Utah: “Following Backlash Over Library Books, State School Board Looks to Write New Rules on Library Policy”
The Utah State Board of Education will move “quickly but carefully” to issue a new rule on how school libraries choose and review content, members said in a meeting Friday.
A USBE rule is similar to law and is legally binding for districts and charter schools in the state.
The board’s law and licensing committee is responding to calls from parents to remove books from school libraries they say contain inappropriate and pornographic images or descriptions. Others worry, however, the efforts could lead to censorship, particularly of books from or about diverse perspectives.
“As hard as this is going to be and it’s controversial, I think the board needs to set some minimum standards,” said committee chair Carol Lear.
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About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.