Providence Journal: “Lawmakers are Bringing the Book Ban Wars to Rhode Island. Here’s How.”
A small group of House lawmakers are attempting to criminalize “public and charter school” librarians for allowing children to access “obscene” books. Only this time, politicians want to broaden the state’s existing obscenity law to include “cartoon or animated” materials, such as graphic novels.
Any school librarian involved in providing such books deemed “obscene” could face two years in prison and a $1,000 fine under the new bill, which was introduced to the Judiciary Committee in late April.
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Beatrice Pulliam, head of the Rhode Island Library Association, which represents nearly 500 library staff in the state, said the bill was a clear response to a different proposed amendment to the same law — one that would protect librarians from being criminalized.
That measure was introduced in early March, nearly two months before the competing amendment.
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.
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