Dubuque County residents press supervisors over library materials; library pledges formal review

Residents and library officials squared off at the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors’ March 16 meeting over several books in the Dubuque County Library District collection.

Jane Schmidt, who gave her address to the board, told supervisors the exemption that shields libraries from obscenity prosecutions “has been severely abused” and singled out the title Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide… as “very graphic” and targeting readers as young as 12. “We are paying for these books, not how we want our tax dollars to be used,” Schmidt said.

The issue drew several other public comments. Erica Haugen, a parent who said she read one contested title cover to cover, told the board she did not find the book pornographic and urged officials to “trust our librarians to do their jobs.” Mike Wright, the retired director of the Dubuque County Library District, reviewed how the library district is funded and governed and noted that county funding comes through the rural services budget under Iowa code, while library boards and staff develop collection policies.

Laura Souser, director of the Dubuque County Library District, told the supervisors the library follows adopted selection and review policies and that materials are not removed lightly. Souser described several parental tools already available, including family or linked library cards that allow parents to monitor what children check out, and said library staff will begin the district’s formal review process for “a couple of books” that citizens recently raised. “Doing that process is not banning a book,” Souser said; review can result in reclassification, relocation within the collection, or retention.

Several supervisors said they sought a respectful, non-litigious solution that gives parents greater ability to limit access for their children while preserving public access for others. Supervisor Wayne (first name used in the meeting) said he supported finding an approach that respects both parents who want access and those who do not. Library officials agreed to publicize family-card features and to follow their formal reconsideration procedures for the titles brought forward.

What happens next: the library will run its formal review for the two books mentioned at the meeting. Supervisors directed staff and the library to continue outreach explaining account options and the library’s reconsideration process.