Book Ban Sparks Battle in TX

The removal of two children's sex education books from the Montgomery County (TX) Library last August has prompted some local conservatives to call for an overhaul of the book challenge process. As a result, the Montgomery County Commissioners Court recently appointed five additional members—including a former school principal—to act as advisors on the library's book review committee. The committee previously consisted of five librarians, who will continue to make recommendations on formal book challenges, says Library Director Jerilyn Williams.

The Republican Leadership Council (RLC), a local social conservative group, lobbied for the policy change after supporting the removal of Robie Harris's It's Perfectly Normal (1994) and It's So Amazing (1999, both Candlewick) from County Library shelves. The group said the books contain inappropriate content and promote homosexuality (see October News , p. 26).

RLC applauded the court's action and says it's confident that the new appointees will uphold the community's moral standards. Although Williams says the new process will be more cumbersome, she sees it as a better alternative than RLC's original proposal to give new committee members more authority in determining the outcome of book challenges. Williams expects a recommendation from the new committee on whether to restore or remove the books.

Meanwhile, RLC is seeking to defeat a $10 million library bond issue in the November election, claiming it involves tax increases that the community can't afford. The bond would fund the construction of new library facilities for Montgomery's West Branch and the R. B. Tullis Library in New Caney, as well as add a second library branch in the Woodlands. But Mainstream Montgomery County, a local group that rejects the book ban, says the real reason behind opposition to the bond is that RLC dislikes the library's liberal management.

Sparking further debate, RLC has asked the County Library to withdraw its membership in the American Library Association (ALA). Williams says she's been accused of being an ALA pawn, and RLC members have been calling for her dismissal since the August 26 removal of It's Perfectly Normal. The beleaguered Williams has received expressions of support from librarians nationwide and from local Woodlands High School students who have marched carrying signs reading "I love my librarian."