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Mom goes viral after sharing her experience with Idaho's baffling new public library law
Idaho's House Bill 710, signed into effect on July 1, is the end result of years of attempts by the state’s legislature to restrict library access. This bill requires that libraries relocate items deemed “harmful” by anyone who fills out a form to a restricted “adults-only” area. Failing to do so within 60 days puts libraries in danger of being sued for $250, as well as “actual damages and any other relief.”For those who want to venture into the restricted area: you must be 18 or older, have an unrestricted library card… or be accompanied by your parent or legal guardian who must sign an affidavit every time you come to the library.If your skin is starting to crawl just reading this, wait until you hear from a mom who has experienced it firsthand. In a now-viral TikTok video, Carly Anderson, a mom of three living in Idaho Falls, Idaho, shared what happened when she took her 11-year-old daughter to the library to get a copy of “Fellowship of the Ring,” after just having finished “The Hobbit.” As they went upstairs to the adult section, they noticed the new sign with the whole spiel about needing an unrestricted library card or affidavit. Okay, no problem: Anderson shows both her ID and her daughter's library card. Should be smooth enough sailing from here. But that’s when the librarian stopped her. “Why don't they let me? Because I'm holding a baby, my 1-year-old."That’s right, even her baby (who can’t read yet!) needed 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,” Anderson said. @carlyjdot Coming to a library near you ? #library #greenscreen #scarletttok #bookban #momtok #lordoftherings #harrypotter #project2025 #librariesoftiktok ♬ original sound - Carly It’s worth noting that Anderson made it clear that she doesn’t blame the “nice and patient” librarians for this mess, who seem just as “sick of it” as everyone else, and who seemed to “feel so bad turning kids away from going into the library."And while, in the end, Anderson’s kid did get the book she needed, here “heart broke” and the thought of other knowledge-hungry kids who wouldn’t be so lucky."What about these kids that aren't coming in with 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?"As one viewer sadly noted, “The Matildas and Hermiones won’t even know who Matilda and Hermione are because they’re not allowed into the library to get their books."Sadder still, Anderson added in a follow-up video that “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."Anderson then rattled off a long list of folks who will be very negatively impacted by this new law: marginalized groups, smaller communities, kids that don't get to come in with their parents, grandparents taking their grandchildren, teenagers looking for answers about eating disorders and abuse…just to name a few. @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 ♬ original sound - Carly It’s no surprise that at only a month in, Bill 710 has already drawn passionate criticism. Just last week, a lawsuit to stop enforcement of the bill was filed on behalf of three schools, four parents, the Community Library Association and Collister United Methodist Church, under the claim that it violates first amendment rights.As Anderson rightly puts it, "Thank you to our Idaho librarians for putting up with this nonsense." And folks were equally right to let this story be a reminder to vote in November…lest we slip into a real life Fahrenheit 451 situation.
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