Despite the age of consent in Mississippi being 16, no one under the age of 18 will have access to digital materials made available through public and school libraries without explicit parental/guardian permission.
Mississippi has a new law on the books directly impacting access and use of digital resources like Hoopla and Overdrive for those under the age of 18 throughout the state. Even if granted parental permission, minors may not have materials available to them, if vendors do not ensure every item within their offerings meets the new, wide-reaching definition of “obscenity” per the state. Mississippi Code 39-3-25, part of House Bill 1315, went into effect July 1, 2023, and libraries across the state have scrambled for how to be in compliance.
These laws are disgusting. The only silver lining is that, at least for digital items, the resources can be found outside of libraries fairly easily from sources that don’t require age verification.
This is true, and I’m not against “alternative” sources for ebooks (having used them myself), but it’s always better for the libraries and authors if there’s foot traffic to the libraries, since that drives tax dollars which in turn makes its way back to the authors. It’s less than pennies on the dollar, but it’s important.
This is their definition of “sexually oriented material”:
[A]ny material is sexually oriented if the material contains representations or descriptions, actual or simulated, of masturbation, sodomy, excretory functions, lewd exhibition of the genitals or female breasts, sadomasochistic abuse (for the purpose of sexual stimulation or gratification), homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, sexual intercourse, or physical contact with a person’s clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or the breast or breasts of a female for the purpose of sexual stimulation, gratification or perversion.”
I can’t help but notice that this would seem so broad as to include the Diary of Anne Frank.
That makes me sick to my stomach. How utterly absurd.
Add it to the list of things that will surely bring educated graduates and others looking to start a family. Who wouldn’t put Mississippi at the top of their states list?
I’ve been recruited by people in these backwards anti-intelligence states and I tell the recruiters I could never work there.
But keep doing these stupid things. I’m sure it’ll work out
Access to books for those who seek them needs to be a fundamental right
