The Sioux Center Public Library will roll out a new, optional youth access card procedure beginning January 2, following a unanimous vote by the library board Thursday night.
The procedure comes after months of discussion stemming from a book reconsideration request filed this fall and subsequent community conversations about youth access to library materials. Library officials emphasized that the change is a new procedure — not a new policy — and does not involve removing books or restricting access for the general public.
Instead, the procedure allows parents and guardians to voluntarily choose different levels of library access for minors, based on broad collection categories rather than individual titles.
Library Director Becky Bilby says the goal is to give families additional tools while preserving the library’s role as an open and accessible community resource.
Under the procedure, parents may choose from several access levels for a child’s library card, including children’s-only materials, children and junior collections, children through young adult collections, or full access with no restrictions. If a restricted card is selected, adult materials must be checked out by a parent, and library staff are unable to override those limits.
The procedure also restricts access to adult collections, public-use library computers, and certain digital lending platforms such as Libby and Hoopla for youth access cardholders. Bilby says those platforms do not offer audience-based access controls that would allow for limited youth access.
“Those platforms just don’t have the technical capability to set that up,” Bilby explained. “Parents can still use parental controls on their own accounts, but we can’t apply those limits automatically on our end.”
Wi-Fi access and educational databases — including Encyclopedia Britannica, TumbleBooks, LinkedIn Learning, and newspaper archives — will remain available to minors.
Bilby says the procedure was developed with legal guidance from Sioux Center City Attorney Brian Van Engen, who reviewed the approach to ensure it complies with First Amendment protections.
Library staff plan to track how often the new access cards are used, with an update expected later this winter as the city enters budget planning discussions.
One library board member, Teri Hubbard, was previously the lone dissenting vote during the initial book reconsideration process. In a public statement, Hubbard said her concerns centered on providing parents with optional safeguards, not banning books or restricting what others read. Hubbard joined the rest of the board in supporting the new youth access card procedure, which passed unanimously on Thursday night.
Library Board President Andrew Geleynse said the procedure represents a starting point rather than a final solution.
“This gives us a way to move forward,” Geleynse said. “We can evaluate how it’s working and continue those conversations as we go.”
The Sioux Center Public Library plans to begin offering the new youth access cards when the library reopens after the holidays on January 2.
