Washington County Library: Children's books comply with state, federal law

Washington County's library board met Tuesday night and discussed updates on the new library in Gray, as well as the request by Secretary of State Tre Hargett to reclassify juvenile books that contain "gender ideology." The board concluded that they have reviewed all materials included in the juvenile collections at both Washington County libraries to comply with all applicable federal and state laws. Library Director, Laura Moree clarified that only state, and federally funded books were reviewed as requested by Secretary. Washington County Libraries are set to begin moving into the new Gray library but a opening date has yet to be set. Kathy Carr, a member of the audience, said that she appreciates public libraries for allowing a diversity of information to be provided to the public. "Parents are the ones who guide and decide what their kids read," Carr said. "I decide what my kids read [and] I don't need to tell anybody else what they can and can't read." Nancy Oakley, a member of Tri Cities Indivisible Tennessee, said that several members of the organization, including her, were concerned about the book banning possibility. "It's important to have knowledge and information," Oakley said. "Libraries are the one of the cornerstones of … the foundation of our country and the freedom of information is crucial." Maureen Christy, another member of the audience who has raised concerns about library books, spoke about the reclassification. "Books with mature content should be accurately labeled and shelved accordingly," Christy said. "This is not censorship — this is responsible reclassification." Christy said that LGBTQ related books should not be classified within the children's section. She said that this creates confusion for young children. "I'm not saying remove it," Christy said. "I'm saying … put things where they need to go age appropriate wise." Betty Cobb, a retired children's librarian from a public library, understands how difficult it can be to decide what books are age appropriate. "In Washington County we have people that are of different cultures, different types [of] families, different religions and all of those should be represented in the library." Cobb said that the parents of the child should be responsible of deciding if a book is appropriate. Cobb asked the board to not separate books by topics such as LGBTQ because it shames those who are going to that collection. "Joe Godwin once said that 'a truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone,'" Cobb said. "I hope that you will continue to have something in here that offends everyone and have a great library." Board member Nancy Kavanaugh closed the meeting by thanking the community for engaging with the board. "I'm just proud of community and our library system," Kavanaugh said.