OK-Representative to propose funding penalties for libraries:
Author : Summer L. Holleyman
Date : 12/07/2005
Representative to propose funding penalties for libraries
By Summer L. Holleyman
Staff Writer
(LIN) Children from a local school excitedly peruse the shelves, their small fingers grabbing at books as they learn about the library from their teacher. Within reach of anyone who cares to pick it up sits a thin picture book that has created quite a stir in the community and at the state Capitol.
King and King, by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland, is a children's book about a prince who falls not for a lovely princess but for another prince. His mother, the Queen, is tired of ruling and urges the prince to marry so that he can become king and she can retire. A slew of princesses are brought before him but the prince does not find true love until he meets the brother of one of his would-be brides. The two marry and become known as "king and king."
The book was brought to the attention of Rep. Sally Kern, R- Oklahoma City, by two of her constituents. "A young couple in my district came to me concerned because their 5-year-old daughter had checked out King and King from the library," Kern said. "They asked for my help."
HR1039, which called for libraries to "confine homosexually themed books and other age-inappropriate material to areas exclusively for adult access and distribution," was passed by the House last session by a vote of 81 to 3.
Kern is now planning to author legislation for the upcoming legislative session that would remove books deemed inappropriate from the children's section of public libraries and place them in an adult-only access area.
"I have submitted a request for a bill that will involve funding for libraries that do not meet community standards," said Kern.
She said she plans to approach the legislation from three different areas. "The first is moral," Kern said. "We should be protecting our children, not willfully and deliberately exposing them to harmful behavior."
Kern said she also feels that her legislation will represent the community standards of the state. "Oklahoma consistently ranks as a very conservative state in the polls. You know we're not New York, we're not California," said Kern.
The third area that Kern's legislation will address will involve funding for public libraries. Libraries that do not meet the community standards defined in the legislation will be subject to fiscal penalties by receiving cuts in state funding.
"On the federal level, billions of dollars are spent taking care of people with AIDS, unwed mothers and people with STDs," the lawmaker said. "It falls on the taxpayers to shell out money to take care of problems created by increased sexual activity. A huge chunk of the federal budget is going to immoral people. Why should our libraries be exposing our children to sexual activity."
While Kern could not give particulars about the bill since it is still in the conceptual phase, she did say that "standards of common sense" would be applied when determining which books would be deemed inappropriatefor children to have unlimited access.
Kern also is looking to establish a nonprofit organization that would maintain a website to be used as an information tool regarding books in the library. Further, members of the nonprofit would go to public libraries to check if books deemed inappropriate are still on the shelves and accessible to children.
When asked what age group Kern believes should have restricted access to certain titles, Kern said that, according to law, any person under the age of 17 is considered a child. "Any child under the age of 17 would not be able to access the books that do not meet community standards," she said.
The Metropolitan Library System has a program in place that allows parents to have some control over what their children may check out. The Parental Preference Option (PPO) allows parents to block out media, reading level and up to 50 titles on their child's library card.
Kim Terry, marketing and communications director for the Metro Library System, said a new, enhanced PPO has been created by a Special Commission of the Metropolitan Library Commission of Oklahoma County.
"It really is wonderful. Under the old PPO, a parent could block out a title or category. With the new enhanced PPO, parents can now limit books by key subject words, such as alcoholism," said Terry.
She said the MLS hopes to have the enhanced PPO in place for the public to use by February.
The Special Commission also was charged with examining the need for creation of a "special collection" in the children's section at metropolitan libraries.
"The commission has passed that motion and a special collection will be created at all Metropolitan libraries in the children's section," Terry said. "The Special Commission will be meeting on December 20 to determine the guidelines for creating the special collection and what books will be placed there."
This special collection will not be accessible to children who are not accompanied by a parent or guardian.
While Kern has yet to finish working out the details of her legislation, she has said her goal is to limit children's access to certain books like King and King in order to uphold parental rights.
Three Representatives did not agree with Kern's resolution and voted against it last session. Reps. Opio Toure, D-Oklahoma City; Darrell Gilbert, D-Tulsa, and Gled Bud Smithson, D-Sallisaw all voted against HR1039.
"It's all about censorship and trying to control what decisions people have the right to make on their own," said Gilbert.
Smithson is concerned about the limited space in smaller libraries.
"They really don't have room or the money to separate them," Smithson said. "Plus, I don't see that necessarily blinding a child from some reading material is educational. It's not the Legislature's job to tell librarians and schools what they can and cannot put on the shelves. I think we should let the librarians do their job."
"There are a lot of books that children shouldn't be reading," Kern said. "This isn't censorship, because I'm not asking that they be thrown away or burned. I'm asking that they just be put in with adult collections and then, if a parent wants their child to see a book like that, they can check it out."
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