Public libraries across Idaho have banned children from entering due to a controversial law putting a ‘bounty’ on thousands of books.
Conservative lawmakers pushed through legislation allowing parents to sue libraries over books they deem ‘obscene’ or otherwise inappropriate for children.
Public and school libraries had 60 days to remove the book or move it to an adults-only area closely monitored by staff, or face lawsuits from parents.
However, many libraries were too small to create a special section, or lacked the resources or appetite for risk, and instead banned kids entirely.
A sign in the Idaho Falls Public Library, with a huge stop symbol, informed patrons they would need to show photo ID if they were under 30
Children could only enter if they had an unrestricted library card signifying their parents were happy with them browsing alone, or be accompanied by a parent who ‘must sign an affidavit every time you come to the library’
A sign in the Idaho Falls Public Library, with a huge stop symbol, informed patrons they would need to show photo ID if they were under 30.
Children could only enter if they had an unrestricted library card signifying their parents were happy with them browsing alone, or be accompanied by a parent who ‘must sign an affidavit every time you come to the library’.
The sign sparked outrage online, and many critics contrasted it with abortions being banned under almost all circumstances, including rape and incest.
‘Idaho: where a 13 year old is forced to carry out pregnancy but can’t go to the library,’ one wrote.
The Donnelly Public Library, in a small rural town north of Boise, said it would be adults-only as it was too small to accommodate the law.
Children couldn’t even use the bathroom without being escorted by a parent, or be part of a program where their parents sign a waiver.
”Our size prohibits us from separating our ‘grown up’ books to be out of the accessible range of children,’ it said.
‘Because we don’t have an attorney on retainer, we can’t take those chances. We need to let it be fought out by somebody other than a small and rural library.’
The library acknowledged the policy would have a ‘drastic’ impact on homeschooled children, but said it needed to ‘protect our staff, library, and taxpayer money’.
Conservative lawmakers pushed through legislation allowing parents to sue libraries over books they deem ‘obscene’ or otherwise appropriate for children
Public and school libraries had 60 days to remove the book or move it to an adults-only area closely monitored by staff, or face lawsuits from parents
Representative Megan Egbert said many libraries like Donnelly wouldn’t be able to stay open as they weren’t able to fully monitor an adults-only section.
‘We’re talking about one-room libraries throughout Idaho that might have one paid staff member, or they might be all volunteer. It’s not doable for many of them, she said.
The law allows parents to sue libraries and their staff for $250, plus ‘any other relief available by law’ – making potential damages uncapped.
Governor Brad Little, a Republican, vetoed an earlier version of the law that allowed parents to sue for $2,500 every time their child accessed ‘harmful material’.
He said it ‘would have created a library bounty system so egregious that smaller libraries would have been forced to close their doors to minors altogether’.
‘This legislation makes sweeping, blanket assumptions on materials that could be determined as ‘harmful to minors’ in a local library, and it will force one interpretation of that phrase onto all the patrons of the library.’
But in April he said ‘I signed the stinking bill’, explaining that he didn’t want to keep vetoing it when lawmakers worked to address his biggest concerns.
The law’s opponents held protests outside libraries around Idaho last week when the law came into effect on July 1
A sign at a protest in Idaho on Monday, rallying against the law comin into effect
A crowd rallies in support of libraries in Boise
Critics of the law argued it went against free speech and parental rights, and its definitions were so vague it would even ban an otherwise benign book that had an openly gay character.
Idaho Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow said there was no pornography in libraries, contrary to her colleagues’ claims, and pointed to ‘homosexuality’ being listed as harmful as evidence of the bill’s real agenda.
‘There are people that are trying to ban books with LGBTQ themes, I think that’s what this is about,’ she told the Idaho Senate last year.
There are growing calls for book bans across the US, with books about gender identity, sexual orientation and race topping the list of most criticized titles.
‘When we see attacks on those books, we have to understand that those are attacks on those kinds of people as well,’ Emily Drabinski, who is the president of the American Library Association and is gay, told AP.
‘What could be more harmful to children than that? To stigmatize them and terrorize them in their own schools, in their own libraries,’ Representative Ilana Rubel said at a protest in Boise
‘To have my identity weaponized against libraries and library workers, the people and institutions I care about the most, has made it a difficult and painful year.’
The ALA said it documented the highest-ever number of titles targeted for censorship in 2023 in more than 20 years of tracking – 4,240.
That total surpassed 2022’s previous record by 65 per cent, with Maia Kobabe’s coming-of-age story Gender Queer topping the list for most criticized library book for the third straight year.
The law’s opponents held protests outside libraries around Idaho last week when the law came into effect on July 1.
‘What could be more harmful to children than that? To stigmatize them and terrorize them in their own schools, in their own libraries,’ Representative Ilana Rubel said at one in Boise.
The law came about in part because of a years-long push by right-wing organizations like Parents Against Bad Books that drew up a hit list of 53 books it wanted pulled from library shelves
The list curiously included Fry Bread: a Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard
Wintrow, at the same protest, said it ‘gave people the permission to basically haul librarians and their content into court. If they determine something’s harmful, then they can drag them through the mud and cause a lot of problems’.
‘People love their librarians and people trust them. They’re tired of politicians telling them what to do, telling them what to read, and telling them how to think,’ she said.
Egbert said the law let anyone demand a book be removed and there were no limits on how many times they could do it, meaning a ‘very small minority can decide what everyone can read’.
‘[The law] allows attacks against libraries for having any type of book that is deemed ‘harmful to minors’ without a clear definition of what ‘harmful’ includes,’ the Idaho Democratic Party said.
‘Books containing any gay characters or any discussion of race could be deemed ‘harmful.’
‘It takes away local control and could cost libraries thousands of dollars, ultimately forcing many small libraries to close.’
The law came about in part because of a years-long push by right-wing organizations like Parents Against Bad Books that claimed some books were ‘X-rated’ and ‘pornographic’.
The husband and wife team Blaine and Anna Conzatti who run the group drew up a hit list of 53 books they wanted pulled from library shelves.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris sparked more outrage when bodycam of footage was released showing him going through the young adult section of the Hayden Public Library, hunting for books he deemed obscene
The list curiously included Fry Bread: a Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard.
Others were The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Beloved, Sula, and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Forever by Judy Blume. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.
The Conzattis claimed such books contributed to the ‘impairment of the ethical and moral development of our youth’.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris sparked more outrage when bodycam of footage was released showing him going through the young adult section of the Hayden Public Library, hunting for books he deemed obscene.
On camera he claimed libraries were ‘enticing’ children with inappropriate books ‘like the old-fashioned guy in the van with candy’.