Proposed Book Banning Bill in Missouri Could Imprison Librarians
Source: Pen America
(New York, NY) – A bill proposed in Missouri this month represents a transparent, shameful attempt to legalize book banning in public libraries within the state, PEN America said today.
The bill — the Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act or House Bill 2044 — aims to add several provisions to the state’s funding law for public libraries. These new provisions establish “parental library review boards” that would evaluate whether any library materials constitute “age-inappropriate sexual material.” Members of these five-member boards, who would be elected at a town meeting by a simple majority of voters, are empowered to determine whether material is appropriate, including by evaluating its literary merit. Public librarians are explicitly barred by the statute from serving on such review boards, even if they are from the community.
“This is a shockingly transparent attempt to legalize book banning in the state of Missouri,” said James Tager, deputy director of Free Expression Research and Policy at PEN America. “This act is clearly aimed at empowering small groups of parents to appoint themselves as censors over their state’s public libraries. Books wrestling with sexual themes, books uplifting LGBTQIA+ characters, books addressing issues such as sexual assault—all of these books are potentially on the chopping block if this bill is passed.”
Under the act, the boards would hold public hearings to receive suggestions as to possible inappropriate books, and would have the authority to order the library to remove any such material from access by minors. Any public library who allows minors access to such “age-inappropriate materials” would have their funding stripped, and librarians who refuse to comply with the act can be fined and imprisoned for up to one year. /snip
Read more: https://pen.org/press-release/proposed-book-banning-bill-in-missouri-could-imprison-librarians/
= new reply since forum marked as read
That solution sucks because it would retard young people's use of libraries but it might satisfy evangelicals.....
Meanwhile due to peer pressure, I'll bet most of those parents buy their children smart phones that can access virtually anything their self-righteous do-gooder minds are trying to prohibit from free access in public libraries. (I need a hypocrisy emoji here)
