The Controversy Over Limiting Children's Access to Books and Materials in Alabama Public Libraries.

By Jordan Smith & Angela Whitlock

Background of Alabama Book Banning

A new 53-page Autauga-Prattville library policy guide that passed in February of 2024 by the newly appointed Autauga-Prattville library board (but without the library director’s approval) gained widespread state and national media attention because it prohibits minors from accessing books with LGBTQ+ content, obscenity, or sexual conduct.[1] Terms such as obscenity, sexual conduct, sexual orientation, and gender identity, are not defined within this policy.[2] Thus, this places the burden on library workers to determine the board’s meaning.[3]

Around the same time, the Alabama Senate approved a bill (SB10) that would allow library board members to be removed by local governing authorities that appointed those members.[4] Currently, members of a library board are appointed by a municipality or county commission and are not subject to removal by their appointing board.[5] This bill would require library boards to serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority, doing away with any independence that the library board might have had.[6]

Current Issues

Autauga-Prattville Public Library Policy Guide:

A few of the updated policies can be found under Section II “Borrowing Policies” and Section VII “Collection Development Policy” of Autauga-Prattville Public Library’s new policy guide.[7] These updated policies include: (1) Preventing children under the age of 18 from checking out material with content containing, but not limited to, obscenity, sexual conduct, sexual intercourse, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender discordance. Age-appropriate materials concerning biology, human anatomy, or religion are exempt, (2) Preventing the library from purchasing materials with content containing, but not limited to, obscenity, sexual conduct, sexual intercourse, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender discordance that advertise for consumers 17 and under, (3) Affixing a red warning label on the binding of books and other materials in the library collection with content containing, but not limited to, obscenity, sexual conduct, sexual intercourse, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender discordance advertised for consumers 18 and older, and (4) Removing the requirement that patrons read an entire work before lodging a formal challenge.[8]

Alabama Senate Bill 10:

Alabama SB10 would make it easier for city or county officials who appoint library board members to remove those members “at any time by a two-thirds vote”.[9] This bill passed the Senate after adopting the following amendments: (1) library boards must provide an annual detailed report of the board’s membership and any actions the board has taken regarding the review or removal of items in their collection during the previous 12 months, (2) appointing authorities must coordinate their appointments to assure the library board membership is inclusive and reflects the racial, gender, geographic, urban, rural, and economic diversity of the state, and (3) appointing authorities can only remove a board member by a two-thirds vote instead of a simple majority.[10]

Supporters

Clean Up Alabama: 

The group behind many recent book challenges across the state is Clean Up Alabama, a nonprofit that first formed in Prattville, AL.[11] On February 11th, Clean Up Alabama’s Facebook page post stated, “PTL! Victory in Prattville! Local parents fought a months-long battle to protect children from sexualized content resulting in a brand-new library board that just passed sweeping policies to ensure the protection of children! It's up to us!”[12]

Moms for Liberty:

Moms for Liberty is a politically conservative organization that advocates for moving sexually explicit books and those concerning LGBTQ+ and abortion issues to the adult section of the library. They argue that it is a parent's right to determine if their child should read certain material.[13] At a Huntsville-Madison County Public Library Board meeting, member Carissa Callan made clear that the group is not advocating for the removal of any books, but that books containing material unsuitable for children should be placed in the library's adult section and not allowed to be checked out by minors.[14] Emily Jones, a leader for the Madison County Chapter of Moms for Liberty stated, “Any book that sexualizes children, exposes children to sexual content to include incest and rape, should raise concerns for any adult regardless of their political beliefs or organizational associations.”[15]

Senator Chris Elliott: 

Senator Elliott of Baldwin County sponsored SB10 because he believed there was ambiguity in the Alabama code regarding the removal of appointed library board members.[16] Sen. Elliott stated, “This isn’t about some controversy…This isn’t an ax to grind. I think library boards should fit individual communities and that local authorities should be in control of what’s going on there.”[17]

Opponents

Read Freely Alabama:

Read Freely Alabama is a volunteer group of concerned Alabama residents who oppose censorship in libraries.[18] Prattville resident Angie Hayden, who helped create the group, stated, “I think that what Clean Up Alabama has done is they have made people afraid of something that is not even happening. And once you convince people that something evil is coming for their children, you can pretty much get away with whatever you want to do. That’s kind of been their entire tactic is to get people so afraid that these books are coming for their children, that there’s some sort of agenda coming for their children when really the library is just a place for all sorts of viewpoints that represent all sorts of people.”[19] Caryl Lawson believes Clean Up Alabama is a “radical group of extremists” who are misleading communities to further their ideology and plead for appointing authorities to “choose board members who are against censorship and who will uphold the rights of all private citizens, not just those who aligned with their personal beliefs.”[20]

