PROTECT YOUR KIDS

Welcome to the Library Content Initiative of America’s Women. Our mission is to ensure that public school and public library materials are age-appropriate, protecting children from sexually explicit, violent and inappropriate content while promoting parental rights and community values. We advocate for transparent policies, responsible curation of library resources, and the promotion of positive, value-driven content to create safe learning environments. Explore below to learn why we’re focused on this issue, actions you can take, how to support wholesome content, and ways to get involved. 

Why Address Sexually Explicit Library Books? 

Public schools and libraries are trusted spaces for education and enrichment, but the inclusion of explicit materials in children’s and young adult sections raises concerns for many parents and communities. Here’s why we focus on this issue: 

• Protecting Children: Exposure to graphic sexual & violent content can be harmful to minors, influencing their development and worldview prematurely. 

• Parental Rights: Parents should have a say in what materials their children access, ensuring alignment with family values and age-appropriateness. 

• Community Standards: Libraries should reflect the values of the communities they serve, prioritizing educational merit over controversial content. 

• Legal Accountability: Some materials may violate state laws regarding obscenity or content deemed harmful to minors, necessitating oversight. 

• Learn More:   

  • The Heritage Foundation – Understand the legal and cultural implications of explicit materials in schools.  

  • Resource: World Library and Information Congress (IFLA) – Review global library standards and policies on content selection.  

Our Actions to Address Explicit Content 

We work to ensure that public schools and libraries maintain age-appropriate materials through advocacy, policy reform, and community engagement. Here are our key actions: 

• Advocate for Policy Changes: We support legislation and local policies that require libraries to review and restrict sexually explicit materials, ensuring compliance with state laws.   

• Support Parental Oversight: We empower parents to challenge inappropriate books through formal review processes and school board engagement.   

• Promote Transparency: We encourage libraries to adopt transparent selection criteria and involve community input in curating collections.  Resource: Steps to identify and challenge explicit books in school libraries. Ratedbooks.com and takebacktheclassroom.com  

• Communities: We provide resources to inform parents and citizens about the content in school and public libraries, fostering informed dialogue.  RatedBooks.Org has a database of book reviews highlighting explicit content for parental awareness.  

• Legal Support: We back efforts to enforce laws protecting minors from obscene materials, including supporting librarians and parents facing legal challenges.  We partner with organizations like Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal resource for protecting community standards in education & parental rights..  

• Supporting Positive, Value-Driven Content: In addition to addressing inappropriate materials, we promote wholesome, educational, and value-driven books that inspire and uplift young readers. By encouraging libraries and schools to include high-quality content, we support environments that foster character, critical thinking, and family-friendly values.  

Here are some recommended resources for positive reading: 

• Britfield Series: This award-winning book series offers engaging, family-friendly adventures that promote creativity, history, and positive values for young readers.  Explore the Britfield book series for inspiring stories.  

• Brave Books: These books focus on teaching children traditional values, courage, and moral lessons through engaging stories and relatable characters.  Discover books that instill positive values in children.  

• The Tuttle Twins: These books have engaging stories that inspire freedom, entrepreneurship and personal responsibility. Give your child the tools to think critically, dream big and become a force for good.  

• Great Hearts Academies Book Lists: Curated by a leading network of classical charter schools, these book lists provide age-appropriate, high-quality reading recommendations that emphasize virtue and intellectual growth.  Access curated book lists for wholesome reading.  

How You Can Support Our Efforts 

Your involvement can make a difference in protecting children, upholding community standards, and promoting positive content. Together, we can ensure that public schools and libraries remain safe, educational spaces filled with positive content for children! 

• Find Out What Your Kids Are Reading: Use this website to find your child’s school district and review the books available in their school’s library 

• Attend School Board Meetings: Voice concerns about library content and advocate for stronger content policies.  Resource: No Left Turn in Education – Tips for effective advocacy at school board meetings. Maybe I’ll  work on our own 

• Support Legislation: Contact state & local lawmakers to back bills that protect minors from explicit materials in schools and libraries.   

• Educate Others: Share information about explicit content in libraries, promote wholesome reading options, and encourage community discussions.   

• Donate to Our Cause: Your support will help us continue to fight for responsible library content and parental rights, including those providing tools for transparent book selection.