been this blurring of the lines over what counts as obscenity鈥� but there are no obscene books in the library,鈥� McGraw said.

Workload and jurisdiction concerns

Library board members have historically been in charge of handling book challenges, but Act 372 requires library staff to handle them.

This could put an unprecedented amount of work on librarians since they still have to do their regular jobs, the five members of Faulkner County鈥檚 library board agreed at their April meeting. Van Buren County has its own library board, and each board sends representatives to a regional board overseeing the system.

McGraw said he and board members are bracing for an influx of book challenges if Act 372 goes into effect. The Faulkner County board agreed in May to remove the first five books in the queue of challenges from library circulation until the reconsideration process is complete.

Act 372 states that the elected officials of whichever entity provides the most funding to the library system are in charge of hearing appealed challenges.

However, the five counties in the Southeast Arkansas Regional Library system provide roughly equal funding across the board, Calhoun said.

She said she interprets Act 372 to mean a county quorum court鈥檚 decision to relocate a book only applies to the libraries in that county and that the same book does not need to be relocated in another county unless the quorum court says so.

Mike Rogers, director of the Northeast Arkansas Regional Library in Clay, Randolph and Greene counties, said he interprets the law the same way.

The funding clause of Act 372 will require the Jonesboro city council to hear appeals in the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library system, which is funded by tax millage from both the city and the county, library director Vanessa Adams said.

Craighead County and Jonesboro voters in 2022 after protests over an LGBTQ+ book display and a transgender author鈥檚 visit to the library within the previous couple of years.

Adams has expressed frustration with both the funding cuts and the new law, the latter of which takes the placement of books 鈥渙ut of the library鈥檚 hands and puts the decision into the hands of elected officials, ignoring our expertise as trained experts,鈥� she said in an email last week.

CALS covers Pulaski and Perry counties and is funded by tax millage in both counties, as well as the cities of Little Rock and Maumelle.

Taxes from Little Rock provide the majority of CALS鈥� funding, Coulter said, so the Little Rock Board of Directors would handle appealed challenges from all 14 library branches: nine in the city, four elsewhere in Pulaski County and one in Perry County.

This is an unusual amount of authority for a governmental body whose decisions usually apply only to the city of Little Rock, Coulter said.

鈥淥bviously nobody envisioned, when [local governments] agreed to the ordinance to be part of the system, that the Legislature would come along years and years later and that one particular governmental entity would have some jurisdiction over the entire system,鈥� he said.

He added that Act 372 was born from some groups鈥� dissatisfaction that the existing challenge process, which he said is 鈥渧ery thoughtfully and professionally done,鈥� has rarely led to books being relocated or removed from libraries.

鈥淭he idea that this law creates something that libraries weren鈥檛 doing before is wrong and inaccurate,鈥� Coulter said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 actually [about] people not being happy with the outcomes of those processes and wanting a different arbiter of the outcome.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com. Follow Arkansas Advocate on and .

When read 鈥淢agnus Chase鈥� while in the seventh grade, they immediately identified with one of the main characters: Alex Fierro. It wasn鈥檛 just because of their shared first name, but because of their shared experience as gender fluid teenagers.

鈥淚t was the first time I had read a book where I saw something that I kind of felt similar to, related to,鈥� Reyes said. 鈥淚t’s stuck with me for so long. They have so much more going on, and the sexuality is just a part of it. 鈥� It鈥檚 not all that I am, but it’s a part of me.鈥�

Rick Riordan鈥檚 , like many of the books Reyes reads, is being targeted by Texas legislators and school boards nationwide. A from 2022 found that book bans affected 86 school districts across 26 states, with a combined 2 million students. More than have been banned already; Texas tops the list, with 16 districts having banned more than 700 books.

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The number may soon rise further. The Texas Legislature is currently considering several that may ban books in schools that include content on sexual orientation, gender identity and sexual activity. Among the bills being considered are Senate Bill 13, House Bill 900 and House Bill 1804.

In El Paso, youth, authors, librarians and other community members are pushing back.

Last year, the city, in collaboration with the YWCA Paso del Norte Region, installed a at city library branches. 鈥淏ooks have been challenged and banned throughout history, and we are seeing a reemergence today,鈥� the YWCA announced then. 鈥淪ilencing and limiting of stories, histories, and points of view of anyone are direct attacks on the people who write and are represented in those books.鈥�

The effort by El Paso Public Library sought to spotlight the stories of historically marginalized people and communities of Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, Asian and LGBTQ+ that are often left out of history books and school curriculums.

El Paso city Rep. Alexsandra Annello was elemental in championing the effort to bring access to banned books to area residents.

鈥淎 lot of teachers in the area were expressing their concern,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e really wanted to do it in solidarity with our school board partners 鈥� and say that the state can鈥檛 come in and tell us what not to have in our library. They鈥檙e being banned because they鈥檙e culturally informative.鈥�

A city of El Paso , created and passed unanimously by council in February 2022, declares that every public library in the city would have a banned books section, highlight the books year-round and form a partnership to accept the books from the YWCA.

The partnership between the two entities, Annello said, served as a message to the public that it wasn鈥檛 just a city initiative but a collaboration with community partners that is continuing and can be expanded.

鈥淚 was even expecting some of my fellow council members to fight against us, but we had overwhelming support,鈥� she said, adding that the YWCA鈥檚 own inclusion and diversity committee donated the books. 鈥淭he day after we passed this, people were showing up to the library (asking) to rent books.鈥�

Having representation in literature

As Reyes continued their schooling, they found solace in stories they identified with. When a teacher shared the book by El Paso author Benjamin Alire S谩enz, it helped Reyes see that others in their community had some of the same questions.

鈥淪eeing 鈥楢ristotle and Dante,鈥� something that takes place in my own hometown, written by someone from my hometown, someone who was a teacher at UTEP at one point, it made me realize that there are other people out there like me,鈥� Reyes said. 鈥淚’m not alone and no one is alone.鈥�

Having literature that reflected their own feelings helped Reyes finally feel like themselves 鈥� and discover what it meant to be gender fluid, allowing Reyes to come out to their family.

