Notes
Library Update. How is House Bill 710 being implemented? By Brian Almon (09/20/24)
gemstate.substack.com/p/library-update
House Bill 710 requires schools and public libraries to have a policy regarding material that is defined by Idaho Code to be harmful to minors as well as a form to allow citizens to request review of library materials.
Author Brian Almon, who is on the Eagle Library Board of Trustees, discusses his adventures as the board worked to enforce HB710 following patron complaints about 25 books in the Eagle Public Library.
Results:
After executive session discussion, the board:
Moved 22 books from the teen section to the adult section, and 3 off the floor (replaced with dummy copies in case adults want to check them out).
Implemented a tiered library card system, allowing parents to give their children or teenagers restricted cards that will prevent them from checking out adult materials.
Difficulties & Issues:
Brian sojourned to a local Barnes and Noble in Boise, where he found many of the library’s moved/removed books in the bookstore’s young adult sections and featured on a separate pillar.
If the sexual content in these books fits the definition of materials harmful to minors in Idaho Code, why can bookstores display them where any child can view them?
If such books don't fit that definition, what should Idaho library boards do based on the letter of the law?
More Questions:
Why are authors and publishers putting these ideas into books marketed toward teenagers?
When did society decide novels read by 13-year-old girls should contain explicit sex scenes?
What can the law actually accomplish? Could clever defense attorneys defeat attempts to bring injunctive relief to concerned parents? Would even stronger laws simply lead to sneaker authors and savvier lawyers?
Concluding Questions:
Should communities promote values that many Christians and conservatives believe are contrary to a healthy society? Or, do we need a revolutionary change in direction, starting in our families and communities?
