Accountability at the Library

It's a culture war battlefield whether you like it or not

In 2024, Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 710 after years of debate over how far the Legislature should go in protecting children from harmful materials in public libraries and schools. Following passage of the law, library and school boards were required to implement policies to ensure that children could not access obscene materials in these taxpayer-supported environments and to have procedures in place should such materials be discovered by children or their parents.

Several years ago, I wrote that I believed many progressives who work in library systems see themselves as missionaries tasked with bringing the progressive light to the knuckle-dragging rednecks of middle America:

To that end, librarians across the country stock their shelves with propaganda designed to push our society inexorably to the left. You will find books idolizing leftist figures, pushing identity politics and sexual degeneracy, and promoting all kinds of progressive causes. If they encounter pushback from the community, they retreat to ideological arguments about freedom of speech, as if there is no qualitative difference between the literature of Fyodor Dostoevsky, William Shakespeare, or Mark Twain, and literal pornography.

I suspect that some conservatives are simply naive about what is being distributed to our children through public schools and libraries, assuming that it cannot possibly be as bad as we say.

Does that sound extreme? Read Anna Miller’s 2023 article at the Idaho Freedom Foundation about a West Ada librarian who deliberately sought out books that most parents would find, at the very least, inappropriate for minors. Then repeat that story hundreds or thousands of times in public libraries and schools across America.

In just the latest incident, the Cherry Lane Bookmobile visited Doral Academy—a charter school in Meridian—on January 27 of this year. What should have been a routine visit turned ugly when multiple 4th-grade students—children just nine or ten years old—were found to have checked out books containing sexually explicit content, graphic violence, and adult themes. The children allegedly did not choose these books on their own; according to multiple accounts, the books were either recommended or handed directly to them by a library staff member.

Miste Gardner-Karfeldt sat down with some of the moms involved to hear their accounts. The entire interview is worth your time. Among the books given to 4th-grade children was a horror anthology titled The White Guy Dies First, which includes themes of cannibalism, demonic possession, and even sexual situations:

We can debate whether passages like this should be considered obscene or harmful to minors according to Idaho code and Supreme Court case law, but anyone who thinks this material is appropriate for 4th graders needs to have their hard drive checked.

This is not about censorship. It’s about accountability. It’s about drawing a clear and reasonable line between age-appropriate reading and the reckless distribution of explicit content to children. Parents are the primary stewards of their children’s moral and emotional development, and they must be able to trust that public institutions—especially libraries—respect their role and their rights.

The staff at Doral Academy acted swiftly and responsibly. They canceled future visits from the bookmobile, spoke with concerned parents, and attempted to bring the matter to the attention of library leadership. Yet where was the leadership and accountability from the Meridian Library District? According to some parents, library staff did not take the complaint seriously—offering instead a half-hearted apology and defending the employee in question by suggesting the children were at least asked whether their parents would approve. This is hardly the standard of care we should expect from public servants entrusted with our children.

A library bookmobile should be a joyful sight; more akin to an ice cream truck than a dark, windowless van trolling the streets for vulnerable children. A public library should be a resource for the entire community, serving all ages, but with clear boundaries and sensible safeguards. Content intended for mature readers should be clearly labeled and kept out of reach of young children. No school visit should take place without full transparency, parental consent, and teacher supervision. And no child should be placed in a position where they are handed disturbing or adult-themed material without their parents’ knowledge.

So where does the buck stop in Meridian? As an independent taxing district, Meridian voters elect a board of trustees to manage the library system, which includes hiring and firing the library director. The director, in turn, is responsible for managing staff, including the bookmobile driver who allegedly handed inappropriate materials to 4th-grade children earlier this year. Where should patrons and voters look for accountability?

Local media has spent a great deal of time and energy defaming concerned conservative parents as white supremacist, Nazi book-burners. Yet Phil Reynolds and Michael Hon, who are on tomorrow’s ballot for the Meridian Library District, have been drawing attention to this problem for years. They’ve faced relentless slander for daring to stand up to activists who want your children to be given explicit materials without your knowledge or consent.

Incidents like the one at Doral Academy underscore the need for responsible, accountable leadership in our libraries. That means electing or appointing trustees who value parental rights rather than progressive revolution, and who are not afraid to implement policies that protect minors from harmful content. It also means fostering a library culture that welcomes accountability and responds to the concerns of families, rather than circling the wagons and vilifying critics.

Before you vote tomorrow (you are voting, right?), take time to learn which library candidates take these concerns seriously, and which ones simply handwave them away under the cover of "free speech."

Note: I’ll be working the polls on Election Day, so there will be no new article tomorrow. Make sure to vote, and vote wisely!