GREAT FALLS — At bookstores and libraries, you will likely come across a Young Adult section.
“Each library defines their collections individually,” said Great Falls Public Library Director Susie McIntyre.
This has caused some debate on the definition of Young Adult, and what should or should not be accessible to that age range.
“If it’s slowly creeping down and up, that’s a concern,” said Tammy Hall, a Montana State Library Commissioner during the Montana State Library Commission meeting earlier in October. “A book a 26-year-old would read is not necessarily appropriate for a 10-year old.”
The Great Falls Public Library has decided that Young Adults is from 12 to 18 years old. You can see that number posted all around the library, especially its “Teen Scene”. However, Young Adult books aren’t only for their set age range.
“We don’t put books in those places to try to restrict access,” McIntyre said. “What we do is we put them and organize them so that patrons can find what they want.”
Twelve to 18 years old is an incredibly formative time in a person’s life, and it makes sense that some difficult topics such as mortality, illness, and abuse begin to be discussed in the literature they read.
“Is it appropriate for every kid? Absolutely not,” McIntyre said. “But it is appropriate for some kids.”
Ultimately, it is not up to the library to tell people what they can and cannot read — that is up to the parents.
“It’s about empowering the parents to make choices for their kids,” said Montana State Library Commissioner Carmen Cuthbertson. “I think we all agree that the librarians are not in charge of telling a child or a family what they can and cannot read, it’s up to the parent. So, if the parent thinks that their child is ready for mature content, let them loose in the adult section, that’s the family’s choice.”
“It’s up to the parents and the child to come to an agreement of what they should read,” McIntyre said.
This leaves the role of the library to be a safe space for everyone, and foster reading among every individual.
“The best way to raise readers is to give them access to a range of print materials that they’re interested in and encourage them to read for information and for pleasure,” McIntyre said.
McIntyre said that you can file a formal complaint about a book in the Great Falls Public Library if you feel it is necessary or in the wrong section.
More information on the Great Falls Public Library can be found here.
