Bills would require libraries to notify parents what kids check out. Librarians say that's unnecessary
MADISON – Librarians say bills that would require them to notify parents what their children check out are unnecessary because there are already procedures in place to help families oversee their children's reading.
The two bills, led by Republican Rep. Barbara Dittrich of Oconomowoc, would require public and school libraries to automatically notify parents within a day of the books and materials their children under 16 check out.
At a Senate committee hearing Tuesday, Dittrich said she proposed the bills to address a "fracture" that emerged between parents and educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. She emphasized that the measures were not a precursor to efforts to ban books.
"Our goal in this legislation is not to further inflame the issue, but to bring the temperature down and provide that easy tool," Dittrich said. "Librarians don't have to be policing what children are checking out or have access to. That's not their job. Their job is to promote literacy."
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But Democrats and librarians said automatic, mandatory notification systems are unnecessary because current law already allows parents to request to look at their children's library records.
The requirement would especially place more administrative work on understaffed libraries, said Emily Dittmar, the legislative chair of the Wisconsin Education Media and Technology Association.
"We have processes in place where parents can request a more tailored approach for their students," Dittmar said, such as sharing students' login information. "It would be fiscally irresponsible to deploy a notification system to all parents when this isn't needed for all families."
Sending "thousands and thousands of more emails" to parents could require libraries to upgrade their subscriptions with vendors that send text notifications and emails, explained Bradley Shipps, director of the Outagamie Waupaca Library System.
The Wisconsin Library Association is opposed to the bills and is "evaluating to determine if all public libraries have the ability to fulfill the new required mandates." The organization, which Dittrich said she met with, previously declined to comment on the bills.
The bills are also opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin and the state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. The measures are supported by Wisconsin Family Action, a conservative Christian organization.
The City of Milwaukee is also registered against the bills in part due to cost concerns, including the possibility that staff would be required to manually notify parents if they do not have digital access.
A fiscal estimate prepared by the state Department of Public Instruction says the impact of implementing notification systems or building software is "indeterminate," but costs would increase.
Bill author Sen. Romaine Quinn, R-Cameron, acknowledged that rural libraries may not have the capability for electronic notifications. Dittrich has said that funding to help libraries implement the systems could be attached to the bill.
Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@gannett.com or on X at @hopekarnopp.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lawmakers debate parent notifications of children's library activity
