Mike
A mom of three from Idaho Falls recently went viral after her children were banned from using their local library.
The situation arose when Anderson and her 11-year-old daughter Scarlett went in search of a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring for Scarlett, who had just finished reading The Hobbit. Instead, they were met with a new sign that prohibited their entry.
Here’s how it all went down:
“The sign says that if you are under 18, you’re not allowed up there unless you have an unrestricted library card or your parent that is over 18 signs an affidavit for you.”
“But no, why don’t they let me? Because I’m holding a baby, my 1-year-old.”
“They were being so nice and patient… I felt like the librarians were sick of it. They feel so bad turning kids away from going into the library.”
“They said that because I had a baby there (who can’t read), I’m not allowed in the library with her unless she has a library card or I signed an affidavit. So, me and Daphne just watched from the edge while Scarlett goes in to find her book. The librarian ended up helping her.”
“My heart broke because what about these kids that aren’t coming in with their parents?”
“What about the Matildas out there that literally come to the library to just read, read, and read and then gain superpowers because they’re Matilda?”
“What about the Hermiones out there that find amazing answers because they go into the Restricted Section of the library?”
@carlyjdot Coming to a library near you 😭 #library #greenscreen #scarletttok #bookban #momtok #lordoftherings #harrypotter #project2025 #librariesoftiktok
“All public and school libraries are having to work around this new bill to make sure they don’t get sued.”
“For some libraries, it’s doing something like this: having an unrestricted card or making sure that a parent, a legal guardian, signs an affidavit.”
“Even sadder, some of the smaller community libraries have been closed since July 1 because they just don’t have the funding to restructure a library like this or the funding to get sued every time someone gets offended.”
@carlyjdot Replying to @stephdykman Giving more detail on why Idaho libraries are hurting right now. Spread the word so we can change this! #parttwo #librarytiktok #booktok #bookban #project2025 #vote
Here’s what people had to say about it in the comments:
