State Library Board to vote Friday on rules tying funding to severe censorship

The selected-by-Sarah-Sanders Arkansas State Library Board will meet tomorrow morning to vote on a proposed policy that would condition state funding for public libraries on their adherence to severe censorship of materials for minor readers — including such scintillating titles as the “Lord of the Rings” series and “To Kill a Mockingbird.” 

The board will meet at 10 a.m. at the Arkansas State Library at 900 W. Capitol Ave. in Little Rock. PEN America, an organization that advocates for the protection of free expression, raised concerns in a press release today about the impact of these rules on minors’ access to books. 

Under the proposed rules, patrons age 16 and under would be required to get parental permission to check out materials categorized as “adult” or “sexually explicit,” as defined by federal law. There is also a prohibition on “human genitalia,” which would include art books depicting naked baby angels and other nude works of art, as well as books written to educate young readers about puberty.  God forbid kids can check out a book to learn about how their bodies work — they might get pregnant and die! 

Books deemed “sexually explicit” would also have to be shelved in an 18+ section of the library, which definitely wouldn’t make kids extra interested in what’s lurking back there. Public libraries that do not comply with these rules would lose state funding. 

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed all six members of the State Library Board last year thanks to a 2025 law requiring the replacement of the previous board. Tomorrow’s vote could add to the already horrifying impacts expected from a federal appeals court ruling this summer that said Act 372 of 2023, which would create criminal liability for library employees who distribute content considered “obscene” or “harmful to minors,” could go into effect for public libraries. 

If the board adopts the proposed rules, libraries would have to choose between denying young patrons access to helpful, historic and educational books and resources, or losing funding that supports critical services, such as community events and children’s programs. And in Arkansas where, despite experiencing our own blue ripple during the recent midterm elections, we continue to be governed under a deeply conservative thumb, the outlook for tomorrow’s vote isn’t great — but we would be pleasantly surprised to be wrong!