More Boise-area book challenges could spell trouble for libraries. How one is responding
BOISE – Another Treasure Valley library has received complaints over books in its collection that some believe are “harmful to minors.”
The Meridian Library Board met Feb. 19 to hear the first of four requests to relocate or remove books that it has received since a new state law took effect July 1.
The law governs how libraries must respond to materials deemed harmful or obscene. Each request named one book.
The first request the board considered was for “Prince & Knight,” a children’s picture book by Daniel Haack.
The book “tells the story of a young prince who falls in love with a knight after the two work together to battle a dragon threatening the kingdom,” says a Wikipedia entry about the book. “At the conclusion of the book, the two wed.”
Under the new law, school and public libraries can be liable for allowing minors to access “harmful” materials, which are defined as having descriptions or representations of nudity or sexual conduct, including homosexuality, that “appeals to the prurient interest of minors as judged by the average person.”
If a minor obtains materials that meet these standards, the minor’s parent or legal guardian can submit a Request for Reconsideration form.
If the material is not removed or relocated to an adults-only section within 60 days, the parent or guardian can sue the library.
The law has resulted in multiple book challenges across the state. In Eagle, the library board voted in September to move 20 books from its “young adult” section to its “adult” section and to put three additional books behind its circulation desk after receiving a series of 25 requests for reconsideration from an Eagle woman. The vote took place after the board deliberated for an hour in closed session, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
In Meridian, Rocky Mountain High School Librarian Christie Nichols was forced to remove numerous books from the library’s shelves, according to a lawsuit filed on Feb. 3 by Nichols, the Donnelly Public Library District, five book publishing giants, two authors, and two Idaho high school students and their parents, the Statesman previously reported.
‘Prince & Knight’ called ‘not appropriate for kids’
Nick Grove, director of the Meridian Library District, told the Statesman in an email that four requests received in the past 60 days were the first the district had received under the new law. According to the library district’s website, one request was submitted on Jan. 8 and three were filed on Feb. 4. Three individuals filed the requests.
In the email, Grove wrote that the last three requests “seem to have transpired after parents at Doral Academy were unhappy with books their students checked out from the MLD Bookmobile while chaperoned by Doral staff.” The academy is a public charter school for students in kindergarten through eighth grades located on Cherry Lane in Meridian.
On Feb. 19, the board met to deliberate the Jan. 8 request, which criticized “Prince & Knight” for being “perverted and not appropriate for kids,” according to a copy of the request form, which is a public record, posted on the library website.
The requester sought for the book to be moved from the children’s section to an adult section. “It is not appropriate to have book with gay/‘queer’ in children’s section on display,” the request read.
At the start of the Feb. 19 meeting, the board heard comment from members of the public expressing views on whether access to certain books should be restricted based on potentially harmful content.
Bisexual parent ‘grateful’ some books reflect identity
“As a parent, I recognize not all books are for all people, and not all books are for all ages, but that is my responsibility as a parent to determine that for my family,” said Lindsay Van Allen, a Meridian resident. “Not the government, not other people in the community, and I don’t think I have the right to determinate that for anyone else.
“I’m also bisexual, and my family deserves to see ourselves reflected in our community library.”
Van Allen said she is grateful she is able to check out books that reflect her and her family’s identity.
Another commenter said he typically speaks before the Legislature and wanted to know why materials “outlawed in the private sector” are available to minors in libraries, including in Meridian.
“You can’t go into the Hustler store and check out pornographic material as a minor,” the commenter, who did not announce his name, said. “You are ID’ed. Why does this library not ID the participants that come in to check out pornographic material?”
Commenter says LGBTQ+ book depicts ‘pedophilia’
The commenter said he was disturbed by “pedophilia” in “Two Boys Kissing” by David Levithan, which he said is available to minors at the district’s Cherry Lane branch. One of the four requests for reconsideration the board plans to hear is for that title.
“Two Boys Kissing” is a young-adult novel about “two 17-year-old boys who set out to break a Guinness World Record by kissing for 32 hours,” the book’s Wikipedia entry says. “The book includes a ‘Greek chorus’ of the generation of gay men who died of AIDS. Throughout the narrative, the book discusses topics such as relationships, coming out, gender identity, and hook-up culture.”
After hearing public comment, the library board’s chair, Jeffrey Kohler, opened deliberations over the request to relocate “Prince & Knight” by reviewing the criteria books must meet to be considered “harmful to minors” under the law.
Kohler said the library director conducted a review of the material, as is library policy, and recommended that the book be kept in the children’s section.
Library director deems book not ‘harmful to minors’
According to a copy of the director’s recommendation on the district’s website, “Prince & Knight” has been checked out once this year and nine times last year. The recommendation states that the book does not meet “harmful to minors” standard and does not violate the Meridian Library’s collection development policy. On the contrary, the director judged the book to meet all applicable criteria in the collection development policy, including standards for literary and stylistic quality, attention of critics and reviewers, and cost and availability.
“To remove the material based on a portion of the contents that an individual finds disagreeable would be an affront to the Library Bill of Rights …. and a violation of the First Amendment,” Grove wrote in the recommendation.
Vice Chair Destinie Hart affirmed the director’s findings and said she found it “disappointing” that the requester failed to fill out a substantial portion of the request form, in particular a section where requesters can detail what aspect of a book they believe violates Idaho code.
“Our library staff and board are committed to a good-faith review of these requests,” Hart said. “I would encourage the community to use this process for legitimate concerns, rather than an outlet for sort of expressing opinions or biases toward certain sexualities, ethnicities, um, any other criteria than that listed in the actual bill.
“It’s not a good use of our library staff’s time. It’s not a good use of our volunteer board’s time, and it is certainly not a good use of taxpayer funds.”
Board votes in open session for ‘transparency’
The board deliberated for roughly 10 minutes before voting unanimously to affirm the director’s recommendation and keep the book in the children’s section, to applause from the audience.
Kohler told the Statesman that he was pleased with the civility of the public comments and affirmed the board’s commitment to “transparency” in the review process under the new law.
“We’ve been through a lot of this,” Kohler said, noting that he’s seen other library boards “struggle” to adjust to the new law, which he called “ambiguous.”
“It really leaves libraries in limbo, understanding how it is we’re supposed to walk that fine line between both sides of the issue about restricting books,” Kohler said.
Kohler said the board is committed to following the “harmful to minors” law and Idaho’s open meetings law.
“The only thing we do in executive session are the things we are required to do an executive session,” he said. “And that’s a pretty small list.”
Kohler said the board will consider the next three requests for reconsideration at a future board meeting, in accordance with the 60-day timeline in the law, after which a patron could sue the library.
Meridian to review more book challenges
The three books yet to be reviewed are: “Pride 123” by Michael Joosten, “Let’s Talk About It” by Erika Moen, and “Two Boys Kissing.”
Of “Pride 123,” a board book for small children, publisher Simon & Schuster’s website says, “Teach your little ones about the Pride Parade with this colorful, energetic counting book!” The publisher is one of the plaintiffs in the Feb. 3 lawsuit over the “harmful to minors” law.
Of “Let’s Talk About It,” Amazon’s description says in part, “Covering relationships, friendships, gender, sexuality, anatomy, body image, safe sex, sexting, jealousy, rejection, sex education, and more, Let’s Talk About It is the go-to handbook for every teen, and the first in graphic novel form.”