Library staff have been reviewing and reshelving books for months. Now the policy is suspended.

After weeks of intense controversy over the placement of John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars," leaders of the Hamilton East Public Library Board voted Thursday to suspend the collection development policy that led to Green’s novel and many more books being moved out of the teen section.

Green’s book was placed in the library’s adult section in May, following a library staff review of its content, as part of a newly adopted policy that sought to place books with “explicit” content in the general adult collection.

Replay the meeting: HEPL board suspends book review process

Although “The Fault in Our Stars” could return to the teen section and the board’s review was suspended Thursday, it’s not clear what will happen to the other young adult books that have been taken out of the teen section in the seven months that the staff has been implementing the policy.

The board's vote pauses everything, so moved books would remain in the adult section, library director, Edra Waterman told IndyStar.

Last year, four seats on the Hamilton East Public Library turned over to grant the board a conservative majority. That dynamic, which allowed the board to pass a subsequent review of youth books, will soon shift as Thursday was Board President Laura Alerding's last meeting. A Noblesville High School teacher will take that seat.

Thursday the board elected Tiffanie Ditlevson, a conservative running for Fishers City Council, to replace Alerding at the helm.

John Green's 'The Fault in Our Stars' becomes subject of debate

The debate over the location of “The Fault in Our Stars” centered on what constitutes “explicit” material. While explaining to library staff what they interpret as “explicit”, board members displayed photos of sex acts and language referring to sexual content before a packed room in the library’s Noblesville location.

Previously: John Green's 'Fault in Our Stars' pulled from young adult shelf in HamCo

Back and forth ensued as board members debated their own policy and what exactly breaches it. Ultimately, the board unanimously voted to evaluate their review of books and halt vetting more books until further notice.

Board member Ray Maddalone said what library staff has already collected is a guide for what’s next.

“Using that data, we can now go back and click and go back and look at the policy and see if we need better definitions,” Maddalone said. “But if you start changing the policy, based on no data, you don't know if that's going to correct the issues that you're seeing.”

Library staff have spent months and hundreds of hours reviewing books by this policy’s definition. Library staff estimated in March the effort could cost about $300,000, although no updated figure has been shared publicly.

Throughout the rollout of the policy, some board members, like Maddalone, have accused Waterman, of misinterpreting the plan in addition to moving at a glacial pace.

Such accusations arose once more Thursday, when Waterman and some board members clashed on how to complete the review when there's no clarity on the end goal.

“I understand that it is your role and your right and your responsibility to set a policy that we then follow,” Waterman said. “But we can't start without a policy and work backwards.”

Prior to the board’s vote, Waterman warned board members that moving Green’s book could lead to more books having to be reviewed again, essentially starting over.

“The problem here is that this policy says that for all of these books, if there's sexual content, it gets moved,” Waterman said. “What we need to even do this review that you're talking about is to know what the new criteria is, because we're willing to review these books for whatever is defined in the policy but we cannot read your mind.”

In her director’s report, Waterman laid out how TFIOS came to be moved, specifically referencing what in the book violates the board’s policy.

“Written material containing explicit descriptions of sexual conduct (including masturbation, vaginal sex, oral sex, anal sex, oral-anal sex, the use of sex toys, ejaculation, and sadomasochistic abuse) will not be shelved in the Juvenile/Youth, Middle School, and High School sections,” according to the policy proposed by the board in December 2022.

Maddalone referenced this text in his presentation to the board, but said he believed TFIOS did not violate it.

The two main characters in Green’s YA novel have protected, consensual sex. Waterman argues it’s explicit by definition in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, which states explicit means “fully revealed or expressed without vagueness, implication, or ambiguity”.

Green, who published his book in 2012, previously said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that TFIOS violates the policy.

Board elects new president

Because the Noblesville School Board opted earlier this month to remove Alerding from the board, the remaining members had to choose a new leader as well at Thursday's meeting, which stretched more than three hours. Noting that the board could soon shift to a new, more moderate majority, board member Maddalone proposed that board member Andre Miksha take Alerding’s place.

Instead, Ditlevson was elected president.

It’s time to move forward in Fishers, Ditlevson said at the meeting.

“Let's continue to make this a great place to live, work and play,” Ditlevson said. “It is time for a fresh start. We paused the collection (policy), we’ll listen to our community members and I do not anticipate any changes in our leadership.”

New leadership will see the board through the overhaul of the process and further define where the Hamilton East Public Library will shelve books for young people.

What did the public say about the HEPL policy?

During the board’s meeting, more than 30 public speakers lambasted the board for choosing to implement the policy.

Westfield resident and young adult author Tracy Richardson shared a petition from the Indiana chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators that challenged the board’s policy, which they feel restricts access to books for young people.

“Our readers frequently thank us for writing books about difficult topics that they encounter in the real world as it helps them to better navigate the world,” Richardson said. “They feel empowered and able to make educated informed choices. They feel seen and understood.”

A handful of patrons were supportive of the books being reshelved in the adult section. Carmel resident Maureen Morgan said she thinks Indiana school boards and libraries have not done their jobs to protect children, referencing a state law passed earlier this year that bans harmful materials from school libraries.

Morgan said more could done at the Statehouse, asking “Are we going to have to go to the General Assembly to make some laws like we did for the schools?"

Rachel Fradette is a suburban education reporter at IndyStar. Contact her at rfradette@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter at @Rachel_Fradette.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: HEPL halts moving books to define policy that moved hundreds of books