鈥淚 was so scared to say anything or even think about what I might be when I was little,鈥� Reyes said. 鈥淚 was so scared that everyone in my family was going to hate me because we were Christian.鈥� But the books they had been reading, in which queer characters鈥� families and friends were not only religious, but supportive, offered Reyes hope.

鈥淚 was able to tell my mother (I was) gender-fluid. Having something concrete that I was able to say back to myself in the mirror gave me so much courage to be able to say it to her.鈥�

School libraries

Armando Loera has been an educator for more than 30 years. Seventeen of those years have been as a librarian. Currently, he is the librarian coordinator for one of the school districts in El Paso County.

鈥淎s librarians and as educators, we are about having the freedom to teach real history,鈥� said Loera, who spoke to El Paso Matters not as the representative of the district but as an expert on Texas school libraries. 鈥淭he freedom to read what’s out there. We really are defenders of something we call the freedom to read.鈥�

Due to proximity alone, school libraries offer daily access for school children to access literary materials without driving to a public library. If any of the current Texas legislation passes, new restrictions would be added on librarians鈥� ability to choose books, meaning students would have fewer books to check out.

鈥淪ince the beginning of time 鈥� people have had problems with knowledge, because knowledge really, truly is power,鈥� Loera said. 鈥淭he people that know are the ones that are in power, and they don’t want to share that power.鈥�

When selecting which books will be at school libraries, librarians read reviews, look at education curriculums, and learn what books the students want, all while following guidelines set by the .

鈥淭here are some parameters, but at the end of the day, they’re a little bit broad,鈥� Loera said. 鈥淲e don’t have the opportunity to read every single book that we have. We also read books, especially if they’re controversial, and then we make that decision.鈥�

If House Bill 1804 were to pass, Loera believes the bill’s ambiguity could cause many books to be banned without being vetted adequately by librarians.

鈥淯nfortunately, a lot (of the books) have to do with race (and sexuality),鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey want to quiet, silence people of color鈥檚 experiences. They definitely want to do away with books that have to do with the LGBTQ experience.鈥�

Close to half of the books that Texas wants to ban have to do with the LGBTQ experience, he says.

鈥淥ur communities are made up of a group of diverse people,鈥� Loera said. 鈥淏ooks and libraries should be safe places for people to get books that they identify with and get information on things that they鈥檙e confused or curious about. By getting rid of those books, they’re not going to have that opportunity.鈥�

The current attacks on books, Loera said, are highly political and a way to silence historical mistakes by those in power. He celebrates the decision by local libraries to make those books available.

鈥淢any people feel that the more books are banned, the more attention you bring to those books, and those books get to be read even more,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he more displays we have like that, the more people will be aware and read those books.鈥�

Loera believes the only people who should have a say in what children read are their parents, and not whatever political rhetoric is being used by those seeking votes.

鈥淭he problem comes when the legislature or political parties are wanting to make that decision for everyone,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s a parent, you’re welcome to go ahead and decide what your children can read, but it shouldn’t be extended to what others at the school should read.鈥�

Fighting for books at school

Reyes and their classmates faced an attack on their freedom when a parent pushed to have the book, 鈥淕ender Queer: A Memoir,鈥� removed from the Canutillo High School library. Reyes fought to have the school board reinstate the .

鈥�(The librarian) told me that the parent had called and threatened to burn the book inside the library,鈥� said Reyes, who founded the Gender and Sexualities Alliance at their school. 鈥�(The parent) skipped going to the principal and just went straight to the school board. I went, and I gathered a whole bunch of people’s testimonies. Once I started advocating for this book and talking to the board 鈥� I got a lot of threats from parents and students in my school.鈥�

Reyes took on the blowback, the insults and threats to be a voice for their community 鈥� seeking to emulate the efforts of their hero , an LGBTQ+ organizer and educator who was recently arrested at the Texas Capitol during a peaceful .

鈥淚 saw that (Adri Perez) were being called names and all these things, and I have been seeing this for years, but there are so many people still supporting them,鈥� Reyes said. 鈥淣o matter what happened, they still were a voice. But they still do it because if they don’t do it, no one else is going to do it.鈥�

And so Reyes took on the battle.

鈥淭here are so many people out there who don’t have the voice that I have or are not in a safe place where they can talk about certain things,鈥� they said. 鈥淚 was in a position where I could do it.鈥�

Rather than trying to indoctrinate or corrupt children, Reyes argues, these books are personal stories which authors share to connect with readers of different backgrounds.

鈥淚t is someone putting themselves out there, which lets other people know that they aren’t alone,鈥� they said. 鈥淭hese authors and these people reading the books, we’re all one big community. No matter who comes out and says what about us, we know who we are, and we know what we’re trying to do, and we have to just keep fighting for what we’re trying to do.鈥�

Possible sanctions for the city

The consequences for rebelling against the status quo can come in the form of state budget cuts for public libraries.

鈥淭he state of Texas can鈥檛 come into our facilities and tell us what we can and cannot have,鈥� Annello said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e saying they鈥檙e going to cut funding if we have these books. We鈥檝e stood strong, and if it鈥檚 about finding other funding to keep our libraries going instead of silencing our community and silencing the stories, that鈥檚 something that we will do.鈥�

The stories of minorities in the city are essential, according to Annello, who said El Paso will fight for racial and LGBTQ+ tales to continue to be available for those that want representation in the shelves of their libraries and the halls of powers.

鈥�(Those stories) shaped this country and will continue to shape this country and are extremely important stories not only for the people of El Paso but across the country,鈥� she said. Bills like these, Annello said, are used to silence these stories and voices.

鈥淚t is important for communities like El Paso and across Texas to stand up against them.鈥�

This story was co-published with as part of our joint .

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Republican lawmakers are proposing to remove certain books from schools and prosecute school staff who allow students to access materials deemed inappropriate. A co-sponsorship memo entitled 鈥淧rotect Childhood Innocence鈥� authored by Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha) and Sen. Andre Jacque (R-DePere) began circulating Tuesday. One proposed bill removes protections of schools and their staff against prosecution for 鈥渙bscene materials violation.鈥� The other bill prohibits a school district from using school library aid funds to purchase 鈥渁ny item that would be considered obscene material.鈥�

on emails sent by former Rep. Jesse James (R-Altoona) showing that James had been provided a list of potentially 鈥渋nappropriate鈥� books by parents in his district. The books on the list dealt with LGBTQ topics and characters, issues of gender identity and sexuality and the burden of overcoming racial stereotypes and inequality.

