NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s October letter to all public libraries in Tennessee, Rutherford County librarians conducted an audit of the Children/Juvenile section. Library Director Luanne James deemed all materials appropriate for young readers, but Rutherford County Library Board Chair Cody York arrived at a meeting with a list of titles he ordered her to remove.
The targeted books featured themes related to gender identity, LGBTQIA+ representation, characters of color, depictions of violence, social change, and even book banning itself. The board voted to relocate those books to the adult section and to strip the library’s policies linked to the American Library Association — including the Library Bill of Rights, Library Code of Ethics, and the Freedom to Read and Freedom to View statements.
On Monday, March 30, the board will decide on possible disciplinary action against James for alleged insubordination. The Vice President of the Rutherford County Library Alliance believes James was defending both the First Amendment and community values, stating:"Do you want your kid walking through the adult section with children books that are right next to adult books like '50 Shades of Grey'? Or some other materials we really don't want our kids looking at? She (James) is protecting everyone in our community and argue she is protecting everyone across this country by standing up and saying No, I will not violate my own personal morals and I will not violate the Constitution of the United States."
Lambert also asserted that moving children books to the adult section constitutes a book ban under its legal definition — by denying children the chance to browse. "Children books written specifically for children, needs to be in the Children Section."
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