Tama county libraries could see their funds cut and books taken off the shelves with proposed legislation. PHOTO BY MICHAEL PAGE TURNER DAVIS

Once again, during the Iowa Legislature’s annual session, books and libraries are being debated. Obscenity and funding are the two primary subjects of this contentious issue that would affect the nine public libraries in Tama County and the more than 540 libraries in Iowa.

Pete McRoberts, the Policy Director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa, explained and discussed the ACLU’s opinions on the two introduced bills.

“The ACLU of Iowa opposes HF521 (formerly HF274 / companion to SF 238.) If passed into law, it would repeal a provision of the state obscenity statute that relates to appropriate educational and artistic materials in schools and libraries. In plain terms, the obscenity law prohibits anyone from exposing a minor to obscene materials. The law prohibits anyone from providing clearly defined obscene material to minors. The law works,” McRoberts said. “The law is also written in a way to make sure that it doesn’t interfere with appropriate educational or artistic materials in a public school or library. The law as it’s written is not a license for obscene materials in a school or a library. Instead, it’s a clear guide for all people that state law both protects minors from true obscenity while also protecting appropriate lessons or displays that are educational or artistic in nature. That said, it’s normal that parents, library patrons or members of the general public may have different opinions. This is why we support the current law that requires school boards to be responsive to parents’ concerns, and public library boards and staff to serve every member of the community equally.”

The Louise & Lucile Hink Tama Library board and Library Director Kris Collins answered questions on this subject and issued a statement.

“H.F. 521 which calls for repealing the Iowa Libraries’ exemptions to the obscenity laws is not only an attack on the freedom’s of Iowans, it is an attack on the ideas set forth in our Constitution. The ideas that American citizens and Iowans want to live in a country and state where freedom of speech and press is not limited or regulated. And, even knowing that people may make choices to the detriment of their well being, that as a literate, free thinking society, we want to be able to make our own decisions about what we view, listen to, or read in schools and in public libraries,” it reads. “We also want educators and families to make the decisions for children about what they allow them to view, listen to or read. This bill is an overreach of our state government’s authority in a state and country that does not want a muzzle on its ability to write, create and present ideas, views, and information for public consumption freely and without fear of punitive action.”

PHOTO BY MICHAEL PAGE TURNER DAVIS

Collins also spoke about the effect this bill would have on the library if it was signed into law, presenting multiple points.

“HF 521 would diminish freedoms for our patrons’ access and librarians’ authority to make accessible all information, art, and literary works to the public. HF 521 presumes that Iowa citizens are not capable of making sound decisions about the topics and exhibitions they choose, or how they process and behave as a result of what they choose to view, listen to or read. This is an insult to a literate public and the moral choices people should be free to make without the interference of the government.”

“It will limit the items we can make available to the public. Iowans will not have access to materials Americans in other states, even outside of the U.S. have the freedom to access. This is an inequity to Iowans as Americans.”

“It puts more power in the hands of the government to determine what is “obscene”, therefore controlling what the citizens can learn, view or create themselves.”

“As a public servant for my entire career, I have lived in a state which has not limited what educators, parents, or citizens can read, listen to and view, and I have not experienced that educators or public service officials, such as librarians and teachers have made detrimental decisions as to what type of material is made accessible to Iowans, and the minors they serve.”

” I am curious about the punitive effect of noncompliance with the legislation.”

When asked if the library would automatically start taking books off their shelves if this bill passes Collins they would be forced to follow the Iowa Code.

“Yes, this would mean taking books out of the hands of its citizens,” she said.

Collins also noted that policies about book selection and collection development would have to be amended. The library however would not take the change lying down, as Collins spoke about hoping to see the local communities and civic leadership of Iowa communities collaborating to appeal this legislation. If the bill were to pass, The Tama Library would bring its concerns to the local government.

“We would appeal to the City Council to allow our library to create safe spaces for patrons to have access to material the state government has deemed ‘obscene,'” Collins said.

This proposed bill comes on the heels of SF496, which was signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds in May of 2023. SF496 banned books from Iowa schools that contained any depiction of sex.

