ST. LOUIS — The Missouri Secretary of State wants to hear your thoughts on what's appropriate to be on library shelves. A new rule could cut off funding for public libraries with books that aren't "age appropriate". You have 30 days to submit feedback on the rule proposal.
"I've said that you need to certify that you have written, publicly accessible policy on how you give age designation to material," Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said. "Then you need a policy on how people can challenge those age designations."
Joe Kohlburn with the Missouri Library Association said this is a solution in search of a problem. Kohlburn said a path to challenge or restrict books for your family has always been in place. This proposed rule only restricts information to the masses.
"Libraries value what the community thinks," Kohlburn said. "Most libraries and librarians are willing to talk to you about that and why it's in that part of the collection."
Kohlburn said a lot of books that are challenged are written by LGBTQ+ or minority authors. He says age-appropriate, body positivity books approved by child psychologists and educators are also frequent targets of controversy.
"A book for grade-school-aged kids, there's a body positivity book," Kohlburn said. "There's a picture of a cartoon naked body. The point is to demonstrate all bodies are different. Under this rule, that would probably be deemed age-inappropriate even though it's explicitly written for kids."
Kohlburn said this is a political move that will reduce information and services to families.
"To add age restriction piece, will take a lot of time and energy," Kohlburn said. "A lot of the small libraries across the state may have one person on staff. That one librarian will spend all their time dealing with this one bureaucratic detail. That will subtract from what they can do for their community."
Ashcroft said the rule gives families a leg to stand on when protecting the information their kids read.
"There are no books that are banned," Ashcroft said. "What it might require is a book that they admit isn't age-appropriate for 5-year-olds isn't in the five-year-old section."
The 30-day public comment period will open Nov. 15 and comments can be submitted by mail to the Office of the Missouri Secretary of State, PO Box 1767, Jefferson City, MO 65102 or by email to comments@sos.mo.gov.