Lauren Maclachlan

I oppose this bill for many reasons. The bill doesn't specify how (or a procedure for) librarians would determine if the person requesting a child’s library records is the legal parent or guardian. Even if a parent presents a birth certificate for a child, that does not reflect any recent court rulings about custody and access. Releasing children’s library records – including home address – to the wrong adult could create serious safety and liability issues. Libraries would have no way of accessing this information, so how can they responsibly make a decision on who is safe to release it to? What if a parent comes in to get their child's history, including home address and they have recently been barred from seeing that child for safety issues? The liability is endless here. Parents and caregivers are in control of their children and should exercise that right by accompanying their children to the library and helping them pick out materials that they feel are appropriate for their family. Matter of fact, they already have this right! This bill is a solution in search of a problem. Parents already have the option of linking their family cards. Families often send children in to pick up items for family members. How would librarians be expected to police what folks check out and why? This bill is simply too vague about what it is asking to do and does not consider the implications for safety and liability issues outlined above.