James approached school districts in his Assembly district to determine whether they had copies of the books on the list. The emails also discussed plans to open up librarians and teachers to prosecution for providing such materials. Allen, Jacque, and other school districts also discussed nearly identical copies of the list .

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Now, the effort is making its expected debut in the Legislature. 鈥淚magine your middle school student shows you a book that they are reading from school in which characters describe how to perform oral sex,鈥� the memo circulated by Jacque and Allen reads. 鈥淢ost parents would be shocked that a student could find a book with this type of sexually explicit material in their school library. Since the pandemic, parents have paid more attention to what material their students are encountering and demanding that their students not encounter sexually explicit material in school.鈥� The memo references Wisconsin statutory language which 鈥渕akes clear that obscene material is sexual conduct described in an offensive way with no educational value.鈥�

The memo states that the bill related to funding would 鈥渉elp school districts do their jobs to prevent obscene material from showing up in schools and school libraries.鈥� It adds, 鈥渟ome might worry that the removal of exemption will unleash waves of lawsuits against schools but this is untrue due to provisions in current law.鈥� The memo states that two layers of review, a district attorney and the attorney general, help ensure that 鈥渙nly clear violations of the law result in litigation.鈥�

It concludes by further downplaying concerns which may arise from the proposal. 鈥淲ith these protections there should be no reason for a school employee to fall afoul of distributing obscene material, but if they do distribute obscene material, then parents should expect there to be accountability. Surely our school employees who are influencing the future generation of Wisconsin should not be immune to accountability.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Wisconsin Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Ruth Conniff for questions: info@wisconsinexaminer.com. Follow Wisconsin Examiner on and .

Amid the national uproar about whether to allow students access to a wide variety of books, the superintendent of a Virginia school district this week proposed a sweeping solution: Get rid of school libraries altogether.

Mark Taylor, who leads the district in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, suggested at a recent school board meeting that eliminating libraries would be a cost-reduction measure, saving $4.2 million in anticipation of $18 million in budget cuts.

But parents were out in force at the meeting, and many decried the idea of cutting libraries, saying they are essential and eliminating them would be a disservice to children. None of the parents or community members were officially allowed to speak at the public meeting, but some stood in the back of the room holding signs with slogans such as 鈥淲e Deserve Better鈥� and 鈥淔und our Schools!鈥�

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And just hours after the raucous meeting, veteran board member Dawn Shelley accused Taylor of using money-saving as a ruse to get rid of books.

鈥淚 think they think, 鈥榃ell, if we remove the libraries, then we don鈥檛 have to deal with those books,鈥欌�� she said in an interview with Stateline.

Another school board member, Nicole Cole, in a separate interview, agreed that closing libraries 鈥渋s a further attack on our educators, our teachers and it鈥檚 banning books.鈥�

Neither Taylor, nor the chair of the school board, returned calls seeking comment. But Taylor told a local television reporter that libraries are not necessarily vital, since 鈥渨hole libraries are available on an app鈥� on kids鈥� cellphones.

One day after the meeting, Taylor ruled that 14 books that had been challenged by a parent as inappropriate and containing 鈥渟exually explicit鈥� content must be removed from school libraries and declared 鈥渟urplus鈥� property. The 14 include Toni Morrison鈥檚 鈥淏eloved鈥� and 鈥淭he Bluest Eye,鈥� as well as 鈥淲ater for Elephants鈥� by Sara Gruen, a historical novel set in a Great Depression circus, and 鈥淣ineteen Minutes,鈥� by Jody Picoult, which is about a school shooting. Taylor suggested the books be donated to other libraries.

According to the local , all the books had been declared appropriate for high school ages after reviews by committees that included parents. But the parent making the initial complaint, the paper said, had appealed that decision.

Spotsylvania County has been a hotbed of book banning for a couple of years, ever since it passed and then rescinded a plan to remove 鈥渟exually explicit鈥� books from school libraries. One board member apparently suggested burning books as well, according to news reports at the time.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, made parental concern over 鈥渆xplicit鈥� books in public school curricula one of the elements of his winning 2021 campaign.

Anti-Book Movement

From July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, 138 school districts in 32 states banned books, according to PEN America. These districts represent 5,049 schools with a combined enrollment of nearly 4 million students, the literacy group said.

PEN chalked up the effort to censor books as an outgrowth of both the fight against mask mandates in schools and the move against what opponents call the teaching of critical race theory, a graduate-level course of study that considers the role race has played in historical events and the direction of the country. The PEN report identified at least 50 groups involved in book ban movements, most of which formed since 2021.

The number of school libraries and librarians has been dwindling for decades. Between the 1999-2000 and 2015-16 school years, the latest comprehensive figures available, the number of school librarians dropped 19%, according to a School Library Journal  of National Center for Education Statistics data.

On the morning of Aug. 21, 1939, five young Black men entered Alexandria鈥檚 only public library and sat down at tables to read books they had selected from the shelves. The head librarian, following the library鈥檚 鈥渨hites only鈥� policy, called the city manager. He had the five men arrested. They were charged with disorderly conduct, even though they did nothing other than read quietly. The charges were not dismissed until 2019, long after the men had passed away.

The event was, in fact, an organized sit-in, the first of its kind in a public library. It is now the subject of a new book, Public in Name Only, written by former librarian Brenda Mitchell-Powell and published last fall by the University of Massachusetts Press. For decades, the story of these five men 鈥� one as young as 18 鈥� was barely known. Most residents of Virginia, let alone the United States, have never heard of it. Today 鈥� as educational spaces like libraries are under attack, and as questions about race and education access become central to the debate over what kind of country the United States should be 鈥� the story of the Alexandria library sit-in needs to be heard.

Obviously, there are key differences between current injustices and the Jim Crow policies that denied students access to libraries and schools based on their skin color 鈥� policies the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional more than 50 years ago. Today, debates rage about what books can be stocked on library shelves or introduced to students in public school classrooms. This situation feels more subtle, not to mention complicated by issues such as at what age it is appropriate for a child to have access to certain materials.

