New policy at Huntsville-Madison County library requires children to have parent’s permission for what they check out

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Beginning Monday, a new policy at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library will require children 17 and younger to have their parent’s or guardian’s permission for what they check out.

The new policy known as the ‘Younger Reader Card’ gives parents the ability to determine which level of access their child will have to books and items inside the library.

“All library cards issued to youth aged 17 and younger will require a parent or guardian to give guarantor authorization by submitting a Young Reader Card Waiver,” a section of the library’s website states.

The policy is being met with pushback from community members, with several setting up a protest at Big Spring Park on Sunday.

“We are losing the right to read here. This is just as step along the way, we know that the people who are pushing for these book bans are just trying to expand it even more,” said protest organizer Marisa Allison. “We are seeing evidence that they are trying to push back against books in the adult section so we all should be alarmed.”

Fellow protester John Stever said these policies are a slippery slope.

“Once censorship begins, where does it end?” said Stever. “That’s my concern, first amendment rights, the constitution, who decides what gets banned?”

The Huntsville-Madison County Public Library shared this comment about the new policy with News 19.

“The Huntsville-Madison County Public Library is doing its best to serve our community while being in compliance with the Alabama Public Library Service’s administrative code,” said a spokesperson for the library.

The policy will give parents three levels of accessibility to the library for their children.

According to the library’s website, the level of access is up to the parents or guardians. The library said parents and guardians retain the right to decide which materials their child can or cannot access.

Protesters said they don’t blame the library as they feel that they are being forced to do what the Alabama Public Library System wants.

“Our library board has decided and made these policy changes in order to receive state funding,” said Allison. “In a lot of ways they’ve tied up the libraries in having to do these censorship changes.”