The Jefferson County Library system’s Board of Trustees has passed a resolution cementing its “commitment to upholding intellectual freedom” in response to an administrative rule Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has proposed that would affect libraries and the materials they are allowed to check out.
As part of its resolution, the Library board urges Missouri’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules to reject Ashcroft’s proposal.
On Nov. 15, Ashcroft announced a proposed administrative rule that would require libraries to receive certification to receive state funding. The certification would be contingent on the libraries putting in place measures to “protect minors from non-age-appropriate materials.” Ashcroft and the Secretary of State Office, however, don’t define what kinds of materials are or are not age appropriate.
Missouri residents were given a 30-day comment window to respond before a final decision about the proposal would be made.
The proposed administrative rule notes that state funds could not be used to “purchase or acquire inappropriate materials in any form that appeal to the prurient interest of a minor.”
It would require libraries to adopt written policies determining what material is age appropriate, and parents would have a right to challenge that designation. Ashcroft’s office also said that parents’ decisions on what material their child had access to would have to be honored by the libraries.
“When state dollars are involved, we want to bring back local control and parental involvement in determining what children are exposed to,” Ashcroft said in a released statement. “Yes, we want to make sure libraries have the resources and materials they need for their constituents, but we also want our children to be ‘children’ a little longer than a pervasive culture many often dictate.”
The Jefferson County and St. Louis County library systems passed similar resolutions during their respective Nov. 21 meetings opposing Ashcroft’s proposal.
In its resolution, the Jefferson County Library board outlined its core beliefs, stating that “the right to read is an important part of the intellectual freedom that is basic to democracy; responsibility for a child’s reading must rest with the parent or guardian, not with the library; and the library will not infringe on the parent’s right to choose materials for their children.”
The board also said it “does not support the removal of local control where library administration is concerned.”
“The Jefferson County Library District stands steadfast in its commitment to uphold intellectual freedom,” the board said. “It defends a patron’s freedom to read and asserts that it is the sole right and responsibility of the parent or guardian to determine what library material is appropriate for their children. It affirms that policy and collection development decisions should remain at the local level.”
Along with the resolution, the Board of Trustees also released a statement that reads, in part, “Jefferson County Library encourages parents and guardians to foster a love of reading, creativity, and a strong sense of imagination in their children, all of which are found in abundance at the library. The Library has an established collection development policy that supports the best interests of children, families and our patrons. We value parents’ and guardians’ involvement in how their children use the library.
“We believe our collection development policies serve our patrons effectively and reflect the diversity of the age, race, ethnicity, culture, education, socioeconomic level and lifestyle of the communities we serve. The Library upholds the rights of each individual to privately read, listen to, and view the full range of published thought and ideas. The Library subscribes to the principles embodied in the Library Bill of Rights and its interpretations, Freedom to Read Statement and Freedom to View Statement adopted by the American Library Association.
“We are always sensitive to any possibility of censorship and restriction of equitable access to books and other vital Library materials. We believe parents and guardians should be arbiters on what is suitable for their own children and are wary of any third parties—including the State of Missouri—to impose those choices on others.”
The deadline to submit a comment about the proposed rule is Thursday, Dec. 15.
Comments may be emailed to comments@sos.mo.gov, with the proposed rule number, 15 CSR 30-200.015, entered in the subject field. Comments can also be mailed to the Missouri Secretary of State, P.O. Box 1767, Jefferson City, 65102.