But the story of these five young men in Alexandria in 1939 is a reminder of the unfairness and infringement of rights that come when one group of people dictates what other people are allowed to see, read, absorb and learn.

With the benefit of Mitchell-Powell鈥檚 scholarship, as well as decades of work by the Alexandria Black History Museum, the Alexandria Library and other researchers, new details about the sit-in are now coming to light. The story starts with a 26-year-old Black lawyer named Samuel Tucker, who grew up in Alexandria in the 1920s and early 1930s. At that time, if Black students in the city wanted to attend high school, they had to cross the state line to attend school in Washington, D.C. Tucker, educated at Howard University, passed the Virginia bar exam without even attending law school and was determined, along with his younger brother, Otto, to get a library card and check out books at the newly opened public library down the street from their house.

The Tuckers organized a peaceful sit-in to show how the whites-only policies of the day were restricting their rights 鈥� an early example of the way young people today are challenging systems that limit how and what they are allowed to learn. On that hot day in August, they executed their plan, resulting in Otto and four other young men being escorted out by two police officers and exposing the ugliness of the library鈥檚 policy. More than half a dozen newspapers covered the event.

The eventual outcome of this sit-in was, as Mitchell-Powell writes, 鈥渁 partial victory and a defeat.鈥� Delaying tactics by judges in the city, along with the distractions of the start of World War II just a few weeks later, ruined any chance of a clear ruling on the constitutional rights of these young men to use the public library. City officials, apparently wishing that the issue would just go away, rushed the construction of what was labeled the 鈥渃olored library.鈥� That library Mitchell-Powell calls 鈥渁 civil rights loss.鈥� It was a one-room building with one-fifth the number of books, very few of which related to the interests and lives of those in the city鈥檚 African American community, and which were in generally rough condition. It was not until 1962, 23 years later, that Alexandria鈥檚 library system was opened to all.

Similar instances of closed doors and exclusion were happening across the South, and less blatant versions dotted the North, according to Not Free, Not for All: Public Libraries in the Age of Jim Crow, a book recently published by University of Arizona professor Cheryl Knott. This denial of educational opportunity affected generations of residents, and as part of a constellation of other discriminatory acts, reduced Black residents鈥� chances for building knowledge and skills for themselves, as well as their children and grandchildren.

Today, some conservative groups are pushing libraries and schools to remove books related to race, gender and sexual orientation. Some libraries fear cuts in funding if they don鈥檛 capitulate. In this, we see the outlines of a contemporary version of denying certain people 鈥� those who look and think differently, those on the margins or those who cannot afford to buy books 鈥� access to knowledge and ideas. Naturally, institutions like libraries also need to respect parents鈥� rights and ensure that young children do not stumble onto inappropriate material designed for teens and adults; libraries and schools, and the professionals within them, know they have a responsibility to set restrictions and guardrails. But when one group following a particular viewpoint is setting the terms for an entire community, dictating who is allowed to read what and which reading materials should be available, we hear echoes from the days of more blatant racial and gender discrimination in the education system.

Today, the battle over who gets to make decisions about access to books and media persists. Just as Samuel Tucker and his friends protested for educational freedom in 1939, today鈥檚 youth are raising their voices for the right to read. Power struggles over how and whether teachers should address topics deemed divisive close off opportunities for learning when, instead, libraries and schools should be opening them up. Without learning lessons from the past, American society risks reverting to the days when whole populations of students and families were shut out. The story of the Alexandria library sit-in could not come at a better time.

What books should Hoosier kids be allowed to read in school? Who decides which texts are 鈥渋nappropriate鈥� for students? And what say should parents have about removing books from library shelves?

Those questions were at the heart of nearly two hours of debate in the Indiana Senate Tuesday as lawmakers weighed .

ultimately advanced 37-12 to the House.

Language in the proposal, authored by Sen. Jim Tomes, R-Wadesville, removes 鈥渆ducational purposes鈥� as a reason that public schools and libraries could claim legal protection for sharing 鈥渉armful material鈥� with underage students. That includes books and other materials deemed to be obscene, pornographic or violent.

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The bill also carves out a new process for parents to request the removal of books they believe are 鈥渋nappropriate鈥� from school libraries.

Tomes said his book is about 鈥減arents, their children, and books 鈥� really, really, really bad books.鈥� The senator said he wants to eradicate 鈥渞aw pornography鈥� from school libraries.

Although he did not give specific examples of such works in front of the chamber, titles on the senator鈥檚 desk included 鈥淭his Book Is Gay,鈥� a book by Juno Dawson, and 鈥�Let鈥檚 Talk About It: The Teen鈥檚 Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human,鈥� a graphic novel by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan.

Democrats and a handful of GOP lawmakers pushed back, arguing that the bill could lead to the removal of anything a parent deems to be unsuitable.

鈥淲hat I鈥檓 concerned about is, will some people think that other things that would not be pornographic or obscene would be inappropriate?鈥� said Republican Sen. Eric Bassler, of Washington.

鈥淚 think that if you look, throughout the history of the world, there have been all sorts of gruesome things we鈥檝e seen, whether it鈥檚 pictures of victims of the Holocaust, or victims of slavery, or maybe the mistreatment of Japanese Americans during World War II,鈥� he continued. 鈥淚鈥檓 just concerned that a parent might think that a picture 鈥� of African Americans hanging from a tree might not be appropriate.鈥�

Which materials are 鈥渋nappropriate?鈥�

Current Indiana law already outlines criteria that has to be met for a book to be considered criminal.

Outlawed materials must, as a whole:

• describe or represent, in any form, nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sado-masochistic abuse
• appeal to the prurient interest in sex of minors
• be patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable matter for or performance before minors
• lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors

Tomes held that his bill will not ban literary classics like 鈥淭he Great Gatsby,鈥� 鈥淐atch 22,鈥� 鈥淭he Grapes of Wrath,鈥� and 鈥�1984.鈥� It also doesn鈥檛 apply to 鈥渃hildren鈥檚 books, or even adult books about cultures or other parts of the world,鈥� he said.

