libraries

The Buchanan County party leader threatened not to allow city council members to run as Republicans if they approved the appointment of a gay pastor to the city’s library board. The controversy has created a push for broader change in St. Joseph.

A resolution passed by the St. Charles County Council requests the public library cut out “political agendas” from library spending, stop board members from posting political messages online, give up its membership from the Urban Library Council, enforce its dress code and open doors on Sundays.

To comply with a rule from Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, public libraries in the state now require kids as old as 17 to have adult permission to get a library card. The rule also prohibits libraries from buying materials that are "obscene," but librarians say that's dangerously vague.

A new statewide rule introduced by Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has librarians concerned for their ability to curate their collections in a way that serves the entire community.

A new St. Charles City-County library policy requires anyone under 18 to have a parent or guardian present to sign up for a library card. The move came in response to new rules from Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft threatening funding for libraries over "age-inappropriate" materials.

Eric Dorfman has taught at major universities, headed renowned natural history museums, and now, he's leading one of the world's premier science research libraries.

Members of St. Marys five-person city commission, all of whom are members of an extreme Catholic religious sect, have threatened to pull the lease of the public library if they don't remove all LGBTQ+ and other "socially divisive" books from the shelves. Their efforts have drawn a warning from the ACLU of Kansas.

The push to remove Brian Kirk is being led by a conservative pastor in the same city. The conflict has already prompted St. Joseph to change how it appoints members of city boards.

As kids flock to libraries for summer reading programs, one of the most popular programs is Read to a Dog. Children get ten minutes to read a book of their choice to a therapy dog — or sometimes cat — trained to listen and watch calmly and without judgment.

The new policies are a reaction to rules from Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft that ban libraries from “age-inappropriate” displays for teens and children. Staff of Mid-Continent Public Library say the policies are confusing, and point to a work environment that is not inclusive of LGBTQ staff.

Missouri libraries could lose state funding if they don’t follow new rules regarding what materials children can check out. But librarians say the rules are a huge burden — and have encouraged hostile behavior from the public.

The rule include prohibiting libraries from giving materials to minors without parental permission, and banning “age-inappropriate” displays from children’s areas. Libraries risk losing state funding if they don’t comply.