Lawmakers should let local processes govern library materials

When it comes to protecting children and youth from inappropriate sexual content in books and other forms of media, we believe the main shields are parents and other guardians. But that doesn’t mean community resources like county libraries don’t play an important role.

Laramie County Library System Executive Director Antonia Gaona and her colleagues across the state agree. That’s why they follow industry standard classification guidelines to ensure that materials are placed in the appropriate section of the library.

Do they always get it right? Most will readily agree they do not. That’s why the local library system and others in the state have challenge processes that allow patrons to petition the library director to review specific materials and decide if they should be moved to a different section.

Here in Laramie County, there have been just three formal petitions for review since Mrs. Gaona took the reins in December 2023. Library staff have moved materials based on their own internal review process. And Gaona said she is willing to review the local school district’s list of about 45 titles that now require opt-in permission to be checked out to see if they should be moved, as well.

Even after this is done, though, parents have to stay involved. To some extent, the days of turning a child loose to wander the library and look at whatever they wanted are gone (if that ever was a great idea). Yes, local library staff work hard to keep young children out of the teen section, especially during the summer months, when school is out. But parents still need to be aware of where their children are at all times and what they’re reading.

We have confidence that Mrs. Gaona is sincere when she says (as she did in a recent letter to the editor), “Protecting the innocence of young readers while fostering a love for learning is at the heart of our mission.” After all, she has three young children of her own, and she doesn’t want them exposed to certain content, either.

We also believe her invitation to Rep. Ann Lucas, R-Cheyenne, and others to “collaborate with us to strengthen our shared goals” is genuine. In her letter, Mrs. Gaona said she and her staff “share Rep. Lucas’ commitment to ensuring age-appropriate materials for our patrons, especially children. ... Our library system is eager to work with community leaders to ensure our policies reflect Wyoming’s values of parental rights and responsible stewardship of public resources.”

We also don’t doubt Rep. Lucas’ genuine desire to protect children from adult-level sexually explicit material everywhere — not just in libraries. In a recent op-ed published in the WTE, she said “books that contain graphic descriptions (and detailed images) of sex acts” ... “are being promoted to children in taxpayer-funded spaces.” We haven’t seen that happening here in Laramie County, but if it is in other parts of the state, it should be called out and brought to the attention of local county library boards, which should take appropriate action.

Earlier this year, the Wyoming House of Representatives introduced House Bill 194, “Obscenity amendments.” For a variety of reasons, it never made it out of committee. Now, the Joint Judiciary Committee has asked the Legislative Service Office to draft new legislation that would impose fines of $50,000 on libraries that let minors gain access to books containing specific sexual acts or depictions; let citizens file civil lawsuits against libraries that they think are violating the rules, and regulate online access to library materials by minors (which already is a feature of current services like Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla).

We believe such legislation is unnecessary for several reasons, but the main one is it’s unnecessary for state lawmakers to interject themselves into situations best addressed at the local level. Plus, to potentially close down a library system by imposing a steep fine — or, more likely, discouraging professional librarians from coming to Wyoming because of this looming threat — makes no sense.

Instead of spending time debating mandates and penalties, we believe lawmakers should spend time in their local libraries, reviewing material, having conversations with library staff and encouraging their constituents to do the same.

And librarians can do more to hear from those concerned about the issue. Town hall-style meetings, surveys like the one recently offered here in Laramie County and other methods are important to gather input on what our libraries are doing right and how they need to improve.

When it comes to protecting children from inappropriate sexual materials, we believe there is a more productive path forward — one rooted in open dialogue, respect for local decision-making and recognition of the thoughtful processes that already exist in Wyoming communities.