Bill would bar students from using school IDs to check out public library books; Radio Iowa, February 5, 2026

 O. Kay Henderson, Radio Iowa; Bill would bar students from using school IDs to check out public library books

"Some agreements between public schools and local libraries would be blocked under a bill approved by Education Committee in the Iowa House.

Library bookmobiles would be barred from school property and the bill prohibits schools from letting students use school IDs to access books and other materials from public libraries. During a subcommittee hearing, Katherine Bogaards with a group called “Protect My Innocence” said the bill is needed to stop Iowa schools from going around a state law that bans school libraries from having books with sexually explicit content.

“It closes the loopholes and ensures schools remain accountable to parents, accountable to the taxpayer, transparent to the public, and compliant with the law,” she said.

Republican Representative Brooke Boden of Indianola said the bill reinforces the 2023 law she and other legislators passed after learning kids and teens were able to check out books with graphic sexual content from some school libraries. “Reading is so important, but we also don’t want our kids reading literature that they’re going to need counseling for for the rest of their lives either,” Boden said during last night’s House Education Committee meeting.

Representative Elinor Levin, a Democrat from Iowa City is a former public school teacher who opposes this year’s bill, especially the ban on bookmobile visits to public schools. “Watching the bookmobile pull up at my local elementary school, there is no greater delight that I see on children’s faces, other than maybe running around a snow day,” Levin said. “It is incredible and it is powerful and I cannot think of a reason to take that away.”

Other critics say the bill would create barriers for students in schools that don’t have libraries or have limited book collections. Five of the Des Moines School District’s schools do not have libraries and about 12,000 middle and high school students use their school ID cards at Des Moines Public Libraries."

Federal funding cuts could be felt at Kentucky libraries; Spectrum News 1, June 19, 2025

KHYATI PATEL , Spectrum News 1; Federal funding cuts could be felt at Kentucky libraries

"Of Kentucky’s 120 counties, almost 80 counties only have one library.

“So what that means for our population is that no matter where you live in our county, the library that you have access to, it’s all in one location,” said Ashley Wagers, library director for the Jackson County Public Library.

She said the library’s bookmobile travels throughout the county with resources for people in some of the most rural areas of the state.

“It takes us as long as 30 to 45 minutes to get out to where they live. And when you’re faced with economic challenges, you know, you might not have a vehicle that’s even reliable to get to the library, to get to those resources,” Wagers said...

In May, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the federal agency which supports libraries, found out the law guiding its funding will expire this fall. Some funding from IMLS goes to the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.

A state spokesperson said the federal budget cut equates to a loss of about $3 million for libraries across the Commonwealth.

They shared a statement which said, “As of May 4, 2025, staff at IMLS has been reduced to 12 from 77. Congress appropriates funding for IMLS and the legislation under the Museum and Library Services Act that dictates how the agency distributes funding expires on September 30, 2025. The first budget proposal for the upcoming federal fiscal year has removed all funding for IMLS grants, reducing the amount to $6 million to close out the agency. It would mean a loss of over $2.7 million for KDLA. To date, KDLA has not received an official award notification for the next fiscal year, which will run through September 30, 2026.”...

The state said the federal funds make up about 24% of KDLA’s operational budget."

Beyond Outreach: How a Bookmobile Supported Maui’s West Coast Community After the Fires | Climate Crisis; April 10, 2025

Lisa Peet , Library Journal; Beyond Outreach: How a Bookmobile Supported Maui’s West Coast Community After the Fires | Climate Crisis

"The Lāhainā Public Library, which served a population of roughly 22,000 across 51 miles, was destroyed in the fire. The Maui Holoholo Bookmobile, however, which has served the island’s six branches since 2016, was spared. Three weeks after the fire was contained, Jessica Gleason, bookmobile librarian at the Wailuku Public Library, and bookmobile driver Michael Tinker, hit the road to support Maui’s West Side community. Together with Lāhainā branch manager Chadde Holbron, the bookmobile team has been providing books, Wi-Fi, goods, story times, and programming in schools, community centers, civic buildings, and parks—needed services in a time of hardship."