In an August 2 story in The Independent, Brittany Miller wrote about a mother’s restricted access to the adult library section.
A mother had posted a video about taking her two daughters to a public library in Idaho. One child was 11 years old, the other one year old. The older daughter had finished reading The Hobbit and wanted to check out the next in the series—Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. It was in the adult section. They had posted a large “Stop” sign at the entrance of the adult section.
A new law came into effect on July 1 in Idaho. A person under 18 can’t enter the adult section unless they have an unrestricted library card or a parent over 18 signs an affidavit for the minor. First, the mother had to show her ID, and then she was asked to fill out an affidavit for the one-year-old. After being forced to go by herself, her daughter received help from the librarian.
The law states that parents can sue any public or school library if they believe they are offering “harmful” materials to minors.
In fifth grade, I discovered the library and visited it almost daily to read one book per day. Being around helpful librarians proud of my reading brought much-needed positive feedback. At that age, I was also reading young adult and adult books far above my physical age. Nobody ever took me to the library. I rode my bicycle, and if anyone had prevented me from accessing the library's adult section, I would have been a very unhappy camper.
Some smaller libraries didn’t have the means to separate the library into different sections, so they closed when the law came into effect. Or they couldn’t afford to risk a lawsuit from a parent.
Libraries serve many functions. Some kids go because it’s air-conditioned when it is sweltering outside. Others use it to escape an abusive home. Some seek summer lunches due to food insecurity at home.
As former president Lyndon B. Johnson said:
Books and ideas are the most effective weapons against intolerance and ignorance.
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