But Sen. Rodney Pol D-Chesterton, said Tomes鈥� bill will empower parents who have 鈥渁 political ax to grind.鈥� His fear is that conservative parents will swamp school boards with complaints about 鈥減rogressive鈥� books or works authored by 鈥渟omebody that supports the opposing party鈥� or a 鈥渃ause that (they) don鈥檛 believe in.鈥�

鈥淣obody in this chamber is probably going to agree as to the specific line for which inappropriate is,鈥� Pol said. 鈥淎nd if none of us can probably agree on that, then there鈥檚 probably going to be a lot of consternation, disagreement throughout each community, through each school board, through each district throughout the entire state.鈥�

Tomes said the parental complaint process outlined in his bill will referee whether parents have a 鈥渓egitimate grievance or not.鈥�

Lawmakers on both sides of the issue agreed they do not want to allow kids to access pornographic or 鈥渙bscene鈥� books. But even if those materials are removed from school libraries, Pol and others questioned what good the legislation would do to stop kids from accessing such content through other means, especially online.

鈥淭elephones or cell phones, computers 鈥� well, that鈥檚 the parents鈥� responsibility. That鈥檚 the FCCs responsibility,鈥� Tomes said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 do anything about it. But we can sure do something about it in schools that we have paid for, with our taxes, that educate our children.鈥�

A 鈥渃hilling effect鈥� on school libraries

Under the proposal, a local prosecutor could decide to charge a K-12 school teacher, librarian or staff member for giving 鈥渉armful鈥� material to minors, meaning the educator could not argue in court that the material has educational value.

They could still argue that the material has literary, artistic, political or scientific value as a whole, however.

If charged, educators could face a Level 6 felony, which carries a maximum penalty of 2.5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Colleges and public libraries could still use the defense against a charge of disseminating harmful material to minors, according to the bill.

鈥淚 hope it does have a chilling effect,鈥� Tomes said, referring to school libraries that carry the materials he鈥檚 seeking to have removed. 鈥淚 hope it鈥檚 enough of a chilling effect that they will come to their senses, and have it upon themselves to see to it that for the kids entrusted in their custody, they will do their best to protect their innocence.鈥�

The measure would also require school libraries to publicly post lists of books in their collection and create a formal grievance process for parents to object to certain materials in circulation.

Those who included some who claimed to be parents of school-aged children, as well as members of conservative groups like Purple for Parents and Moms for Liberty.

They argued that students should not have access to 鈥渞aw鈥� and 鈥渄isgusting鈥� works, pointing to school library books that deal with sex education, drug use, violence, sexual abuse and gender identity.

They maintained, too, that school boards do 鈥渘othing鈥� when parents complain about specific titles.

Still, advocates for schools and libraries say schools already have processes in place for parents to bring local challenges to books they find inappropriate. Tomes鈥� bill requires local review committees to review parent challenges.

They further contend the issue goes beyond claims about pornography in libraries or legal defenses available in state statute.

More broadly, those opposed to the bill said the issue stems from 鈥渇undamental differences鈥� in values and opinions over what material is 鈥渁ppropriate鈥� for Hoosier youth.

They emphasized, too, that such penalties outlined in the bill would have a 鈥渃hilling effect鈥� on schools and lead to the removal 鈥� or 鈥渂anning鈥� 鈥� of books that are perceived as inappropriate or controversial to some parents, but not others.

Tomes has filed similar bills in years past to take away schools鈥� defense to the state鈥檚 鈥渉armful materials鈥� law. A similar proposal failed in the 2022 session after K-12 librarians and educators argued they would be unfairly criminalized.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com. Follow Indiana Capital Chronicle on and .

South by Southwest Edu returns next week to Austin, Texas, running March 6鈥�9. As always, the event offers hundreds of panels, discussions, film screenings and workshops on education policy, politics, innovation, and of course, this being 2023, the rise of artificial intelligence.

One keynote session will feature the renowned architect Frank Gehry chatting with his younger sister, educator Doreen Gehry Nelson, about creativity, critical thinking and collaboration in education. In another, pollster John Della Volpe will share new data from the November 2022 midterm elections and discuss how to engage with rising Gen Z leaders. 

In yet another, filmmakers will screen a new documentary featuring Oakland-based activist Kareem Weaver, who, fed up with bleak reading scores in his home city, filed a petition with the NAACP demanding change in early reading instruction. 

There鈥檚 actually too much to see and hear in the span of just four days, so 蜜桃影视 has streamlined the selection process. We鈥檝e scoured the schedule to highlight a few of the most significant presenters, topics and panels that might be worth your time. 

Here鈥檚 a highly subjective list of 23 sessions you shouldn鈥檛 miss in 2023:

Monday, March 6:

: In this session by two educators and a psychologist who treats addiction, panelists will share the neuroscience behind teen brains鈥� unique susceptibility to tech 鈥� and how adults can help students fight it via a science-based digital media curriculum and resources designed to empower teens to develop healthy relationships with their devices. .

: The LEGO Foundation鈥檚 Bo Stjerne Thomsen joins experts in early childhood education, critical thinking, and game-based learning to discuss how educators can chart student progress in hard-to-measure areas while kids play. This discussion will explore new ways to engage kids in creative play in a way that develops essential skills and new methods for assessing growth. .

: The lab director of Community & Implementation at Stanford d.school joins two leading philanthropic leaders to explore opportunities for change that happen when we treat our schools as 鈥渧ital pieces of community infrastructure.鈥� Panelists will discuss what we unlock when educators draw on what students are capable of across physical space, tech innovation and social connection. .

: The pandemic exposed millions of students to the opportunities and limitations of virtual learning. Three years after the most significant disruption to schooling in recent memory, a panel of educators and advocates ask how virtual learning can reshape how we recruit, train, hire, and deploy teachers and how a virtual education workforce could provide new solutions to ongoing staffing problems. This session is moderated by 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Greg Toppo. .

: The pandemic accelerated a looming teacher shortage, with a twist: Just 20% of teachers are people of color, even as non-white students comprise the majority of U.S students, according to the Education Trust. Yet 40% of public schools do not have a single non-white teacher on record. How can we rethink teacher recruitment and training to ensure that teachers represent the students they serve? This panel explores a national initiative to recruit 1 million teachers of color over the next decade. .

