The St. Charles City County Library Board adopted a rule last month that requires a parent or guardian to accompany 16- and 17-year-olds when they sign up for a library card.
Prior to the new rule, students were allowed to use their school identification cards to borrow books and 16 and 17-year-olds were permitted to sign up for a card on their own. However, a parent does not need to be present for a minor to use the card.
“It's probably not as strong as it could be but it's a start,” said Joe Brazil, a St. Charles County Councilman who represents District 2.
The rule was imposed to comply with a policy introduced by Secretary of State (SOS) Jay Ashcroft that prohibits libraries from providing access to pornographic books or books labeled as obscene under state statutes to minors.
As previously reported in the St. Louis Record, the new rule will curb the flow of state funding to libraries statewide that do not adopt a policy detailing how selections are made when considering books for minors.
"There’s some irony to the fact that 16 and 17-year-olds can be employed by the library and issue library cards to other people but can’t get one on their own," said Jason Kuhl, director of the St. Charles City County Library. "It certainly creates a barrier to older teens, who are used to being able to do a great many things on their own. I think most will be shocked when they come in to get a library card so they can do an assignment for school and are told they have to return with a parent. They probably won’t come back."
In response to Paragraph 1C of Section 15 CSR 30-200.015, the St. Charles City County Library Board also adopted a policy prohibiting libraries from using government money to purchase pornographic books or books that contain obscene references, according to media reports.
“The obscene books I've seen have cartoon drawings or animation of boys giving fellatio to boys and I think that’s completely inappropriate,” Brazil told the St. Louis Record. “If that's what the Secretary of State and the library board decided, I am in total agreement with it.”
Section 15 CSR 30-200.015 is concerned with materials that constitute child pornography are pornographic for minors or are obscene as they are defined under Section 573.010 RSMo and the library is in complete compliance, according to Kuhl.
"Our obligation is to adhere to statute and legal precedent," Kuhl told the St. Louis Record. "None of our books fit those terms as they are defined in Section 573.010 R. Very little of what is required by Section 15 CSR 30-200.015 is a departure from our existing practice. We have always steadfastly supported a parent or guardian’s right to determine how their minor child uses the library, parents have always had the ability to revoke their child’s card, we have always had a process for a patron to submit an item in the collection for reconsideration, and so forth."