Rule would hold Missouri libraries hostage to politics. Tell Jay Ashcroft to stop it

What if a state official unilaterally decided to create a rule that required doctors to ignore the Hippocratic oath? This is what Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has done with his “Library Certification Requirement for the Protection of Minors.”

I represent a group of 12 retired Missouri public library directors from every corner of the state, serving libraries of all sizes. We each served our communities for 25 to 50 years. We committed our careers to ensure that our libraries operated smoothly, safely and efficiently on limited funding. Our libraries welcomed all people, with different opinions, backgrounds and beliefs.

The librarians we have known all worked hard to ensure that their boards were informed on policies and finances, assembled staff that were well trained and service oriented, and provided patrons access to materials and services that suited their needs. Missouri’s public libraries already have selection and collection development policies, and processes for reconsidering items in the collection, approved by their boards. Made up of local residents, library boards are best suited to create policies reflecting the needs of each community.

But Ashcroft’s proposal goes further by restricting books based on the potential borrower and tying funding to that rule. A fundamental belief of librarians is that parents should determine what is or is not appropriate for their children to read. Librarians cannot interpret what each parent believes. Some parents want to use age-appropriate books as a tool to discuss sensitive topics, while others prefer a different approach.

Librarians discovered long ago that the best way to manage this range of their patrons’ wants is for parents to help select the right books for their children. For older children, staff depends on parents to set family parameters, and those parents will have discussions about suitable books or topics.

I believe that Ashcroft has conflated the role of public libraries and school libraries. Compared to a school where there may be compulsory reading, there is no such requirement for public libraries. If you don’t like it, choose something else. Unlike a school library, a public library has the charge and the mission to serve everyone in a community regardless of age, background, beliefs or values. As such, a public library collection is very diverse. There will be books in your local library with which you disagree — by design.

Public libraries understand how important it is for readers to find information that reflects their experiences, but also provides a window onto the experiences of others. This variety of books help some readers understand that they are not alone in the world. These books also allow people to see the challenges of others with which we share our community, fostering empathy and allowing someone to “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.”

After reading Ashcroft’s proposal, my retired colleagues found the rule vague and an example of governmental overreach. Given our considerable experience, we could not determine how we could effectively enforce such a rule without violating our professional ethics. Some of the proposal is redundant, as library policies are in place and are readily available upon request or accessible on each library’s website. Some of the proposal is unworkable, violating librarians’ professional values and tying funding to unachievable measures and outcomes.

Public comments on the proposed rule may be mailed to the office of the Missouri Secretary of State, P.O. box 1767, Jefferson City, MO 65109, or emailed to comments@sos.mo.gov All comments to the proposed rule must be received before Dec. 15, and must include “15 CSR 30-200.015” in the subject line.

I believe Secretary Ashcroft is trying to solve a problem that does not exist, and is adding measures that has the unintended consequence hindering parental rights. His proposal would make librarians choose between compliance and violating our values around the freedom to read. Support that freedom.

Steven V. Potter is former director and CEO of the Mid-Continent Public Library.