JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office submitted a proposed rule last month aiming to establish measures in state-funded libraries for protecting minors from non-age-appropriate materials.
In recent years, libraries have been in the spotlight of cultural debate for hosting “drag queen story hours” and including books that promote the LGBTQ+ agenda on shelves for children and youth.
The Secretary of State’s proposed rule doesn’t explicitly mention LGBTQ+ issues. However, the rule will require the following of libraries that receive state funding:
- The library will adopt a written, publicly accessible policy determining what material is age-appropriate.
- No state funds can be “used to purchase or acquire materials in any form that appeal to the prurient interest of any minor.”
- The library “will adopt a written, publicly-accessible policy allowing any minor’s parent or guardian to determine what materials and access will be available to a minor, and no person employed by or acting on behalf of the library shall knowingly grant access to any minor any material in any form not approved by the minor’s parent or guardian.”
- “No age-inappropriate materials in any form, as defined in the library’s collection development policy, shall be knowingly displayed in the library in areas designated by the library as containing materials predominantly for minors.”
- “No event or presentation shall be held at the library without an age-appropriate designation affixed to any publication, website, or advertisement for such event or presentation.”
- The library will honor a parent’s decision as to what material their child has access to in the library. Parents will have the right to challenge a library’s age-appropriate designation for any material.
“When state dollars are involved, we want to bring back local control and parental involvement in determining what children are exposed to,” Ashcroft said, according to a press release. “Foremost, we want to protect our children.”
This proposed administrative rule will be published in the Missouri Register on Nov. 15, and then have a 30-day comment period. Ashcroft welcomes and encourages comment submission by mailing the Office of the Missouri Secretary of State, PO Box 1767, Jefferson City, MO 65102 or by email to comments@sos.mo.gov.
The Missouri State Library, within the Secretary of State’s office, promotes the development and improvement of library services throughout the state.
“Supporting the efforts of libraries across our state has been a priority of mine since day one – we have been able to provide millions of dollars to libraries through grants and other funding,” Ashcroft said. “Yes, we want to make sure libraries have the resources and materials they need for their constituents, but we also want our children to be “children” a little longer than a pervasive culture many often dictate.”