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The Cullman Library effectively no longer has a young adult section after adopting new policies and reclassifying its entire young adult collection simply as fiction.
The drastic move is one of many different ways that libraries have responded to new state aid requirements from the Alabama Public Library Service spurred by controversy surrounding books containing LGBTQ+ or sexual themes on library shelves for minors.
The new code requires libraries receiving state aid to adopt policies preventing materials that are obscene or sexually explicit from being shelved in sections for minors, as well as “other materials inappropriate for minors.”
Cullman County Public Library Director Amber Thornton said the decision came as a precaution with unclear guidance from consultation and APLS. Minors can still access the books if a parent/guardian clears them to check out books from the adult section.The library still has separate children’s and juvenile sections.
Cullman joins about 80 of the state’s more than 200 libraries that have adopted new policies in an attempt to comply with state aid requirements.
Read Freely Alabama and the Alabama Library Association have criticized the APLS code as being overly vague and could cause issues for smaller libraries.
“This is an unfortunate example of government overreach spurred by disinformation and outright prejudice from a small group of extremists,” said Krysti Shallenberger, head of the Cullman County chapter of Read Freely Alabama. “The Cullman County Public Library and board were forced into this decision as a result of the draconian administrative code changes pushed by Moms for Liberty, Alabama GOP Chair and APLS Chair John Wahl, Clean Up Alabama and (APLS members) Amy Minton and Debby Windsor.
“Young adults in Cullman are no longer allowed to be represented in their age appropriate sectionin the public library or access their own stories without these additional hurdles. What a 16-year-old reads is materially different than a 2-year-old. We applaud our library board and public librarians for making a tough decision to comply with these unfair code changes.”
Cullman isn’t the only library taking measures to require parental waivers to access books meant for young adults.
The Atmore Public Library has decided that the “downstairs” area will require a parent or guardian to be in attendance with any minors checking out books unless they have signed a waiver for their child. The upstairs children section will not have that requirement.
“Our board voted at its last meeting to make that policy change,” Library Director Hope Lassiter told the Atmore News. “Effective October 1, anybody under 18 needs to have a parent or guardian with them when they check out a book, or they have to have a parental consent form on file. The change in policy was made to protect us, and to protect minors.”
