State allows parents to push for censorship

Censorship has been around since 1634 in the United States and is not a new conversation. What is new is a proposed rule from Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.

In October, Ashcroft proposed a rule that required library certification for the protection of minors and restricted federal funding from going towards books not appropriate for minors. The rule is composed of several different regulations that increase libraries' written policies and different censorship rules.

A common misconception about this proposed rule is that it will start banning books. Parents are now allowed to challenge a book, but if the book is pulled off the shelf, that is up to the library.

Director of the Maryville Public Library Stephanie Patterson said it was very important to understand the difference between challenges and banning.

“This is about transparency,” Ashcroft said. “It's about the ability of parents to be more in charge. It doesn't ban or burn any books. Frankly, I think it's something that everybody ought to agree with, but you can't please everybody.”

Patterson said she has been conducting a research poll with libraries around Missouri. As of Feb. 22, 37 libraries had responded to her about experiences with book challenges. She said not many of the libraries could report many book challenges. The library with the most, reported 14 challenges within the last year.

“So given that the U.S. Census reports well over 4 million adults living in Missouri, we're so far aware of roughly a dozen or so that have actually walked in a public library and formally challenged a book or movie,” Patterson said in an email to The Missourian.

These numbers are from public libraries, but school libraries face different issues. Around 300 books were banned in at least 11 school districts in Missouri in 2022, according to PEN America. While public libraries in Missouri are not facing many challenges, school libraries are facing bans. While Ashcroft said his rule doesn’t ban books, it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. It is affecting libraries and authors all over the country.

One of the most prominent policies found in Ashcroft's proposed rule, are the funding rules. The funds for the libraries to host events and buy books come from the secretary of state’s office, and it gets to define the funding received and what it is used for.

“I love libraries,” Ashcroft said. “Libraries receive more funding than they ever have, and I've fought for that funding. I just want to make sure that they continue to be able to do things well.”

Ashcroft said under his new rule the library would still have full control over policies and if a book is removed from the library. Patterson said it would be more accurate to say the governing boards have that control.

Ashcroft also said parents would have the control to choose which books their children are exposed to. He said it is very important that parents can decide what is and is not appropriate for their child. censorship problems. Patterson has worked in both small towns and larger ones and said this is not as big of an issue some might make it out to be. a librarian made the comment that she would have books on how to be a child molester, if they would publish them,” Ashcroft said. “And I said, ‘No, you shouldn’t, even if they did publish them.’ I had been looking at (proposing the rule) and thinking about it, but that’s when I really said ‘OK, we’ve got to figure this out because if we have people like that, there’s a problem.’”

“Despite what popular media can lead us to believe, I have not found there to be any more attempts at censorship in rural areas than there is in urban or academic environments,” Patterson said in an email to The Missourian.

Ashcroft believes that larger libraries tend to have the policies he wants to see already in place and will not have to make as many changes as the smaller towns will.

“I think this will be more helpful for small libraries to get their policies and procedures where they ought to be and where many of our large libraries may already have them,” Ashcroft said.

Ashcroft said this is a necessary rule to allow parents to have a say in what their children are exposed to and keep inappropriate books away from children.

This proposed rule is not supported by everyone. Ashcroft said he has received both negative and positive feedback from people. Some librarians are opposed to this rule because of the difficulties of what is considered age-appropriate and how it differs from child to child.

Ashcroft said that this is not something he is concerned about because parents need a say, and it is important there is transparency within the libraries.

“I haven't had anyone explain to me why it's wrong to be forbidding pornography in our children's libraries, but evidently some people are in favor of having that there,” Ashcroft said.

Patterson said both sides to this argument make sense. Taxpayers have the right to know where their money is going and how it is spent, and parents have the right to censor what their child is reading, but she does not know if the rule is needed.

“I don't know if this rule is necessary or what every outcome will look like, but since taxpayers are required to pay for public schools and libraries every year, I don't think it's unreasonable for constituents to be interested in how that money is being spent,” Patterson said in an email to The Missourian.

“I think parents should not just have a say, they should be the final arbiter,” Ashcroft said. Many people are led to believe small towns have more

“I went to a library directors meeting, and there was a discussion about how much involvement taxpayers should have and what libraries were displaying and adding to the catalog, and

Missouri is not the first state to propose more censorship in libraries. Ashcroft said Missouri needs to follow the other states that have more censorship rules and pass those without rules he feels are good enough.

“I hope that this will create an environment for our libraries to flourish even while libraries and other states are running into real problems,” Ashcroft said.