Bill that restricts library materials awaits Governor Armstrong’s signature

News | April 23rd, 2025

By Alicia Underlee Nelson

Senate Bill 2307 has passed, despite testimony against it from North Dakota residents and library professionals. The bill, which restricts access to library materials, now awaits Governor Armstrong’s signature. But those speaking out against SB 2307, which prompted protests and read-ins across the state, say there’s still time to persuade the governor to veto the bill.

According to the ACLU, “Senate Bill 2307 would require a public or school library to remove ‘explicit sexual material’ or place it in an area of the library that is off limits to anyone younger than 18. The bill would require North Dakota’s attorney general to investigate any complaint about whether a library had allowed minors access to explicit sexual material, and order the state treasurer and superintendent of public instruction to halt any distribution of state funds to the offending library until the situation is rectified.”

Creating a separate space for materials deemed explicit would create a logistical problem for small and rural libraries, which are often housed in one large room. Critics of the bill say that making books inaccessible to kids in such a space would likely require removing them entirely. That means adults can’t access them either. Paying staff members to evaluate the titles (or to build a separate space to house the materials in question) would significantly impact a library’s budget.

In addition, SB 2307 doesn’t clearly define what the term “explicit” means. It states that the materials must be age-appropriate but doesn’t detail how libraries should determine such appropriateness. The bill’s lack of specific guidance concerns library professionals like Tim Dirks, Fargo Public Library director.

“The legislation itself is vague and essentially unenforceable.The impact of that vague language creates potential for de facto censorship in all libraries that are essentially small,“ Dirks explained. “The other thing that it talks about is that any interested individual may challenge items that are in libraries in the state of North Dakota, leaving public libraries in the state of North Dakota open for out-of-state, moneyed political action groups to come in and challenge particular titles or subjects, as opposed to local taxpayers.”

Dirks said the Fargo Public Library trusts parents to determine which titles are appropriate for their children. Randi Monley, co-chair of Right to Read ND, a non-partisan group committed to preserving access to materials in libraries and schools, agrees.

“I go to the library with my 12-year-old and my nine-year-old, we look through the shelves together and try to find the right books for them. That is based on what I, as a parent, have decided is okay for them to read,” Monley said. “You can't just get rid of a book because a certain person doesn't want it. It’s very important for kids to not only see themselves reflected in books, but to see other people. That's how they learn about being human and how they learn about the world.”

Governor Armstrong has several business days to sign SB 2307 into law or to veto it. The governor's office phone number is 701-328-2200. He is also accessible via email.

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