Public library staff have been issued guidelines on how to deal with protesters targeting LGBTQ+ books aimed at young people.
Campaigners have been entering libraries and attempting to remove books they deem to be "inappropriate" for children.
The groups claim LGBTQ+ books promote ‘gender ideology and pornography’ and are insisting that they violate the Children First Act (2015).
They are urging followers to report “offending” books to local Garda stations.
Stack of books with an opened book in front of shelves of a large library | usage worldwideA spokesperson for the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), which manages Ireland’s public libraries, said it was aware of “some recent protests at libraries”.
“Some library authorities have had to provide additional support to their staff as a result – including information on how to deal with such incidents and how to protect their wellbeing,” they said.
Guidelines
The Irish Times reports that the additional support includes instructions to secure buildings, alert gardaí and avoid commenting to the media in response to any protests.
Meanwhile, library management recently warned staff that children need signed consent from their parents to borrow books outside their age category.
Children need a new signed consent form every time they move to a new age category and teenagers who join the library are automatically placed in the children’s (Under-12s) category until they provide a signed parental consent form.
The rules have reportedly caused disquiet among staff who believe the stricter rules may have been brought in to placate the protesters.
Age ranges
The LGMA spokesperson insisted the age restrictions are there to help parents and guardians supervise their children’s reading.
“Library collections are curated by librarians with professional expertise, in accordance with each library service’s collection development policy,” it said. “This includes categorising books by age.
“Borrowing restrictions based on age category are in place to support the role of parents and guardians in supervising their children’s selections.
“Parents and guardians play a fundamental role in guiding their children’s reading and library use.
“They are responsible for their children in the library, and for their children’s selections and use of library materials and services, including access to the internet and online resources.
“For this reason, parental consent is required when a child joins the library and further consent is sought before members move age category.”
Books
The Irish Times reports that some of the books being targeted by protest groups are:
- ‘This Book Is Gay’ by Juno Dawson.
- ‘What’s the T?’ by Juno Dawson.
- ‘Yay! You’re Gay! Now What?’ by Riyadh Khalof.
- ‘Sex Ed: An Inclusive Teenage Guide to Sex and Relationships’ by The School of Sexuality Education.
- ‘Trans Teen Survival Guide’ by Owl and Fox Fisher.
