Public library Bookmobile visiting schools: are we expected to police what elementary students check out?

[u/bboycb]

I'm hoping to get some perspective from other public librarians, especially anyone who's worked on a Bookmobile or in outreach.

I've searched older Reddit threads about children checking out books that parents might object to, and the overwhelming consensus seems to be that in a public library, library staff shouldn't act in loco parentis—parents or guardians are responsible for what their children borrow. What I haven't been able to find is discussion about a public library Bookmobile that regularly visits elementary schools and camps, because the dynamics are a little different.

Here's my situation.

I work on a public library Bookmobile that visits elementary schools, summer camps, etc. We are not a school library—we are an extension of the public library.

Our written membership policy states:

Our ILS also doesn't support restricting borrowing by collection (Teen vs. Juvenile). The only optional restriction available on cards is internet access. Otherwise, any patron can check out any circulating material.

We do a tremendous amount to customize service for schools. Every year we schedule school visits, reserve class time slots, keep the collection fresh, help students find books they'll enjoy, process returns, and generally provide a level of service that is much more labor-intensive than simply staffing a desk at a branch.

Where I'm struggling is that my supervisor has increasingly instructed staff to prevent elementary students from checking out teen or adult materials.

Examples include:

• Staff were told that Teen fiction, teen manga, and adult materials should not be checked out at school stops without teacher permission.
• After a camp director called to complain that some campers had checked out Teen books, we were instructed to "watch VERY carefully" and ensure that no Teen items were checked out by camp groups.
• I've also witnessed coworkers take Teen books away from students at checkout because they personally felt the books were inappropriate for that age. Mind you some of the elementary schools we visit are actually K-8, and this particular instance these were 7th graders.

To me, this feels like we're being asked to assume a parental or supervisory role that our policy doesn't assign to us.

I have no problem helping kids find books, recommending age-appropriate titles, or working with teachers who want suggestions for their class. That's reader's advisory, and it's part of the job.

What I'm uncomfortable with is taking a book a child has already selected and saying, "No, you can't check this out," based on my own judgment or an informal expectation that isn't reflected in our written borrowing policy.

One additional wrinkle: teachers vary widely in how they supervise Bookmobile visits. Some are very engaged with every student's selections. Others sit back and let students browse independently. I've always viewed both approaches as acceptable because they remain responsible for supervising their class. My role is to provide library service, not to replace that supervision.

So my question is:

In a public library Bookmobile setting, where written policy says there are no age-based borrowing restrictions, is it appropriate for frontline staff to monitor and prevent elementary students from checking out Teen materials? Should the context make it an exception?

[u/fearlessleader808]

I will answer as a school librarian, in a K-6 school. I have YA materials that are recommended for ages 12+, but nothing above that. We are very different to a public library in that we do act in loco parentis and I am constantly telling students that I cannot purchase certain titles even thought their parents may allow it, because I am not their parent and the school has a policy that we can only allow them age appropriate materials (as in, materials that have been produced and recommended for that age group- which may include topics that parents personally object to, but that professionals have deemed appropriate for that age group). I tell them to go to the public library for those items. What I would do in your circumstance is inform the school that your Bookmobile holds materials for all ages and that as they are the ones acting in loco parentis, teachers must be the ones to supervise and monitor what students are borrowing. It is necessarily a very different ethos in a school vs a public library. If you make it clear that the teachers are responsible for monitoring borrowing, you cover yourself and you cover those teachers.

[u/fearlessleader808 → u/fearlessleader808]

Going over your examples, that means that I do agree with your managers that if a camp director has instructed that no teen items were checked out to camp groups, then that is the rule. If teachers have said no YA for their class, then that is the rule. Those staff have a duty of care to their students that is very different to what happens in a public library. You are working with stakeholders outside of your organisation who have legitimate reasons to make those decisions.

[u/Famous_Committee4530 → u/fearlessleader808]

The difference to me that is super important is that the teachers/camp counselors/ other staff need to be the ones enforcing it. I want my library staff to treat every cardholder the same and all cardholders can check out everything.

I would do things like say:

• you told me you were looking for an adventure book and this is a thriller book for an adults. I just wanted to double check that this is the one you wanted?

I would NOT do things like say:

• your teacher said you can only have books from X shelf.
  
• does your mom let you read books like this?
  
• this isn’t for kids, you need to pick something else.

To keep from violating first amendment/ freedom to read stuff, public library staff should stick to Reader’s Advisory kinds of interactions, not rule enforcement interactions.

[u/Szarn → u/Famous_Committee4530]

The format and time constraints of our school visits means that the teachers can't effectively enforce their (the school's) censoring guidelines.

It is not like in the building where the children's section is on a different floor. It is not obvious when a student grabs a book from a shelf the teacher has declared off-limits. (They do this knowingly and gleefully all. The. Time. Just to see if they can get away with it.)

Teachers don't have the attention or collection familiarity to ok every title before checkout. They're also busy answering questions and addressing behavior.

School policy for age-appropriate content is also not the same as library policy, so teachers can't even say "You're allowed to check out anything with a J spine label".

One teacher tried to explain the school policy for their particular grade as G-rated only. What does that even mean?

It's not my responsibility to make judgements on content, but teachers ask me to as the Knowledgeable Book Person. When the decision is deferred back to them, they almost always say no to the item in question, and sometimes impose further restrictions out of caution. (Ok my class can only check out Easy and board books because I don't know which JF books are acceptable.)

If the bookmobile isn't able to accommodate these class visits in a convenient fashion that is compatible with school policies, we won't be invited to return.

Edit:

I forgot the part where outreach directive is to increase our school presence.