Fairhope Library Board Chair (Anne Johnson):

During a city council meeting in September of 2023, Anne Johnson stated, “This is a form of censorship…There are young people in our community who may be struggling with their identity, with the teen years, who may not have a support system at home, or at school or at their church, who may be being bullied or even suicidal. And we may have books in the library that can help get them through a difficult period. No one person or group has the right to dictate what books and information others have access to.”[21]

ACLU-Alabama:

ACLU-Alabama opposes SB10 stating, “This bill is yet another attempt by the State of Alabama to micromanage the educational material that reaches students. By opting for a policy that limits the independence of library boards and allows for members' removal, the state aims to further its goals of censorship and to prevent libraries from providing communities with literature that represents diverse perspectives.”[22] ACLU- Alabama’s executive director, JaTaune Bosby Gilchrist explained, “This means that if one city councilor doesn’t like a book title the library offers, and if the library board refuses to remove it from circulation, SB10 would give a city council carte blanche authority to remove the library board members and replace them with a new group that will.”[23]

Broader Impacts of Library Policy Changes and SB10 Passage

Withholding Funds for Libraries: 

Governor Kay Ivey proposed that the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) make state aid for local libraries contingent on the “submission of written policies covering physical location (and relocation) of material deemed inappropriate for children or youth.”[24] Additionally, two Alabama chapters of Moms For Liberty asked state lawmakers to withhold public funding from libraries that provide “pornographic” material for children.[25]

Removal of books entirely:

In Foley, Al, not only did library officials move nine young adult books with LGBTQ+ themes to adult sections, they removed another book, Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer,” from the library altogether, even though it was in the adult section.[26] In Cullman County, commissioner Garry Marchman publicly stated that he wanted to remove ALL LGBTQ+ books from the library.[27]

Library Board Member and Employee Resignations and Terminations:

Last year, Gov. Ivey removed Virginia Doyle, an Alabama Public Library Service board member, from her position when she complained about state funding being tied to moving inappropriate books.[28]

In November of 2023, three longstanding members of the Autauga-Prattville Public Library board abruptly quit in an apparent response to the Autauga County Commission’s decision to break with precedent by appointing a board member without waiting for a recommendation from the board.[29]

On March 14th, the Autauga-Prattville Public Library board of trustees fired Library Director Andrew Foster for revealing confidential information to the press and violating a federal criminal law.[30] However, the board never revealed which specific law was violated and Mr. Foster expressed he was never warned about nor barred from sharing information.[31] Following his termination, Four Prattville library employees were fired after closing the library and standing in solidarity with the fired director.[32]

Resolutions/Conclusion

Organizations like Moms for Liberty and Clean Up Alabama recommend that funds be withheld for libraries who allow children to check out certain explicit materials. They also want the Alabama Public Library Service to install software[JH1]  that prevents a minor from checking out books outside of their age range.[33] 

Comparatively, Read Freely Alabama emphasizes that the American Library Association doesn’t control Alabama libraries and that pornography isn’t in children’s books in Alabama’s public libraries. Further, they recommend that libraries create material reconsideration policies that operate from a neutral viewpoint and do not impose partisan and ideological worldviews on a community at large. RFA also suggests every library create a policy limiting unsupervised minors.[34]

Petitions to support efforts by organizations mentioned within this article may be found on their respective social media pages/websites:

• https://cleanupalabama.org/state-petition/.

• https://www.readfreelyalabama.org/alabama_families_don_t_co-parent_with_moms_for_liberty_clean_up_alabama.

[1] Autauga-Prattville Library Board Bans LGBTQ+ Books for Under 17s; Red Labeling Queer Adult Books (Feb. 13, 2024), https://bookriot.com/autauga-prattville-library-board-bans-lgbtq-books/.

[2] Id.

[3] Id.

[4] Bill allowing removal of library board members at local level passes the Senate (Feb. 15, 2024), https://www.alreporter.com/2024/02/15/bill-allowing-removal-of-library-board-members-at-local-level-passes-the-senate/.

[5] SB10- Restricting Library Boards, Aclualabama.org, https://www.aclualabama.org/en/legislation/sb10-restricting-library-boards.

[6] Id.

[7] Autauga-Prattville Public Library Policies (Approved February 2024), https://piperlibraryfiles.com/ckfinder/connector?command=Proxy&lang=en&type=Prattville&currentFolder=%2Fdocuments%2FPolicy%2F&hash=c8a4bdaba8bffd189f5f860ae3d066fffe3dbaff&fileName=Policy%20Manual%20Official-%202.2024.pdf.

