Idaho’s House Bill 710, signed into effect on July 1, is the end result of years of attempts by the state’s legislature to restrict library access.
This bill requires that libraries relocate items deemed “harmful” by anyone who fills out a form to a restricted “adults-only” area. Failing to do so within 60 days puts libraries in danger of being sued for $250, as well as “actual damages and any other relief.”
For those who want to venture into the restricted area: you must be 18 or older, have an unrestricted library card… or be accompanied by your parent or legal guardian who must sign an affidavit every time you come to the library .
If your skin is starting to crawl just reading this, wait until you hear from a mom who has experienced it firsthand.
In a now-viral TikTok video, Carly Anderson , a mom of three living in Idaho Falls, Idaho, shared what happened when she took her 11-year-old daughter to the library to get a copy of “Fellowship of the Ring,” after just having finished “The Hobbit.”