There are bills currently before both the Oklahoma House and Senate that would require libraries to move certain books deemed inappropriate for children to a separate, adults-only area of the library. They are virtually identical, the only difference being the “emergency” provision tacked on to the House version.
The main text of the bill reads as follows:
The Oklahoma Department of Libraries Board shall not grant or distribute any state funds that are allocated to libraries on a formula basis to any library, library district, or library system unless the library has taken action to place all children and young adult books and materials that contain homosexual or sexually explicit heterosexual subject matter in an adult or special area in the library and the library has a policy in place to limit distribution of such books and material to adults only.
Oklahoma librarians (like myself) are understandably chagrined by this. Most libraries won’t have the facilities to sequester books in a secure area, and no library can spare the staff to police the bookshelves.
Control access to information properly
Get all the Oklahoman librarians together and have everyone agree to put up a big sign in front the of each library that reads:
NO CHILDREN OR ELECTED OFFICIALS ALLOWED
WE MUST PROTECT THE INNOCENT