Report: Wyoming Libraries Fear Financial Ruin From Youth Book Policy Bill

The Wyoming Legislature is considering a bill that librarians from across the state say will eliminate young adult and teenage sections from public libraries, calling it unnecessary and harmful to the state’s youth.

Additionally, they say it could bring an end to some local libraries if they are not in compliance and rack up the associated $50,000 fines for violation of the bill, if passed into law.

The bill draft outlines rules that would prohibit public and school libraries from housing literature deemed as sexually explicit in children’s sections, which includes teenage and young adult sections.

As written, this could include texts like educational material about puberty and sex, historical accounts like Anne Frank’s diary, and sacred texts like the Bible, the Quran and the Book of Mormon.

On Tuesday, the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee discussed the bill draft in Casper. The room was filled with concerned librarians and educators from every corner of the state, and a separate room was opened for overflow attendees to view the meeting. Public comment on the issue lasted several hours, and the committee ultimately tabled the bill to continue discussions at its next meeting in October in Cheyenne.