Des Moines, Iowa (RI) — A bill advancing in the Iowa House would make it illegal for public libraries to let anyone under 18 access books or other materials that are harmful to minors due to sexual content unless the parent provides written consent.
Terri Hubbard is a member of the Sioux Center Public Library’s Board of Trustees.
The bill was drafted after a 13-year-old checked out a book from the Sioux Center library last summer that had adult themes.
Hubbard says the president of the Sioux Center Library Board has indicated any restrictions on access to books be handled at the state level.
Patty Alexander of Indianola, a leader in the Warren County Moms for Liberty Chapter, says public libraries should be a safe space for Iowa families.
The bill would give parents the right to sue a public library and any librarian who provides sexually explicit materials to a minor for damages and the librarian could be charged with a crime and sentenced to up to a year in prison for a first offense.
Sam Helmick, a librarian in Iowa City, is past president of the Iowa Library Association and the American Library Association’s current president.
Leslie Noble, assistant director of the Urbandale Public Library, is a member of the Iowa Library Association’s government affairs committee. She says the bill will create confusion and liability concerns.
Chelsea Hoye, a lobbyist for the Iowa League of Cities, says the risk of litigation could be crippling for small town libraries.
Two Republicans on a House subcommittee voted to advance the bill early this morning, and it’s currently scheduled for debate today in the House Judiciary Committee.
KIWA Staff Photo
