Ga. librarians could face jail for not removing ‘harmful’ books
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Librarians in Georgia could be subject to arrest and even up to a year in jail for failing to remove “harmful materials” from the children’s section of school and public libraries. But many in the profession say the definition is too vague.
Under a law ed by the General Assembly last year, librarians were provided an exemption from the penalties associated with distributing harmful materials to minors, but Senate Bill 74 revokes that carve-out. It leaves librarians open to aggravated misdemeanors — on par with DUI and battery charges — if they fail to do so.
“As a librarian, I just didn’t understand,” said Patrice Laird-Walker, a now-retired librarian who ran the library program at Atlanta Public Schools for years. “That’s the job, we want to create reading enthusiasm. That’s what we want. We don’t want children to be hesitant to share with us as librarians what they like to read for fear of us saying, no you can’t.”
Laird-Walker said librarians she’s spoken to are scared. They’re concerned that the libraries they run will become less of a safe haven for young readers, and that they may end up behind bars simply for displaying titles others find offensive.
Ga. House es bill to restrict transgender sports participation
The House approved House Bill 267 to prevent biological males from competing against biological females in girls’ sports at every level in Georgia.
“Librarians are feeling like they can’t do their job,” said Laird-Walker. “Like, I’m being asked to be something I didn’t sign up for. I’m being asked to police children and do the job of a parent, and that’s not the librarian’s role.”
ers of the bill say they’re trying to protect kids from literature that isn’t age-appropriate. The original harmful materials bill was first used last year when Cobb County teacher Katie Rinderle was fired for reading the book “My Shadow is Purple” to her class.
Librarians feel the elimination of the protection they enjoyed under the original bill amounts to scare tactics and censorship.
State Sen. Larry Walker III (R-Perry), who sponsors the bill, said it’s simply a matter of protecting kids while still promoting a love for reading.
Crowd of nearly 100 floods Rep. Allen’s Augusta office for protest
At least 70 people showed up for a protest that started at 9 a.m. at the office on Perimeter Parkway and that’s planned for all day.
“Let’s don’t interject social issues on young children and try to indoctrinate them in one way or another,” he said. “Let’s let them be kids and keep the politics and the social agendas out of our libraries, is the intent of what we’re trying to do.”
Books considered harmful material for children can still be part of a library’s collection, just not in the children’s section.
MORE FROM NEWS 12
Georgia: Latest from the state Capitol
- Georgia Senate es measure to raise fentanyl penalties
- Ga. Senate pushing a bigger boost in Hurricane Helene relief
- Ga. suit dropped after group fails to show ballot-fraud evidence
- Concerns raised over energy and water future with Ga. data centers
- New bill would bar Ga. kids under 14 from social media
- Ga. bill isn’t the same as DOGE, but Democrats are still upset
- Ga. Democrats seek better conditions for warehouse workers
The bill cleared a key committee vote recently, and its next stop is the Senate floor for a full vote in the chamber.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
