BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) – Controversy is growing over specific books in the Botetourt County Public Libraries.
The board of supervisors upheld a resolution that has stirred up comments from many parents, and county officials want to clear up confusion about what happened at Monday night’s meeting.
The board upheld a resolution that supports a parent’s right to choose what their kids read. Entrance policy into the libraries did not change at Monday night’s meeting, so anyone over the age of 13 can still go in without a parent.
Monday night’s meeting has many parents discussing what is appropriate for kids to be reading. The books in question range from picture books with illustrations to novels with passages talking about sex.
Botetourt County Public Libraries director Julie Phillips explained the county started receiving concerns over the content back in January.
“I really appreciated the depth of feelings behind the comments that people had, and I really appreciate the concerns that people brought forward on both sides,” Phillips said.
Phillips explained the library aims to include material for everyone.
“Libraries are kind of stuck in the center of a political and cultural turf war,” Phillips said. “We don’t take sides. We listen to everyone, we try to make sure that we have materials that meet all those different needs.”
Some residents say the public libraries have books that are too graphic for children.
“The language is clearly sexually exciting and that is the definition of pornography,” one Botetourt resident said at Monday night’s meeting.
Others say a few parents should not determine what is appropriate for all kids.
“They try to assert their own moral sense of propriety onto what other people have access to. Freedom of speech is most important for the most controversial pieces of speech,” another resident said.
An attorney for Botetourt County Public Libraries approved each book that some parents consider obscene, stating they are not considered pornographic.
“For something to be considered pornographic, it does have to be the entire work, it can’t be one picture, it can’t be one paragraph,” Phillips said. “There are certainly materials in our collection that not everyone would feel comfortable with, but those same materials would help someone else.”
As for kids under 18 only being allowed in the library with a parent, a board member recommended it as a possible solution but did not pass it as a policy. The library board will discuss that recommendation and determine if it will be implemented into policy at a later date.
The board upheld current library policies which state anyone under the age of 13 needs a parent with them, but 14 and up can go by themselves. Policy also allows parents to see and control what their children may be checking out at the library.
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