Thank You
A special thanks to all of individuals and groups that have helped address the sexually graphic material being made available to children 11-17 years old in the St. Louis County Library System.
While I would have preferred that they move the sexually graphic books up to the adult section, the books will remain in the teen area. However, the library board has approved a policy to label books as "high school," as opposed to "teen," if they are sexually graphic and/or excessively violent.
At a minimum concerned parents will now have an additional tool to help them make informed decisions about their children's reading material. If a book is labeled "high school" parents will immediately know that it contains "mature" content. However, because the classification of "sexually graphic" is not being explicitly defined by the library board, and thus being left to the library staff's discretion, concerned parents would still want to peruse those books labeled "teen." These titles may still contain sexual material a parent might find objectionable for children, especially those as young as 11. Patrons will also have the opportunity to address their concerns on a title by title basis by requesting that the library reconsider the book's classification.
Unfortunately, the children will also have this information. Thus, to some degree, the labels will serve as advertising. However, because this type of material is so prevalent and well marketed in the Teen Department, children already come across it easily, and often inadvertently. Concerned parents would be well advised not to leave their children unattended in the library.
While I am not sure the issue is completely resolved yet, I am cautiously optimistic that this is heading in the right direction. Particularly, since the library board has expressed a willingness to work with the community and address the issue. The level of community support has also continued to increase, which is also very encouraging. KMOV news aired a very positive segment on the issue last night. They interviewed quite a few people outside the library about the labeling policies and every single person they interviewed supported the policy change. KMOV commented on this consensus and even included some of their positive interviews.
http://www.kmov.com/video/?z=y&nvid=336416 ,
I do want to thank each of you for your support - whether it was writing articles in your newsletters and newspapers, allowing me speak to your groups and/or on your radio and television shows, attending library board meetings, lobbying, ....etc.. In particular I would like to thank the Citizens Against Pornography, the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, SafeLibraries.org, and MetroVoice. Without your continued efforts and support, I am certain we would not have been able to make any progress.
The library has indicated that they will start the process of labeling these books in the next couple of weeks. Once we have a better idea of how this policy is being executed, I will send you another follow-up. Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Laura Kostial
Additional recent newspaper articles: