New Alabama public library code could change what children find on bookshelves

MONTGOMERY, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Alabama public libraries will now be required to remove material that is considered explicit from children’s sections. The change in the rules for public libraries could influence what children find on the shelves.

“We’re not taking away your rights. We’re putting you back in the driver’s seat,” said Emily Jones of Moms for Liberty.

The Alabama Public Library Service funds over 220 libraries statewide. After making changes to its code, the service is requiring children’s sections to be free of obscene or explicit material. If libraries do not implement these policies, they could lose their funding. Advocates said the rule change is not about withholding information.

“This is not about censoring. This is not about book banning. This is truly about parents,” Jones said. “Get involved, oversee what’s going on with your children, know what’s going on in their lives, and sit down and have the right conversations with them in a way that it aligns with your values.”

John Wahl is chair of the Alabama Republican Party, but he also sits on the board of directors for the library service. He said there are rating systems already out there for explicit material.

“We have rating systems for TV shows. We have rating systems for movies. We have ratings for video games,” Wahl said. “This is the same thing that we do across society. We protect our children from things that could be harmful.”

But those opposed said the new policy will affect funding for libraries and overburden them.

Craig Scott is the president of the Alabama Library Association. He said some libraries fully rely on state funding, and the process that comes with the new policy will make it harder for libraries to get funding they need.

“Whatever that process is, it’s just going to delay funding for small libraries, and I hope it doesn’t put any of them out of business,” Scott said.

Angie Hayden is a co-founder of Read Freely Alabama. She said libraries already have a heavy workload.

“That is disproportionately going to affect our poorer and rural libraries that are already understaffed,” Hayden said. “You have librarians and library staff who are already overworked.”

The Alabama Public Library Service said it has concerns about how libraries will adapt to these changes. It also said it’s a new normal addressing the politics of the time.

Scott said the libraries will have until July 17 to write and implement the new policy requirements the Alabama Public Library Service approved.

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