ST. LOUIS — Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft is crafting a rule to block state funding for library books and other materials that appeal to the sexual interests of minors, but said his proposal would not ban any books.
Ashcroft said he didn’t have a list of “prurient” books, which he also referred to as “smut.” He said he’s seen some books written for “tweeners” displayed in libraries near a computer intended to be used by young children. Asked if “tweeners” meant readers of young adult fiction, Ashcroft said yes.
The proposed rule states: "No funds received shall be used to purchase or acquire materials in any form that appeal to the prurient interest of any minor." The secretary of state distributes funding to public library through the state librarian.
“In some cases, you have to look at a book to determine whether it is (prurient) and in some cases, you don’t have to look at it very long,” Ashcroft, a Republican who is expected to run for governor in 2024, said during an interview on Wednesday in St. Louis.
The Missouri Library Association said in a statement that it considers Ashcroft’s proposed rule “an infringement on the professional judgment of librarians, and an effort to further stoke division in the communities that libraries serve.”
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