For the first time in months, book labeling was on the agenda for the Christian County Library Board of Trustees Tuesday night. Trustees voted unanimously to to take no action on pursuing the issue further. Trustees did agree to discuss other means of addressing community concerns at their next meeting.
In late 2024 the Board asked for a variety of information regarding the labeling of books, but the subject hadn’t been raised since. The vote follows a report on the legal risks and grounds for book labeling presented to the board by the library district’s attorney earlier this month. The vote followed a lengthy discussion and debate, but trustees were largely in agreement in interpreting legal guidance.
Trustee John Garrity explained his perspective, which reflected much of the board. He said that “based on legal counsel and what I've heard from you all, we don’t want labels.” Garrity added that he didn’t think “labels by themselves solve the problem.”
The board and library district have faced calls for years now from members of the public asking that material with LGBTQ+ subject matter and characters, and items they consider sexually explicit, be labeled and or sequestered. At times calls have also been made to consider labeling items containing “CRT”.