It looks like libraries have had enough of one kind of story hour, but not the kind you might hope. The government-funded American Library Association, or ALA, is now guiding libraries on how to prevent Christian- or conservative-based story hours.
The guidance to cancel these events came during a virtual library conference earlier this month. One of the association’s directors said story hours like those of Christian actor Kirk Cameron were attempts to “exploit the open nature of a public library to advance their agendas.” The director then advised the libraries to use the First Amendment to not offer the meeting room spaces for these events.
But Christian publishing company BRAVE Books’ Founder Trent Talbot said, “the ALA can make whatever plans they want…but once you put parents into motion, it’s impossible to stop them.”