: Polarization in education policy threatens to erode the broad support that schools have long enjoyed. The Aspen Institute and a bipartisan group of state policymakers developed Opportunity to Learn principles to undergird a new, positive bipartisan agenda for improving public education. The panel features Aspen鈥檚 Ross Wiener as well as two state lawmakers (one Democrat and one Republican) to explore how this approach can help rebuild support for public education. .

: Mesa Public Schools, Arizona鈥檚 largest school district, has committed to building team-based staffing models in half of its schools. It now has 30 schools with innovative staffing models, and early results are promising. This panel features a representative of Mesa schools as well as two scholars from Arizona State University, which is partnering with the district on new ways to address teacher shortages and workforce design. .

Tuesday, March 7:

(keynote, livestreamed): In this keynote session, renowned architect Frank Gehry chats with his younger sister, Doreen Gehry Nelson, about their respective careers, sharing their perspectives on the roles that 鈥渃reativity, critical thinking, and collaboration鈥� play in education. Gehry Nelson created a well-known method of design-based learning, a teaching methodology that has been applied in K-12 classrooms worldwide since 1969. .

: In this session, the National Association for Media Literacy Education will discuss implementing 鈥渢rain-the-trainer鈥� models for scaling media literacy education and instruction in schools, districts and communities. This session is led by Donnell Probst, a NAMLE associate director and former college reference librarian. .

: Adequate school funding is a key to educational attainment, but the benefits don鈥檛 stop there. It affects earnings, crime and poverty, research shows. Join a panel of experts from the Learning Policy Institute, the Public Policy Institute of California and the Tennessee Department of Education to hear how funding becomes more equitable to ensure better outcomes, especially as schools tap federal pandemic relief funds. This session is led by The Dallas Morning News鈥� Eva-Marie Ayala. .

: Emerging approaches to demonstrating mastery, as well as advanced computational methods, hold the power to improve assessment while reducing time and administrative costs. Hear leaders across research, government and philanthropy talk about how innovation is creating the assessments of the future. .

: This new documentary film features Oakland-based NAACP activist Kareem Weaver, who was fed up with bleak reading scores in his own community and filed a petition with the NAACP demanding change in early reading instruction. The session also features American Public Media鈥檚 Emily Hanford, whose breakout podcast 鈥淪old a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong鈥� is shining a light on the Science of Reading. .

: For the first time, Arizona State University is offering its courses for credit through YouTube. The partnership, called Study Hall, aims to help potential college-goers navigate higher education by earning credit for their first year of college online. The session features Study Hall鈥檚 Hank Green, a popular YouTuber who has been called “one of America’s most popular science teachers.” His videos have been viewed more than two billion times on YouTube. .

: About 15 million students in the U.S. live with unstable internet access 鈥� or no access at all. A $65 billion broadband-for-all plan is in place, but the effort isn鈥檛 expected to reach the last mile for all students until 2030. In the meantime, what are low-barrier options for students without internet access to access carefully curated resources of digital content on their devices? Hear Endless OS Foundation鈥檚 talk about alternatives. .

Wednesday, March 8:

: John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, has been called one of the world鈥檚 leading authorities on global sentiment, opinion, and influence, especially among youth in the age of digital and social media. In this discussion hosted by the Walton Family Foundation, he鈥檒l share new data from the November 2022 midterm elections and the panel will explore how to engage with rising Gen Z leaders to bring their unique vision for unity and collaboration to fruition. . 

: In this 90-minute interactive workshop led by Stanford d.school educators, participants will engage in the fundamental concepts underpinning Artificial Intelligence through symbolic play and hands-on design work. Participants will learn how AI can be used to address societal challenges, explore classroom applications, identify ethical implications and prototype different outcomes for social justice and the education system. .

: Experts say K-12 schools must increasingly offer education that鈥檚 personalized, skill-based, and interdisciplinary. But traditional school transcripts are ill-suited to capture the richness of these approaches. This panel discussion by representatives of the Mastery Transcript Consortium, the XQ Institute, the Aurora Institute and Big Picture Learning will explore insights and lessons learned from their credential design efforts. .

: Pandemic learning loss has engendered countless tutoring initiatives nationwide. Could tutoring be not just a short-term fix but an enduring feature of the U.S. education system? And what does research show about the benefits of online and hybrid models? This session, featuring former Tennessee Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman and current Tennessee Chief Academic Officer Lisa Coons, will look at new research and on-the-ground implementation of evidence-based tutoring programs that improve outcomes for all students, particularly those historically excluded from such services. .

: As the pandemic recedes across the U.S., K-12 superintendents are retiring in droves. Top executive-search firms say business is brisk, with departures as high as any in recent memory. The American Association of School Administrators last fall found that about one in four superintendents had left their jobs in the past year, a marked increase from previous years. In their wake they leave a shallower recruiting pool. So is it time to rethink the superintendent pipeline? Should districts be more engaged in succession planning and growing future superintendents from within? This panel explores Texas school districts that were intentional about developing leaders and whose boards picked high-performing successors from within, allowing the district to keep raising the bar without losing momentum. .

: Educators should be intentionally designing the learning experience, say two experiential learning experts from the Minerva Project, an innovative college program that has made waves in higher education. This workshop will show how they design integrated online and offline immersive experiences that connect the curriculum to the real world 鈥渦sing awe and wonder as pedagogically useful tools.鈥� .

: As drag queen story hours come under fire from conservatives nationwide, advocates say it鈥檚 more important than ever to understand their aim: Using drag as a traditional art form to promote literacy, teach about LGBTQ lives and activate children’s imaginations. This session, featuring three drag queens, will discuss the importance of LGBTQ family programming. .

Thursday, March 9

: This session features of Sandy Hook Promise, who will discuss the group鈥檚 鈥淜now the Signs鈥� school shooting and violence prevention programs. The session will bring together leaders who are equipping students with social and emotional skills to spot warning signs in their peers and intervene safely.

: In this session, two educators from the Groundswell Project UK will talk about young people and extremism, and how we can best challenge hate narratives in our schools and communities. Groundswell has been working in schools to counter hate narratives from the far-right to Islamism to misogynist extremism and other forms of violence. This session will offer best practices to educate youth on these issues. The session will also include personal testimony and examples of how young people can be misguided into extremist thinking 鈥� and how to help support vulnerable young people. .

