ST. CHARLES COUNTY — The St. Charles City-County Library Board has adopted several policies — including requiring that 16- and 17-year-olds have a parent or guardian present when they sign up for a library card — to comply with new state rules aimed at keeping explicit materials from kids.
Jason Kuhl, CEO of the library system, said the requirement on cards is "a pretty significant barrier" for older teens wanting to access library materials.
"A 16- or 17-year-old can come to the library on their own and get a passport, but they can't get a library card," Kuhl said. "It is not necessarily something that we are happy about, but we will comply."
Kids younger than 16 are already required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian to obtain a library card.
The policies, imposed by Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft in May, prevent local libraries from receiving state money if they allow minors to access books that are pornographic or labeled as obscene under state statutes. Among other requirements, library districts must have a policy defining “age-appropriate” materials and keep inappropriate materials and displays away from minors.
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St. Charles County library officials say the changes will also complicate partnerships with school districts. More than 7,000 students used their school IDs to check out materials from a public library during the last school year. Parents who do not want their children to have borrowing privileges can opt out of the programs by contacting school administrators.
Among the other changes adopted unanimously Tuesday by the St. Charles City-County Library Board to comply with the state: libraries can't use state money to acquire materials deemed "pornographic" or "obscene"; and only county residents or taxpayers owning property in St. Charles County can file a challenge to materials in a library's collection.
Books with LGBTQ themes in St. Charles County public libraries have drawn criticism from people who consider them pornographic or obscene. During Tuesday's meeting, one speaker alleged that a local school library and the library system both had around "50 pornographic books" in their collections.
"We don't own any pornography or obscenity," Kuhl said during the meeting.
Kuhl acknowledged that some residents may still find items in the library that they consider offensive, but he insists that the collection is free of pornography.
Several speakers at the Tuesday meeting, and at a prior meeting last month, pledged to comb through the collection to potentially challenge books.
St. Charles County libraries for months have been at the center of a regional culture war over LGBTQ issues. The debate picked up steam in May, when Rachel Homolak complained about the attire of a library employee in St. Peters. She said the employee had a goatee, makeup and nail polish. Homolak later called for the libraries to adopt a "gender-neutral dress code." Board President Staci Alvarez has said libraries have an existing dress code that meets state and federal employment law and was vetted by the board.
Homolak was among more than a dozen speakers at Tuesday's meeting, where she continued to push for dress codes that counter what she described as "drag."
"It does not matter if this person is in full drag or is more subtle with only a little makeup. Drag is drag, and it is always confusing to the child and does psychological harm," Homolak said. "Exposing children to any kind of drag is child abuse."
"The library dress code is enforced," Alvarez said. "Library staff are not permitted to wear inappropriate clothes to work and library management has in the past and will continue to promptly address dress code issues when they arise."
Kuhl, too, noted that having a specific uniform for library workers would be highly unusual.
Despite the controversies, library officials say their work continues as usual. In June, the district saw 35,000 more visits and 75,000 more book rentals than one month earlier. Also, staff members at the Kathryn Linnemann Library served more than 500 meals to area children through the "Lunch at the Library" program.