17-04-2025
Librarians aren't bouncers. Texas teens shouldn't be carded to read serious books
As a former librarian, I'm against House Bill 3225, by Rep. Daniel Alders, R-Tyler, which would require public libraries to move any 'sexually explicit' material from the young adult section to the adult area and to bar patrons under the age of 18 from the adult section. To be clear, by 'adult,' we don't mean X-rated — just the general section of the library from which many older teens like to browse and select books.
Public libraries are a treasured institution. They are free and accessible to all, and they operate on individual, voluntary choice. I could argue how subjective the rating of books for sexual material is, but the text of the bill already proves my point. HB 3225 states: 'This section does not apply to religious materials.'
The bill acknowledges that labeling books as 'sexually explicit' because of certain images, scenes or words taken out of the context could be used to ban the Bible. Yes, The Song of Solomon would be flagged in an AI search of sexual organs.
The possibility that many worthy books could be suddenly off limits to minors is precisely why librarians object to this bill. Judging a book by its parts is worse than judging a book by its cover.
HB 3225 excludes the Bible, but what about Shakespeare? The Bard was famous for his sexual puns and innuendos. I used to teach Advanced Placement English, and many books on that test could be banned under this bill. "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison comes to mind. Also, "Beloved" by Toni Morrison and "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. And yet what a loss, what a deprivation to ban great literature from our high school students.
The public library's mission is to provide free access to all kinds of books for all ages and interests. A book's inclusion in a collection does not mean endorsement. In addition, librarians are not substitute parents. It is the parents' right and duty to monitor their children's reading.
The American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights addresses these concerns: "A person's right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views."
Many teens read books written for adults. They have the maturity to appreciate the dominant theme of the book instead of scanning for a bad word or a sexual image. They have the right to access and read what's in our public libraries. If they find the book offensive, or more likely boring, they'll return it. Why do we have such little faith in the discernment of our young adults?
Librarians are professionals, not clerks. They can't card everyone who wanders into the adult section. They are busy running literacy programs, organizing story time, curating the collection, helping patrons with research and job searches. As author and illustrator Sarah McIntyre says, "A trained librarian is a powerful search engine with a heart."
The bill's threat of a $10,000 fine per infraction will only create fear and lead to banning perfectly good books for people who happen to be minors.
Texas encompasses an area larger than France. Conflicts at regional public libraries need to be addressed at the local level. Former President Ronald Reagan once said, 'The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'' The same holds true for the state.
Two lawsuits have been filed against a similar law in Idaho that was passed last year. In Texas, two judges have ruled against parts of last session's HB 900, which required vendors selling books to school libraries to provide ratings on explicit content. All public libraries in Texas have clear challenge and reconsideration policies in place for books citizens deem inappropriate. Let's not pass bills that limit our First Amendment rights to read.
Sara Stevenson is a former public school librarian and Catholic school English teacher. She lives in Austin.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas bill would yank more books out of young adults' reach | Opinion