Disclosure: The Walton Family Foundation and XQ Institute provide financial support to 蜜桃影视.

Florida鈥檚 top education officials on Wednesday approved new training protocols for school librarians to consider 鈥渂ias,鈥� 鈥渋ndoctrination,鈥� and 鈥減ornography鈥� when vetting books and other materials in schools.

The training, in part, instructs media specialists to 鈥渆rr on the side of caution鈥� when deciding whether a book is appropriate for school libraries.

This point speaks to a larger trend in limiting ideas students are exposed to in Florida public schools.

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However, some conservative activists argued the rules do not go far enough in limiting content available in public school libraries and classrooms.

The state Board of Education approved the rules to implement a law passed during the 2022 legislative session, HB 1467, which critics believed would bring a wave of book bans in Florida classrooms.

One point in particular stirred dissent, even those who supported the new rule overall: language defining materials deemed 鈥渉armful to minors,鈥� including depictions of nudity, sexual conduct, or sexual excitement.

The statute allows consideration for literary merit or other purposes, saying that to be 鈥渉armful to minors鈥� the material must be 鈥渨ithout serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.鈥� Conservative audience members argued that would allow books they find disagreeable or unduly graphic into classrooms.

鈥淭he language 鈥� has been used as a loophole not just here in Florida but all across the United States as a way to give permission for the harmful content to be in,鈥� said Robert Goodman, the executive director of the Polk County Chapter of County Citizens Defending Freedom.

Many of the public commenters on hand Wednesday had connections to the group, a conservative organization that has played a major role in book challenges across the state.

The law requires new online training for 鈥渕edia specialists鈥� who oversee school libraries, which the board approved during a meeting at the Nassau County School Board Office in Northeast Florida.

The training merges new and preexisting state rules involving instructional materials and library books, while offering 鈥渃onsiderations鈥� that media specialists should take into account when selecting books.

In addition to the age, grade level, and maturity of students, considerations should include 鈥渢he accurate portrayal of the state鈥檚 broad racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity, without bias or indoctrination,鈥� according to officials who devised the protocols.

HB 1467, along with other laws like the Parental Rights in Education Act (known to critics as 鈥淒on鈥檛 Say Gay鈥�) and Department of Education rules that ban works like The New York Times鈥� 鈥淭he 1619 Project鈥� have some educators and free speech groups concerned about a

Free-speech advocacy groups like PEN America have been tracking book challenges across the United States, ranking Florida No. 2 with the second highest number of book challenges and bans.

Here is a sampling of some of the most challenged book titles in Florida last school year, according to a Phoenix analysis of PEN America鈥檚 data:

鈥淎ll Boys Aren鈥檛 Blue鈥� by George M. Johnson, a series of essays reflecting the life of the author, who is Black and nonbinary. The book has been challenged in seven Florida school districts.鈥淏eloved鈥� and 鈥淭he Bluest Eye鈥� by Toni Morrison, who died in 2019, have been challenged in seven  Florida counties. Morrison earned the Pulitzer Prize for 鈥淏eloved鈥� in 1988.鈥淣ineteen Minutes鈥� by Jodi Picoult, which centers the events of a school shooting, was challenged or banned in seven counties.鈥淭he Hate U Give鈥� by Angie Thomas, which depicts police violence against Black characters and focuses on race relations, has been challenged or banned in eight school districts.鈥淭hirteen Reasons Why鈥� by Jay Asher, which depicts the story of a high-school student鈥檚 suicide and was adapted into a Netflix TV show, has been banned or challenged in eight school districts.

鈥楲iterary value鈥�

April Morgan, a teacher aid at the private Christian school Calvary Chapel Academy, questioned inclusion of 鈥渓iterary value鈥� as a consideration.

鈥淭he argument for some is that we cannot remove the questionable books because they contain literary value. I鈥檇 like to challenge that valuation of books, because not all literature is beneficial for students. The keyword is 鈥榖eneficial,’鈥� Morgan said.

鈥淓ducational value is not equal to literary value. Literature containing descriptive details of rape, abuse, trauma, et cetera does not bring value to 12- to 18-year-olds,鈥� she continued.

The wave of criticism may have swayed members of the state board, but because the 鈥渓iterary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors鈥� language comes from statute, there was little the board could do.

鈥淪o, if this board agreed with the sentiment from many speakers today that that there is, for lack of a better word, a 鈥榣oophole鈥� or that there could be better language 鈥� we don鈥檛 have the authority to do that,鈥� board Chair Tom Grady said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e telling me that this is straight from the statute, and any changes would have to be addressed by the [Florida] Legislature.鈥�

Board member Grazie Christie asked whether the board could ask the Legislature whether that language could be 鈥渢ightened up鈥� to keep 鈥減ornographic materials out of our children鈥檚 library.鈥�

Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. agreed that the language 鈥渃ertainly can be tweaked by the Legislature.鈥�

With 2023 committee meetings underway leading to the 2023 legislative session starting in March, it鈥檚 possible the issue could be addressed then.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Diane Rado for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on and .

When Andy Johansen first visited Helsinki鈥檚  in early 2020 he was struck with amazement by the elegant three-story mass of wood, steel and glass, and the labyrinth of wonders within it. 

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 so creative and innovative,鈥� says Johansen, a 41-year-old Dane who at the time was working as a social worker in the Finnish capital. 鈥淚鈥檝e never seen anything else quite like it.鈥�

Two steel arches span over 100 meters to create a fully enclosed, column-free public entrance space; the timber facade is clad with 33-millimeter-thick Finnish spruce planks. There are all manner of curious, Alice in Wonderland-esque places to sit 鈥� or indeed, lie down 鈥� while leafing through a book.

Among the vast number of amenities, what caught Johansen鈥檚 attention were the library鈥檚 3D printers, laser cutters and equipment to digitally sculpt wood. But over time, he realized that there was a more radical and increasingly rare service that the library provides: a free and egalitarian public space.

