New Louisiana library law giving parents choices on content for their kids

By T.W. STARR

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    SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — It’s the summer reading season for kids and a new state law that just went into effect in Louisiana gives parents the tools they need to control what their children are looking at in libraries.

Act 436 improves parental choice and limits minors access to certain materials. It went into effect on June 1.

The new law requires each library in the state to have a library card system that allows a parent or guardian to decide whether their minor child can check out digital content and/or sexually explicit material physically available in the library.

“It’s putting the onus on the parents so the parents can decide what access they want their children to have. If they do want them to continue those digital services, then the parents will come into the library with their children and they will sign up for the digital access as well. It’s really brought the parents and the children into the libraries so they can renew what their library card access levels are,” said Samantha Bonnette of the Shreve Memorial Library.

Bonnette also said the main thing they have seen since this began is many children asking why they no longer have digital access. At that point, they are told their parents must come in to approve it.

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