Teen shelves half empty at Hamilton East as library conducts $300K board-pushed book review

Update: A spokeswoman for the Hamilton East Public Library said Captain America comics and other Marvel superhero graphics novels from a list of reviewed works shared this month were removed in error. These items will remain in the high school graphic novel section.

The shelves of the “Teen Zone,” the young adult section of the Hamilton East Public Library, are mostly empty. Manga, Japanese graphic novels, are missing. Racks of comic books sit half empty.

It’s a jarring scene for a library, where shelves typically offer seemingly endless reading materials from which to choose.

Appleton: An afternoon at the Noblesville library, where children's books are under siege

But at the Hamilton East Public Library in Noblesville, almost vacant shelves greet borrowers in the Teen Zone due to an extensive review process ordered by the library’s Board of Trustees. Last year the board saw four seats turn over, including one now occupied by Micah Beckwith, a conservative pastor and former Republican candidate for a U.S. Congressional seat.

The review, which is currently underway, requires librarians and staff to examine thousands of books over the course of the next few months and is expected to cost the library system serving Fishers and Noblesville upwards of $300,000.

The policy, which the board passed in December, moves materials deemed not “age appropriate” to the system’s adult sections in the Noblesville and Fishers libraries.

The decision is gaining momentum — and attention — now due to the board’s definitions of what is “age appropriate” for the teen section as library staff seek more clarification about the policy’s reach.

Other librarians may soon be conducting similar reviews.Earlier this week state lawmakers passed a bill that would classify books "harmful to minors" in public school libraries in the same category as obscene materials. School librarians deemed non-compliant could face felony charges. The measure now heads to Gov. Eric Holcomb's desk.

During a heated meeting of the Hamilton East library board Thursday night in Noblesville, the board updated the policy to now include a list of profanities and a list of criminal acts that would deem a book inappropriate for young adult readers.

Indiana General Assembly 2023: House, Senate agree on measure to ban books from school libraries

At times, board members, who are appointed by elected officials, suggested library staff were not in compliance with the policy or had refused to work fast enough to complete the revisions. Library leaders said all employees were reviewing materials in addition to their regular duties.

Gone from the teen section are books on puberty, Captain America comics, and Marvel's Avengers graphic novels along with more typically controversial books such as Judy Blume's novel of teen love and sexuality "Forever."

Moving “age-appropriate” books

The HEPL policy impacts more than 18,000 books and about 11,000 item records, according to the plan.

“Any instance of visual depiction of sexual nudity as described or any level of written description, even incidental, of sexual conduct as described” would necessitate moving a book, the library’s interpretation of the policy reads.

What's in House Bill 1447?: School librarians could face prison for sharing "harmful materials"

The board sanctioned review also had library staff review the children's collection with a focus on nonfiction materials related to “puberty, human reproduction and the human body,” according to the plan.

Board members proposed the policy at the end of last year to reiterate that “parents are the ultimate decision-makers for children and patrons under 18 years of age,” the policy reads.

In March, library staff shared cost estimates for carrying out the review. The library estimated a one-time cost of $122,000 and projected ongoing costs of another $200,000 to hire additional staff for reprocessing materials.

HEPL director and CEO Edra Waterman said some library staffers have worked from home because the library does not have space for all nine employees to work simultaneously. So far staff has reviewed about 1,000 books this year.Board member Ray Maddalone asked why the staff had not reviewed more items and scoffed at the idea of staff members reading at home, calling it “terribly inefficient.”

“Why aren’t they just standing by the shelves reading books,” Maddalone said. But the review is time-consuming and staff have all their other duties as well, Waterman replied.

Library staff estimated more than half of the books in the teen section, many of which are shelved in the high school section, will be moved to the adult section.

That means more shelves and furniture will need to be moved and rearranged to accommodate the changes, according to the library’s response plan.

This rearrangement of books and review will require at least 8,000 hours of labor, for which about five full-time staff members and likely hired part-time staff would be needed.

In most cases, “reading books cover-to-cover may be required” to place them in a policy-designated section, according to the plan.

Examples of books relocated to the general collection due to the policy, include books on puberty, Angie Thomas' "Concrete Rose, "Ramona Blue" by Julie Murphy, and “Breathless” by Jennifer Niven.

Seeing it in a book

During the board’s meeting, about a dozen public speakers shared their opposition to the policy. None spoke in its favor.

Fishers residents Julie and Matthew Rhea said the board’s policy takes away their decisions as parents.

“As a parent, I believe it’s my responsibility to watch out for my children, not to have other people watch out for my children,” Matthew said. “I don't know why other people think they need to help me with my children's education.”

Noblesville resident Jennifer Midkiff, a mother of two, said that removing books that contain descriptions of criminal acts listed would censor what her children can read.

Such books could include murder mysteries, as well as childhood favorites like “The Rescuers” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” she said. S.E. Hinton’s “The Outsiders” — which features homicide, robbery and arson and frequently appears on middle school English curriculums — would also fall in this category..

Reading books that feature obstacles will help her children learn how to face challenges in their own lives, she said.

“No one is saying that these are good things, or that having these books on the shelves is promoting them,” Midkiff said. “In a story time sense, there are evils to be faced and I want my kids to see examples of evil being faced down and I want them to see it in a book.”

Requests for book reconsideration: Patrons challenged these books for teens and kids to Hamilton East Public Library

IndyStar archives contributed to this report.

Rachel Fradette is a suburban education reporter at IndyStar. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @Rachel_Fradette.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Book banning policy leads to bare teen shelves at Hamilton East library