Kansas Library Stops Marking Books
as Suitable for Christians
The Olathe (Kans.) Public Library board, reacting to a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union, voted October 18 to end a two-year practice of marking certain books as suitable for Christian readers.
The ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri had threatened legal action, saying the stickers with crosses violated the establishment-of-religion clause of the First Amendment. “The effect of the stickers, intended or not, is to send a message that Christian books are preferable to non-Christian books,” said Dick Kurtenbach, executive director of the ACLU chapter. The labels had been brought to the ACLU’s attention by a library user, the Associated Press reported October 21.
“The stickers were never meant to offend anyone or promote any religion,” board President David Ahlstrom said. “They were just put on there as a service to our patrons.”
Library Director Emily Baker said the Christian labels were applied to light fiction that had no sex or violence, not to religious books. “It’s not doctrinal,” she said.
Posted October 30, 2000.
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