#Idaho libraries

[archivlibrarianist]

The layout on the page makes me uneasy, so full text of the article under the jump.

Published: 12:09 PM MDT May 20, 2024

Updated: 3:26 PM MDT May 20, 2024

"BOISE, Idaho — The Donnelly Public Library announced it will become an adults-only library and says House Bill 710 is responsible.

"'Donnelly Public Library was deeply saddened by the passing of HB710,' a new release stated. 'Unfortunately, the ambiguous language in the legislation leaves us no options but to make some very drastic changes.'

"Sherry Scheline, the library director, told KTVB that the building will become an adult-only library, but children will be allowed in if they are accompanied by a 'signing adult.'

"In a statement, officials with the library said because of its size, it can't comply with the new law and create an adult section out of children's range. The library is 1024 square feet, a tenth of the size of the state's average library, which is 10,552 square feet.

"'This change is painful and not what we had hoped for at all,' officials stated. 'We desire to comply with state and federal legislation, but because of size, we have to protect our staff, our library, and our taxpayer money.'

"Library officials said that despite the 'saddened news,' they will continue their after-school programming and summer learning. 

"'After-school programming has become an essential part of the Library,' officials stated. 'It is our primary source of funding through both grants as well as tuition monies paid by participants.  It is imperative we continue to grow our programming offerings.'

"Officials said students participating in their programming will be able to sign a waiver allowing librarians to curate learning material for them. 

"The Donnelly Public Library encouraged the public to donate to the Donnelly Public Library Building Fund, a multi-year effort to expand the building. Without the expansion, the building will remain an adult-only library."

[libraryorgcharts]

Meridian Library District Meridian, Idaho link

[nando161mando]

Behold.. Idaho becomes the first to require ID.. for the PUBLIC LIBRARY. Knowledge and Thinking is the enemy.

[intothestacks]

Abigayl Martin, a BYU-Idaho alumna and writer who has been following the bill’s history the past few years, explained how last year a version of the law passed the House and the Senate but was vetoed by Governor Brad Little due to dangerously vague language and enforcement concerns.

For example, containing sexual conduct is one of the grounds for requiring a book to be relocated; however, in House Bill 710, part of the definition of sexual conduct includes anything “homosexual.”

“Say there was a book with a gay main character or trans main character or something like that,” Martin said. “That could very likely be, even if there was nothing else, you know, no sex, no anything else, no language, just that the main character, you know, was gay or trans. And then that will be reason enough to ban a book, which is kind of terrifying, if you asked me.“

[lunearobservatory]

And are the gay furry hackers here at the table with us tonight?

Washington state slowly raises his hand.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

AsOTD - Idaho's electeds... and this policy... which disallows any Idaho kid under 18 from going to the library... without a grownup to supervise them... BUT where a girl of 13 must be forced to carry a fetus to term, no matter how it got put there.... THIS is Republican governance... sick sad and scary

[Mary Elaine LeBey]

+

“I received the fundamentals of my education in school, but that was not enough. My real education, the superstructure, the details, the true architecture, I got out of the public library. For an impoverished child whose family could not afford to buy books, the library was the open door to wonder and achievement, and I can never be sufficiently grateful that I had the wit to charge through that door and make the most of it. Now, when I read constantly about the way in which library funds are being cut and cut, I can only think that the door is closing and that American society has found one more way to destroy itself.” ― Isaac Asimov, I. Asimov: A Memoir

[commiepinkofag]

It just became more dangerous for a librarian to check out a book to a child in Idaho. On July 1, House Bill 710 went into effect in the state, undermining the agency of library workers to build collections that meet the needs of their communities. The legislation targets “harmful materials” in public and school libraries, requiring library workers to move them within 60 days at the request of any minor, parent or legal guardian — community member or not, library patron or not — or risk a $250 fine and threats of lawsuits. In Idaho, strict compliance with the definition of “harmful materials” would include any discussion of homosexuality. The term has also been weaponized against any depiction of human sexuality, including masturbation. The Idaho Family Policy Center has been a major organizing force behind the legislation. The center was founded in 2021 and is focused on “promoting God-honoring public policy.” While the right-wing proponents of the law argue that they’re trying to make libraries “safer” for children, librarians say the law addresses a problem that doesn’t exist while producing intolerable working conditions that have more than half of librarians looking to leave the state. …

[archivlibrarianist]

If you check the article, you can see a list of books these busybodies consider "bad". These include:

It's Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris and Michael Emberley

Beloved, The Bluest Eye and Sula, by Toni Morrison

The Haters, by Jesse Andrews

Out of Darkness, by Ashley Hope Pérez

Looking for Alaska, by John Green

The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang

Oh, and it gets worse.

"The library implemented a new card policy restricting who can check out material with more adult themes. The library now offers three different types of access for children to prevent them from accessing certain types of material.

Restricted child card – Children will only be able to check out materials available in the children’s department.

Unrestricted child card – Kids can check out materials throughout the whole library, except for adult graphic novels, Blu-rays and DVDs.

Adult cards (issued to those 18+) – These allow library patrons to check out all materials the library offers."

Seems sensible, doesn't it? This can help parents monitor what their kids are reading, but also give the kids some freedom to decide upon and check out what they want. Kids with restricted cards can be moved to unrestricted cards when they get older, etc.

Of course, in the very next paragraph, we see that's not enough for these bullies.

"While they acknowledge the move by the library and its board, the restricted library cards are not enough, they said.

“'Unless the library plans to move all of their … "obscene" books into the Adult Graphic Novels area and carefully guard this section, the minor children will continue to stay at the open-access-to-all third floor of the IFPL, read the books, no matter the section designation, and go home,' Harrison said.

The Prince and the Dressmaker and Out of Darkness, obscene. FFS.

[jordanrisa]

[bitstitchbitch]

I shall be writing letters to my state representatives this weekend because Moms for Liberty basically just told my public library system that they are the next book ban target, so uh wish me luck with that I guess

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Matt Keeley at LGBTQ Nation:

An Idaho library sign went viral on Reddit earlier this month for stating that all patrons under the age of 30 must show a photo ID proving that they’re above 18 years old to access an adults-only section. The sign is real, and it’s part of a troubling trend affecting librarians, communities, and free speech rights nationwide.

Earlier this year, Idaho’s Republican-led government passed House Bill 710, forcing libraries to recategorize challenged books — including children’s books with LGBTQ+ themes — as being for adults only. The law is similar to censorious legislation introduced in other red states, and a similar law could be enacted nationwide if former President Donald Trump gets reelected and puts Project 2025 into effect. The Idaho law outlines what it considers to be “obscene materials,” which includes nudity, sexual excitement, sado-masochistic abuse, and sexual conduct. However, sexual conduct is defined broadly and includes “homosexuality” with no clarification as to whether this means explicit sex or just the existence of LGBTQ+ people in any book. Libraries that violate the law are slapped with a mandatory $250 fine, and if a patron sues, there is no cap to the damages they may be awarded — meaning libraries, which are usually already cash-strapped, could face closure if it’s unable to afford to pay.

The consequences of the Idaho GOP’s puritanical censorship crusade against “pornography” (meaning LGBTQ+ content) in libraries is being felt with HB710 requiring IDs from patrons under 30 to access adult books.

[popculturelib]

Haunted States of America: Idaho

The Idanha: Guests and Ghosts of an Historic Idaho Inn (2001) by Dick d'Easum

The Idanha Hotel of Boise, Idaho, is historic building that was built in 1901 and was, at the time, the most expensive building in Boise. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The Idanha is now a mix of shops and apartments. d'Easum's book focuses on the hotel's storied guests:

History has bubbled in the lobby and rooms of Boise's Idanha Hotel for 100 years. Governors lived there. An assassin rigged a bomb under one of its beds. Ethel Barrymore and Sally Rand enjoyed its hospitality. Clarence Darrow prepared for trial in his suite and baseball great Walter Johnson warmed up his pitching arm in its hallways. Dick d'Easum captures the color and character of this Northwest landmark.

It's thought that the ghost of a murdered bellboy haunts the elevator, and a woman killed by her husband occupies the second floor.

We don't have many books about spooky happenings in Idaho, but we do have Chris Bader's Strange Northwest: Weird Encounters in Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon and Washington (1995) for other kinds of supernatural oddities.

The Browne Popular Culture Library (BPCL), founded in 1969, is the most comprehensive archive of its kind in the United States.  Our focus and mission is to acquire and preserve research materials on American Popular Culture (post 1876) for curricular and research use. Visit our website at https://www.bgsu.edu/library/pcl.html.