A Senate committee on Tuesday signed off on a bill that would abolish the Arkansas State Library and its board, mandate minimum hours for libraries already struggling to stay open, and again seek to restrict minors’ access to some books in ways that recall Act 372, the ill-fated state law ruled unconstitutional by a federal court in December.
“Library directors and State Library Board members have repeatedly said, including at Tuesday’s committee meeting, that libraries already organize books on shelves in an age-appropriate manner in accordance with existing standards.
The location and availability of books based on “appropriateness” for minors was the thrust of Act 372 of 2023, also sponsored by Sullivan. The law would have given local elected officials the final say over whether to relocate challenged library materials some consider “obscene” and made librarians legally liable for disseminating such materials.”
From the statement from the Arkansas Library Association:
“This bill affects services and resources available to millions of Arkansans. The dissolution of the ASL will severely limit access to ebooks and digital audiobooks, and eliminate the Traveler databases that are used by every public school, college, and university in the state. The loss of the Traveler database program could lead to institutions losing their accreditation unless they absorb the cost of purchasing these resources individually. A recent study showed that the Traveler databases would cost the taxpayers of Arkansas $47 million to replace using local funds, should the ASL be eliminated. ASL is able to purchase these for the entire state due to their status as a state library. This would affect small and rural communities the most.”
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, remember her?
