Report: “Alabama Libraries Must Quickly Restrict ‘Inappropriate’ Kids’ Books Or Risk $7 Million In Funding”

From AL.com:

If Alabama public libraries want to get millions in state funding, they now must move “inappropriate” material for children, mandate library cards specifically for minors, and obtain advanced approval for obtaining materials — and they need to make changes this summer.

After more than 6,000 letters and 87 public comments, many in opposition, the executive board approved new legislative code changes Thursday. Legislators had made $6.6 million in state aid contingent on the changes

The library service, with a staff of about 40 people, also is facing budget cuts. 

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More From WAFF:

In a letter to the state library board in October, Gov. Kay Ivey recommended that state funding be contingent on libraries adopting policies that require more parental supervision, and that the APLS adopt policies that reaffirm the ability of local libraries to respond to parents’ complaints about sexually explicit or other inappropriate materials.

The APLS approved those policies and added the following:

• To get state funding, libraries must not have sexually explicit material in the children’s section
• Libraries cannot add books to their collection with sexually explicit material if it’s marketed toward a child
• Anyone under 18 has to have parental consent before checking out a book from the adult section

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Filed under: Funding, Libraries, News, Public Libraries