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Denton County residents urge moving sexually explicit books out of teen sections of county-funded libraries
Summary
Three residents asked Denton County commissioners to move roughly two dozen books from teen/children sections into adult stacks, citing explicit content and citing HB 9100; no formal action was taken during the meeting.
Three Denton County residents used the public‑comment period at the Dec. 10 Denton County Commissioners Court meeting to ask the court to remove or relocate about 26–27 books they said are sexually explicit and currently shelved in teen or children’s sections of county‑funded libraries.
Melinda Preston—who identified herself as part of a group that has been reviewing library holdings—told the court she was “shocked” by excerpts and images in five sample books provided to commissioners and thanked the court members who supported HB 9100. She said that “young adult” shelving commonly serves ages 12–18 and that many of the books in question should instead be shelved in adult sections. "It's not about getting rid of the book, it's putting it where it belongs," Preston said.
Rich Wilson said the group prepared a spreadsheet listing county‑funded libraries that hold the books and the sections in which they appear; he asked the court to review the data and consider restricting access funded with taxpayer dollars. "Every library has at least one of them or two," Wilson said, and argued that taxpayer money should not put the books “in the hands of our children.”
Charles Lee, a Denton resident, urged the court to create a subcommittee to monitor libraries that receive county funding, to establish a complaints process and to adjudicate which books are appropriate for minors. Lee said the county’s current library contract does not require such a process and recommended the court develop one.
The speakers repeatedly referenced materials on the website booklooks.org and provided the commissioners with a packet that, they said, lists where the titles are held and how they are shelved. Court members did not vote or announce any immediate follow‑up action during the meeting; the matter was raised during public comment, not as an agenda item.
The county’s public comment record shows no motion or vote to direct staff to change library policies during the Dec. 10 meeting. The speakers asked for a review of the spreadsheet they provided and for the court to consider funding or policy changes that would require relocation of the titles to adult sections.