[8] Autauga-Prattville Library Board Bans LGBTQ+ Books for Under 17s; Red Labeling Queer Adult Books (Feb. 13, 2024), https://bookriot.com/autauga-prattville-library-board-bans-lgbtq-books/; See Id.

[9] Bill Text: AL SB10, 2024 Regular Session, Engrossed (Feb. 21, 2024), https://legiscan.com/AL/text/SB10/id/2929975.

[10] Alabama Senate approves bill to make it easier to remove library board members, (Feb 15, 2024), https://www.al.com/news/2024/02/alabama-senate-approves-bill-to-make-it-easier-to-remove-library-board-members.html.

[11] Inside the blistering battle over Alabama libraries: ‘Burn the freaking books’, (Mar. 7, 2024),  https://www.al.com/news/2024/03/inside-the-blistering-battle-over-alabama-libraries-burn-the-freaking-books.html.

[12] See https://www.facebook.com/cleanupalabama?_rdr./.

[13] Moms for Liberty speak to Huntsville-Madison County Public Library Board, detail graphic books in children's section (Jan 31, 2024), https://1819news.com/news/item/moms-for-liberty-speak-to-huntsville-madison-county-public-library-board-detail-graphic-books-childrens-section.

[14] Id.

[15] Moms for Liberty wants funds cut to Alabama libraries that let kids check out ‘pornographic material’, (Jan.17 2024), https://www.al.com/educationlab/2024/01/moms-for-liberty-wants-funds-cut-to-alabama-libraries-that-let-kids-check-out-pornographic-material.html.

[16] Alabama senator files bill to allow easier removal of library board members, (Jan 9, 2024), https://www.al.com/news/2024/01/alabama-senator-files-bill-to-allow-easier-removal-of-library-board-members.html.

[17] Id.

[18] Read Freely Alabama: About Our Work, https://www.readfreelyalabama.org/.

[19] Inside the blistering battle over Alabama libraries: ‘Burn the freaking books’, (Mar. 7, 2024), https://www.al.com/news/2024/03/inside-the-blistering-battle-over-alabama-libraries-burn-the-freaking-books.html.

[20] Autauga County Commission appoints new library board members, (Dec. 6, 2023), https://www.alreporter.com/2023/12/06/autauga-county-commission-appoints-new-library-board-members/.

[21] Id.

[22] SB10- Restricting Library Boards, Aclualabama.org, https://www.aclualabama.org/en/legislation/sb10-restricting-library-boards.

[23] Your First Amendment Rights Are In Danger- and Lawmaker Know It, ACLUalabama.org, (Feb.222, 2024), https://www.aclualabama.org/en/news/your-first-amendment-rights-are-danger-and-lawmakers-know-it#:~:text=This%20means%20that%20if%20one,a%20new%20group%20that%20will.

[24] Gov. Ivey requests changes to Alabama library rules; $6.6 million state money ‘contingent’ on policies (Oct. 4, 2023), https://www.al.com/news/2023/10/gov-ivey-requests-changes-to-alabama-library-rules-66-million-state-money-contingent-on-policies.html.

[25] Inside the blistering battle over Alabama libraries: ‘Burn the freaking books’, (Mar. 7, 2024), https://www.al.com/news/2024/03/inside-the-blistering-battle-over-alabama-libraries-burn-the-freaking-books.html.

[26] Id.

[27] Id.

[28] Ivey removes library board member who openly criticized possible state funding changes, (Nov 28, 2024), https://www.al.com/news/2023/11/ivey-removes-library-board-member-who-openly-criticized-possible-state-funding-changes.html.

[29] Three more Prattville library board members resign, (Nov. 28, 2023), https://www.alreporter.com/2023/11/28/three-more-prattville-library-board-members-resign/.

[30] Four Prattville library employees fired after closing library to stand with fired director (Mar. 15, 2024), https://www.alreporter.com/2024/03/15/four-prattville-library-employees-fired-after-closing-library-to-stand-with-fired-director/#:~:text=The%20four%20present%20board%20members,20%20minutes%20in%20executive%20session.

[31] Id.

[32] Id.

[33] Moms For Liberty Wants Funds Cut To Alabama Libraries That Let Kids Check Out Pornographic Material (Jan 2024), https://www.al.com/educationlab/2024/01/moms-for-liberty-wants-funds-cut-to-alabama-libraries-that-let-kids-check-out-pornographic-material.html.

[34] Id.