Teen library patrons in Ames will continue to have the opportunity to access accurate sex education materials thanks to a vote Thursday night by the local library’s board of trustees.
Members of the board voted 6-to-1 to continue to make copies of the Sex, Etc. magazine available, both on display and for free distribution. The magazine, published by Rutgers University through the Answer program, provides honest sexual health information written by teens for teens and backed up by professionals.
The formal complaint, which was filed in July by John and Joyce Bannantine, did not object to the library’s subscription to the magazine, but to it being prominently displayed and to the ability of patrons to freely remove extra copies from the facility without having to go through a check-out procedure. The complaint included a petition signed by about 100 people.
Art Weeks, library director, issued a statement thanking and praising the Bannantine family for following the recommended path all patrons should take when there are concerns about policies within the library.
During earlier discussion regarding the complaint, the Ames youth librarian indicated that the library consulted the work of a national expert on connecting teens with the library when it designed the area in question. The expert, Patrick Jones, advocates placing items in places where teens can find them accessible and offering private reading spaces, because many teens aren’t apt to ask for assistance in finding materials.
Those who spoke against said they did not want children they deemed as too young to have such free access to the information provided by the magazine, and advocated its removal from the teen section and of free distribution of additional copies.
