On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the Iowa House Education Committee passed House Study Bill 636, with a vote of 14-9. If passed, students across Iowa would lose access to books through public libraries. 

House Study Bill 636 prohibits school districts, charter schools and innovation schools from joining agreements with public libraries. This includes bookmobiles, which are also operated through public libraries. 

Multiple schools, such as the Des Moines Public School District, don’t have the facilities to operate an in-house library. Because of this, the school partners with local libraries to allow students to have access to books through their student IDs. Bookmobiles also transport books and other materials to those schools, which allows students to check out books through the bus itself.

By banning the partnership between schools and public libraries, the bill will stagnate student academic and personal development.

English teacher, Angie Staber, shares her love for reading with her students and expresses the importance that reading can bring to a student’s life and academics. “Reading exposes children to vocabulary, sentence variety and teaches about different cultures and places around the world,” she said. “Reading is the greatest tool to teach empathy.”

Not only do books enhance student knowledge and academic achievement, but they also provide students with a space to learn about themselves.

Carissa McDonald, a librarian at the high school, values helping students access books they want to read. “Books are essential to this process, and the more choice students have, the more likely they are to learn and grow,” she said. “But, we also live in a very stressful world– sometimes a book is just a nice escape, and students need this, as well.”

Libraries provide the foundation for student development and self-discovery. This makes the bill much more harmful because it would remove the support they need. 

McDonald expresses that she is deeply saddened by the possibility of limited library access for some students. “We are lucky to have a district with a robust K-12 library program, but not all school districts have this, and as someone who attended a smaller, more rural district in Iowa, this feels very personal,” McDonald said. “I worry that some kids simply won’t have books to read if that public library connection goes away. It’s a grave injustice.”

It is a tough pill to swallow for many that students will go without access to books. While some students will still be able to get books, the students who attend these schools and rely on their resources will suffer disproportionately when denied access to books from the library or bookmobile. Prohibiting the connection of the public library to schools harms the students, families, community and their collective future.

With access to books becoming more selective, it is important to know different resources where books can be found. “When my own kids were little, I signed them up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. This program would send one book every month until the child started school,” said Staber. “The entire goal was to get books into the hands of children.” 

Knowing free online reading programs is essential for parents struggling with finding ways to provide books for their children. These alternatives will ensure that students can still read books without barriers blocking access. 

Books can open doors for students and can provide them with many opportunities. “A home filled with books is a home filled with love and opportunities,” Staber said. 

The bottom line is that these students deserve to be able to check out books. The consequences of taking away this opportunity from schools shines bright, and will be harmful for so many. 

“I grew up in a world where books and libraries were seen as an absolute good,” McDonald said. “When communities can’t afford to support libraries or when laws seek to limit access, the people those communities serve are getting a lesser human and a lesser American experience, and that to me is very sad.”

Iowa legislators want to implement the law because it will be easier to control what students read, as school libraries can be censored. What they don’t understand is that by severing this connection with public libraries, students will lose access to countless resources that would benefit their learning.

Although this argument is based on the idea that students should not have access to sexually explicit or harmful reading material, the fact of the matter is that it is not the purpose of the connection. It exists for students to develop through reading books. Along with this, if a parent feels that their student shouldn’t have access to certain books, they can establish that boundary personally with their child.

The opportunities books bring to students are endless, and a student’s academic achievement and self-learning should not be dictated by another student’s parents or government officials.

Libraries connect children of all backgrounds to a vast network of learning. Supporting this network empowers students to grow and fosters a love for reading. Iowa must reconsider this policy because severing ties with public libraries will have long-term consequences on student development.