A statement on anti-library legislation in Iowa

A statement from the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization regarding anti-library legislation pending in the Iowa Legislature:

For almost 90 years, Iowa City stood at the forefront of American literature. We’ve been teaching the world to write. As a UNESCO City of Literature, the Iowa City community deserves great public libraries with the right to access materials freely. So do all Iowa communities. Recent legislation proposed in the Iowa State House threatens this access, enforcing age limits to materials, slapping civil monetary penalties on cities, and barring public libraries from purchasing materials with written or visual depictions of sexual activity. Other bills prohibit libraries from participating in state grant programs if they belong to professional organizations, such as the American Library Association or the Iowa Library Association.

If this legislation is enacted, the cost is immense. A significant portion of adult literature, books written by University of Iowa graduates, bestsellers, and award-winning titles, will no longer be purchased by Iowa’s public libraries and no longer accessible to Iowans. Libraries and the cities they serve will be pulled into court to defend materials that some individuals see as “obscene.” Iowa librarians will no longer share best practices and evolve their library services to better meet the needs of their communities, knowledge gained through professional organizations.

The Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature seeks to build and support diverse communities of writers and audiences through the transformative power of story. Without public libraries and their collections, Iowans’ lives are less rich, joyful, and informed.

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