鈥淪tudents can sit and study and just hang out,鈥� he explains. 鈥淥r you can have your kid walking around, playing around. I always spend time there with my daughter. It鈥檚 more of a cultural space. You don鈥檛 need to consume anything.鈥�

Since opening in December 2018, Oodi has begun to write a new chapter in the history of public space. Instead of being merely a repository for books, it is an alternative working and learning space, a cultural and community center, and a platform for democracy and citizen initiatives. Anyone can enter and use the facilities, many of which are free, without needing to provide ID.

鈥淭he challenge has been to update the use and needs of the library, which is stuck to a physical set up,鈥� says Harri Annala, a librarian at Oodi who has been working in Helsinki since 2005. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to live in a romantic past where libraries were seen as churches sacred for knowledge.鈥�

The country鈥檚 flagship library 鈥� which is located opposite the Finnish Parliament in a gesture by the architects to signify that learning is as important as politics 鈥� aims to 鈥渆mbrace technology and progressive values鈥� to provide a variety of innovative services alongside its lending collection of books. In fact, the 17,250-square-meter building contains a relatively small number of books 鈥� around 100,000. Two thirds of its space is dedicated to public amenities including a cinema, recording studios, a maker space, and areas for hosting exhibitions and events. 

As part of the extensive research stage, Oodi鈥檚 designers took a tour of libraries and cultural houses around the world from Korea to Seattle, working particularly closely with the Danish city of Aarhus and its Dokk Library.

Those decades of insights have been condensed into one building, like a lifetime instilled into the words of a novel. Oodi鈥檚 ground floor, which includes a restaurant, movie theater, chess boards and events spaces, is meant to be an extension of the nearby Kansalaistori Square, encouraging social mixing. The second floor, filled with work spaces, game rooms, tools and instruments, is for noisy creative activity. And the open-plan top floor, illuminated by circular rooflights, is a conventional yet beautiful reading room dubbed 鈥渂ook heaven,鈥� joined by a panoramic terrace.

With the explosion of digital technology and cuts to spending on municipal services, many fear the demise of the traditional library. In the US public library use fell by 31 percent over eight years, according to the , and in the UK it is now 70 percent less than it was in 2000. However, Finland鈥檚 large-scale investment in the public library system goes against the pattern of the United States and Britain, and Oodi鈥檚 success is a welcome plot twist.

In 2019, the first full year of operation, Oodi received 3.1 million visits 鈥� far higher than the 2.5 million expected. Events also attracted crowds: 7,000 events drew more than 300,000 participants, including story hours and book readings as well as chair exercise, language cafes and comic book courses. Pandemic closures have led to inevitable declines in use, but a rise is expected next year.

The library鈥檚 success is the result of more than two decades of participatory planning and consultation that put the public at the center of the discussion, creating a library not designed for them, but with them. As far back as 1998, then Culture Minister Claes Andersson proposed a new library, with preliminary studies slowly taking place over the next decade. Construction began in 2015, and was completed by the end of 2018.

The scale of this collective planning process was vast, according to Virve Hyysalo, whose PhD dissertation examined how Oodi was created together with more than 3,000 citizens. The process included crowdsourcing ideas in a project known as 鈥淭he Tree of Dreams for Central Library鈥� (both a digital platform and a real tree touring the city in different urban events), giving citizens the ability to vote and comment on the library鈥檚 architectural design, and participatory budgeting, which allowed citizens to collectively spend 鈧�100,000 of Oodi鈥檚 budget.

鈥淚t was important for us to be able to motivate citizens in a new way,鈥� says Hyysalo. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to offer surveys or other pretty traditional participatory activities, which the public sector and administration usually use in citizen engagement,  but to try out and find more compelling, creative and effective ways to apply co-design.鈥�

For instance, in a city with bitter winters and as little as six hours of sunlight a day, participants emphasized that having non-commercial spaces in the city center, like meeting and study rooms, was key. Not everything, however, could be included. For example, a quiet meditation room was requested by some members of the public, but there simply wasn鈥檛 space.

Johansen, who is now based in Copenhagen, still returns to Helsinki every couple of months, and always visits the library with his daughter. 鈥淥odi is maybe the biggest example of a new kind of library,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 not only what鈥檚 inside, but also the design itself is magnificent.鈥�

Enabling Finland鈥檚 approach is a legal framework known as the , which outlines key objectives such as improving literacy, making information readily available to the public, and promoting equality. This holistic, participatory method has paid off: Public libraries are the most popular cultural institutions in Finland. Some  use the library at least once a month, and 20 percent use it weekly.

However, despite Oodi鈥檚 enviable successes, others in the industry argue that in order to tackle the decline of libraries, rather than offering experimental modern services, authorities should simply invest in books. The significant cost of Oodi is perhaps something that others might not be able to afford: 鈧�98 million (about USD $97 million).

鈥淭he heart of it is understanding what people want from a library: it鈥檚 the books,鈥� says Tim Coates, publisher of the Freckle Report and former head of the British bookshop chain Waterstones. 鈥淏ut the library profession has said books are not important. Collections have become worse and worse and worse.鈥�

According to Coates, a combination of public spending cuts and the emergence of the internet led to libraries whittling away their collections. His research has found that since 2010, the number of available public library books in US libraries has reduced by 140 million. The focus on digitalization and innovation has been behind their downfall, he argues, pointing to the example of the , a 拢188 million (USD $216 million) facility opened nine years ago where book borrowings have halved. 鈥淟ibraries are in a very serious situation. It鈥檚 precarious,鈥� he says.

Yet those working for Oodi believe that by making citizens and residents authors in the libraries, it has provided exactly what users want, accounting for a very broad range of demographics, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, and led to a sense of ownership. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 us professional librarians deciding to create this,鈥� says Annala. 鈥淚t belongs to them. That鈥檚 clear if you look at how popular Oodi is now.鈥�

That adaptability and openness will be key, according to Annala, for any successful modernization of a library 鈥� rather than simply duplicating Oodi. The same goes for Oodi itself, which is constantly a work in progress: The public鈥檚 use of workshops are currently being analyzed and amendments will be made over time.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a constant development,鈥� adds Annala. 鈥淐reating a replica of Oodi elsewhere isn鈥檛 going to work one to one. It will be different everywhere. You must engage the public to see what would be useful. That won鈥檛 stay the same.鈥