ME Weighs Library 'Tattling' Law

Proposed bill would require librarians to tell parents which books their kids are reading

By Hal Stucker -- School Library Journal, 5/1/2005

A bill that would require Maine librarians to tell parents what books their children have checked out is now on its way to a vote in the state legislature, despite critics who say the law endangers children and their right to privacy.

Sponsored by Representative Randy Hotham (R-Dixfield), the law would affect every municipal library in Maine, as well as all libraries operated by the University of Maine system, and would require librarians to provide records for anyone age 17 or under if the parent requests them in writing.

The state committee on Education and Cultural Affairs recently voted against passage of the bill, which now goes before the full legislature. The committee's recommendation does not necessarily guarantee that the lawmakers will reject the bill, says a committee spokesperson.

A diverse group of opponents—from the Maine Library Association and the Maine Civil Liberties Union to Planned Parenthood—roundly condemned the proposed legislation at a recent hearing before committee members.

Anne Davis, director of the Gardner Public Library and past president of the Maine Library Association, testified that the bill, if passed, would put understaffed libraries in the difficult position of having to verify that the request was actually made by the child's parent or legal guardian and that there were no custodial issues or restraining orders that would preclude compliance. "There is more danger to the child from inappropriate disclosure, than there is from a parent's inability to discover what the child is reading," she says.

Shenna Bellows, executive director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, also voiced concern. "In a stark situation such as incest or abuse, a child would need to seek information from a trusted source on a confidential basis," she explains. "This legislation will not create good family communication where it doesn't already exist."

Davis also worries that the proposed law could cramp kids' curiosity. "By the time a child reaches the age of 12 or 13, they should be able to access information about social, sexual, and health issues without someone looking over their shoulder," she says.