Public library directors in Missouri will have to make difficult decisions to make up for lost funds from the state if Rep.Cody Smith (R-Jasper)’s proposal is approved, according to a library executive.
“Every public library in the state will be negatively affected by these cuts,” said Otter Bowman, president of the Missouri Library Association, which does not receive funding from the state and would not be directly impacted financially.
Smith, who is chairman of the Republican House Budget Committee, wants to eliminate $4.5 million in state funding that libraries would receive in the upcoming fiscal year, according to media reports.
"It is likely that they will have to reduce hours, which will limit the public’s access to computers, internet services, computer classes, job application assistance, and the multitudes of other services offered to the community," Bowman told the St. Louis Record.
Underlying the proposed budget cut is a Missouri law that prohibits school library books from containing sexually explicit photos, drawings, videos, and other visual depictions.
“It takes hours of staff time for teachers and librarians to page through each book to determine whether or not it might be considered offensive to someone,” Bowman said in an interview. “This law has been cited to ban books that have little or nothing to do with sex.”
MLA is a plaintiff along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Missouri and the Missouri Association of School Librarians in a lawsuit filed in Kansas City Circuit Court seeking an order that clarifies the new law or declares it unconstitutional.
Approved last year, the law states that providing minors with sexually explicit visual material can result in a year in jail or a $2,000 fine.
As previously reported in the St. Louis Record, five of America’s top ten most challenged books in 2022 reportedly had LGBTQ themes, and four of the remaining five were written by Black, Hispanic, or Native American authors.
"There are MLA members that work as school librarians, and there are many public and university libraries that have reciprocal lending arrangements with public school students," Bowman added. “Rural libraries will be hit the hardest as they depend the most on state aid and matching federal funds to make ends meet."
Bowman further argued that digitizing books across state public libraries is not a practical solution.
“I can’t even imagine how that could possibly help communities replace the day-to-day operations and services of a public library,” he said.