According to pen.org, Iowa is the state with the second highest amount of book bannings, reportedly banning over 3,600 books in the 2023-2024 school year. Currently, 49 books have been taken off the shelves in the South Tama Community School District. Among authors like Judy Blume, Stephanie Meyer, and Aldous Huxley, several informational books about rape and sexual violence have been removed as well.

When asked if she thought it was the library’s prerogative to supply the books that STC no longer does, Collins offered her thoughts.

“It is always possible to provide additional reading options for our patrons. Our school libraries are excellent at South Tama County and the staff who select the materials for those collections are highly qualified to make the decisions they make. I do not know, nor do I collaborate with the staff about what the STC District libraries contain in their collection. If we (The Tama Library) have the books that have been removed from the school library shelves, it is purely by coincidence,” she said. “It is too bad that parents, community members, but most of all our state governmental leaders are interested in removing a book or books, that with parental guidance, and dialogue from educators, could be a positive support to our children in better comprehending the content and the context it is written in. Instead, removing them can cause children to feel increasingly motivated to read “banned” books and look for less supportive means to acquire the material and have zero guidance in discussing or understanding the content.”

Rep. Dean Fisher, a Republican from Montour, was asked to comment on this proposed bill but did not respond.

The Toledo Public Library issued a statement of its own when asked to comment.

“The Toledo Public Library’s mission is ‘to provide free and equal access to a variety of materials and resources for personal enrichment and to be an advocate in the community for lifelong learning.’ Our library strives to provide the very best services for our community and patrons,” it read. “The library works on a limited budget, so every book purchased is given an equal amount of consideration and selected, judged on its own merit and how it meets the needs of our patrons. Materials purchased are not marked to show approval or disapproval of their contents, according to our policy.”

The other piece of proposed legislation regarding libraries pertains to the funding they receive, specifically stripping Enrich Iowa grant funds away from libraries that are dues paying members of organizations like the Iowa Library Association or the American Library Association.

Rep. Fisher did share his perspective on this bill.

“House File 284 (since changed to HF880) bars taxpayer funds from flowing to libraries that are dues paying members of organizations that engage in lobbying activities. Most people recognize that using taxpayer funds to lobby the US Congress or the Iowa Legislature is a form of corruption that should not be allowed, hence the need for this bill,” he said. “I am not aware of whether our local libraries are dues paying members of such organizations or not. If they are, the savings of taxpayer dollars by not paying these dues can be used locally to buy books instead of going towards lobbying activities at the state and federal level. Some of the state and national library organizations have become tools of the Democratic Party. The Democrats have become masters at using the tax dollars feeding these organizations to promote the Democratic Party agenda. It’s time for this corruption to stop, and HF 284 is one small step in that direction.”

In a final remark, Rep. Fisher made a reference to current federal government activity, adding, “Consider this bill DOGE, Iowa style.”

McRoberts told the News Chronicle that the ACLU of Iowa also opposes this bill.

“If passed into law, it would require any public library to withdraw from the American Library Association as a condition of continuing to receive certain financial grants from the State of Iowa. While the government isn’t obliged to fund libraries, we believe it’s inappropriate to base government actions on a local library’s decision to be a member of its national association,” he said. “We have seen similar proposals in several states, on account of legislators’ disagreement with positions or policies of the American Library Association. We have no opinion on the American Library Association’s positions. But it would be deeply concerning if the state government is basing its decisions on funding local libraries on the content or viewpoint of that organization. The government should not base its decisions on the content of an organization’s political speech or association.”

The Tama Library annually receives funds from Enrich Iowa, and Collins had this to say about the proposed bill.

“It would be an inequity to Libraries to limit access to these organizations by making their connection with them to funding loss from the state. No other vocational field is placed in this position by the government. This is a punitive measure and not helpful to rural libraries already limited in professional resources,” she said.

The silver lining is that the library does not rely on the funds received by Enrich Iowa, and Collins didn’t feel that it would have a strong overall impact.

Both of these proposed bills, if passed, would ultimately change the way that the libraries in Tama County do business, from altering the funds they receive to the books they offer. With 49 books being taken off the shelves of the STC High School after the passing of SF496, one is left to wonder how many books will be taken off or never allowed on the shelves of local libraries if such legislation continues to pass.