A new policy at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library, which takes effect on Mar. 3, 2025, sparked protest among parents as it restricts what books children can check out.
The new policy will require children aged 17 or under to have their parent's or guardian's permission when they check out books that are catered towards older audiences. Known as the "Younger Reader Card," parents are given the ability to determine what level of access their kids can have.
Controversial Library Policy
A section of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library's website noted that all library cards issued to kids aged 17 and under will require a parent's guarantor authorization. This is given by submitting a so-called "Young Reader Card Waiver."
The new policy was immediately met with criticism from community members, including parents, who also set up a protest at Big Spring Park on Sunday. The organizer of the protest, Marisa Allison, said that they are losing the right to read.
Allison added that the new policy is just the latest step of efforts made by people who are trying to get books banned from libraries. She said, "We are seeing evidence that they are trying to push back against books in the adult section so we all should be alarmed," according to News19.
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A fellow protester, John Stever, added that the new policies are a controversial topic, questioning that if after censorship starts, where would it end? He said that this was his primary concern, referring to First Amendment rights, the Constitution, and who decides what books get banned.
In response, the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library said that it was doing its best in order to serve the community while also complying with the Alabama Public Library Service's administrative code.
The library website noted that the level of access under the new policy will be the responsibility of parents or guardians. It added that parents and guardians retain the right to decide which materials their children can or cannot access. It introduces a new tiered library card system for young readers, WAFF48 reported.
Limiting What Children Can Access
For level 1, readers will be able to access items that are found in the Juvenile section and are catered towards those 12 years and under. For level 2, readers can access the Young Adult section, which includes materials for audiences between 13 and 17 years old.
For level 3, readers will be able to access the entire library which is the first level where online materials finally become available. The policy comes shortly after Huntington Beach was sued by three of its own residents as well as by an Orange County-based community group.
This was in response to its controversial library policies that the complainants argued violated the 2024 California Freedom to Read Act and the California Constitution. The Hunting Beach City Council initially brought the idea of making some books inaccessible to children in June 2023, as per the Daily Pilot.
