Montana Defeats Bills Regulating
Minors’ Library Use
The Montana Senate has rejected passage of two bills requiring adults to police how patrons under 18 use public libraries. SB 139 would have compelled libraries to establish acceptable-use Internet policies to bar minors from material deemed harmful to them, and required the codification of “measures to be taken against a person who willfully violates the policy.” The bill suggested that installing Internet filtering software was one way to comply. SB 140 would have amended the state’s library-confidentiality law to allow parents or guardians access on written request to their children’s borrowing records.
“We are grateful that the Montana Senate continues to trust local library boards, library directors, and staff to protect children,” Montana State Librarian Karen Strege told American Libraries. “The library community and the proponents of the bills share the same goal of providing a safe library experience for children; however, we disagreed that these bills would accomplish this goal.”
The Christian Coalition, Montanans for Decency through Law, and the Home School Association had supported the bills. Opponents included the Montana Library Association, the Montana State Library Commission, and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Posted March 5, 2001.
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