Missouri House goes for banning all the books, strips state funding for libraries

In a move combining both vengeance and ignorance, Missouri House Republicans voted to defund libraries in the state budget. Rep. Cody Smith, the Republican chair of the budget committee, flat-out said that he was going to cut the aid in retaliation for a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union to overturn a new state law banning sexually explicit material in school libraries.

The House budget cuts $4.5 million from libraries, all of funding from the state. It won’t destroy the state’s libraries, which also receive local funding and have other revenue streams. But it’s a hit, and one that isn’t just financial, Daniel Boone Regional Library youth services librarian Megan Durham told the Columbia Daily Tribune.It’s bad for Missouri’s kids, particularly in rural areas. "Often the library is a safe haven for teens to explore the world beyond where they live," she said.

It’s bad for democracy too, she added. "It's very personal and pulling the state funding is denying people access to resources just because they don't agree," Durham said. "All of us want to serve our community and serve our patrons as best we can.”