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Irving residents press council to remove sexually explicit books from public libraries
Summary
At the Oct. 23 council meeting, multiple Irving residents urged officials to remove sexually explicit books from children’s and young-adult sections of Irving Public Libraries, citing Texas law and requesting a policy overhaul and staff education.
Several Irving residents used the city council’s public-comment period on Oct. 23 to demand the removal of sexually explicit materials from the Irving Public Libraries and to press city leaders to adopt collection rules aligned with state law.
At the start of public comment, Erin Perdue said she was “very dismayed” after learning that pornographic and “******** explicit” books had been found in the Irving library system and urged leaders to move such books out of the children’s and young-adult sections and into appropriate adult-designated collections. Vicky Norman said city management and library leadership have resisted removing or restricting allegedly explicit materials and called for staff education on the Texas penal code so selection decisions follow state law. Jessica Kane recommended the city model its approach on steps taken by the Arlington Public Library and specifically suggested reviewing Texas Penal Code 43 24 as a starting point.
Speakers described examples they said showed an inadequate review process: Natila Mesko brought up a recent review that described a title as “refreshingly explicit” and asked how the book was initially shelved in the teen area. Multiple residents asked the council to change the library collection policy to include clearer age designations, layered review for selections, and mandatory training for staff who select materials.
Council policy does not permit deliberation during public comment, and the mayor and council did not respond to the substantive requests from the podium. City staff had earlier told the chamber that follow-up for comments that require a response will be handled by the communications team. The public comments were entered into the meeting record for staff and council consideration.
What happens next: Speakers asked the council to direct staff to revise the library collection policy and to report back; no formal council action on library policy or materials was taken at the meeting.
