O'FALLON, Mo. — Books that contain "explicit photographs of sexual intercourse or sexual acts" will be removed from library shelves in the St. Charles City-County Library District beginning Wednesday morning.Â
The change is expected to affect an "exceedingly small number" of the 700,000-plus books in the library's collection, said Jason Kuhl, CEO for the library district.
"This isn't about words. It isn't about drawings. It would only apply to photographs," Kuhl said Tuesday night after a meeting of the library district's board of trustees at the Middendorf-Kredell branch in O'Fallon.
The books removed will still be in the system's catalog, and will still be available to patrons to check out.Â
The move, part of a new collection management procedure announced at Tuesday's meeting, comes after months of contentious library board meetings. Attendees and board members have taken library management to task over the content that's available at public libraries in St. Charles County, including a soon-to-be removed book titled "Bang Like a Porn Star" that features interviews with gay adult film stars and photographs detailing sex acts.Â
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Books deemed to contain explicit photographs will be taken from the adult section of libraries to an off-site location owned by the library.Â
Lori Beth Crawford, a spokesperson for the library district, said she does not expect the new process will result in delays getting the books to patrons who want to check them out.Â
The move was lauded on Tuesday night by library board members.Â
"I think it does a good job of balancing the interests that we have to consider here in the district,"Â Â said Staci Alvarez, library board chair. "I think this is a good step forward."