Posted on Dec 15, 2022
Missouri Secretary of State defends controversial library rule as critics warn of ‘slippery slope...
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Jay Ashcroft argues his proposed restrictions on "non-age-appropriate materials" in libraries will give parents more power over what their kids consume. Library administrators say the rule would force them to take on a “big brother status,” and threaten equal access to information for all children.
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft is pushing back against heavy criticism over a proposed set of regulations that would threaten state funding for libraries over "inappropriate" materials for minors.
The period for public comment on those rules closes Thursday, Dec.15.
“People can say what they want. I thought we'd crafted a rule that would allow local libraries to make sure they did things where they wanted to with visibility and transparency for parents,” Ashcroft said on KCUR’s Up To Date on Wednesday. “Honestly, I'm not the one making a big deal about this. It's the libraries.”
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft is pushing back against heavy criticism over a proposed set of regulations that would threaten state funding for libraries over "inappropriate" materials for minors.
The period for public comment on those rules closes Thursday, Dec.15.
“People can say what they want. I thought we'd crafted a rule that would allow local libraries to make sure they did things where they wanted to with visibility and transparency for parents,” Ashcroft said on KCUR’s Up To Date on Wednesday. “Honestly, I'm not the one making a big deal about this. It's the libraries.”
Missouri Secretary of State defends controversial library rule as critics warn of ‘slippery slope...
Posted from kcur.org
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Last month, a group of 12 former library directors and administrators signed onto a letter to Ashcroft opposing the rule, saying they were “redundant and unnecessary.”
Hohl says the issues cited by Ashcroft don't really occur in the first place. And many public libraries in Missouri already have a process to challenge materials.
Hohl argues that it shouldn’t be librarians’ job to determine what individual parents want for their kids.
“We don't take on that big brother status now,” Hohl says. “When [a minor] comes in to use the library… their parent is telling them how to use the library. It's really up to the family to decide what is appropriate for them.”
Several Up To Date listeners called, texted and tweeted feedback to Ashcroft’s proposal, saying that the secretary’s reasoning was contradictory.
This entire regulation does the opposite of what Ashcroft says. It does not empower parents. Empowering parents would be to not implement a new policy and expect parents to act responsibly and review themselves the materials their children take home from the library."
..."Last month, a group of 12 former library directors and administrators signed onto a letter to Ashcroft opposing the rule, saying they were “redundant and unnecessary.”
Hohl says the issues cited by Ashcroft don't really occur in the first place. And many public libraries in Missouri already have a process to challenge materials.
Hohl argues that it shouldn’t be librarians’ job to determine what individual parents want for their kids.
“We don't take on that big brother status now,” Hohl says. “When [a minor] comes in to use the library… their parent is telling them how to use the library. It's really up to the family to decide what is appropriate for them.”
Several Up To Date listeners called, texted and tweeted feedback to Ashcroft’s proposal, saying that the secretary’s reasoning was contradictory.
This entire regulation does the opposite of what Ashcroft says. It does not empower parents. Empowering parents would be to not implement a new policy and expect parents to act responsibly and review themselves the materials their children take home from the library."
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