The Advocate. April 16, 2024.
Editorial: Louisiana’s got a ton of problems. Libraries aren’t among them.
Louisiana’s got some big problems that demand the Legislature’s attention, from unaffordable property insurance to crippling out-migration to dilapidated infrastructure.
You know what’s not a big problem? What’s going on at local libraries across the state.
And yet some lawmakers have put the state’s librarians in their crosshairs. It’s all part of a misguided movement led by a loud but limited minority to police what kids can read — which has gained a foothold in places like Lafayette, Livingston and St. Tammany.
Two bills on the subject are scheduled to be heard before the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday. House Bill 414 by state Rep. Josh Carlson, R-Lafayette, and House Bill 545 by state Rep. Beryl Amedée, R-Houma, would amend the state’s obscenity law to remove libraries and school libraries from a list of exempt places that include government agencies, churches, museums, hospitals and “recognized and established schools,” a category that would no longer include public K-12 schools under the proposed rewrite.
The proposals would expose librarians to fines and up to three years in prison — despite the fact that there’s no evidence libraries stock the sort of materials covered by the criminal statute.
These aren’t the only proposals filed that would expose librarians to criminal penalties. Another bill, absurdly, would threaten librarians with potential prison time for seeking reimbursement for professional training through the American Library Association, whose policies some conservatives have assailed. House Bill 777 by state Rep. Kellee Dickerson, R-Denham Springs, has not been scheduled for a hearing.
There’s also a bill that goes right to the local controversies that have sprung up; House Bill 640 by Jay Gallé, R-Mandeville, would allow parish or municipal officials to remove members of library control boards without cause, which would only serve to further politicize the governing of libraries.
Proponents of measures like these don the mantle of parental control, but in doing so, they seek to govern not just what’s available to their own kids but to others’ as well. And their tactics are becoming more and more intimidating; What else can you say about threats of imprisonment to librarians for doing their job? That comes in the wake of the tip line set up by then-Attorney Gen. Jeff Landry for complaints about library materials.
Last year, the Legislature passed a law that requires libraries to put in place a new card system allowing parents to stop their children from checking out books they consider inappropriate and to limit minors’ access to material that describes “sexual conduct,” as spelled out in the law.
We’ll say it again: Libraries are a haven for kids that allow them to explore their larger world.
It’s sad that the idea behind most of these bills is nothing more than fear-mongering that seeks to undermine one of the most vital institutions in our communities.
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